Casper Ruud vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina:
The two-time Roland-Garros finalist could certainly have his hands full with the 24-year-old Spaniard, who despite having fallen from his career-high ranking of No. 21 to his current perch outside the top 32 seeds, was nonetheless anointed by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the press room pre-event as one to watch this year.
All the signs are there for a classic: The pair have split four previous meetings, and they have Parisian history. In 2021, Davidovich Fokina beat Ruud in the third round in a fascinating five sets, 7-6(3), 2-6, 7-6(6), 0-6, 7-5, on his way to the quarterfinals.
Elina Svitolina vs. Diane Parry:
After rallying to win the highest-profile women’s first-round match against former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in three sets, the Ukrainian will see a very different style of tennis in the second round in the versatile Parry and her pristine one-handed backhand.
Four-time quarterfinalist Svitolina has been a fan-favourite in Paris even before she became Mrs. Monfils, but she won’t curry the most public favour in this one: the 21-year-old Frenchwoman grew up a stone’s throw from Roland-Garros, sometimes even riding her scooter to the site – and she’s bidding to return to the third round for a second time.