Fritz vs. Cerundolo, Coric vs. Etcheverry

The atmosphere probably won’t be the same for Taylor Fritz’s next French Open match, which will come against Francisco Cerundolo on Saturday. Borna Coric and Tomas Martin Etcheverry are also aiming for a place in week two.

(23) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (9) Taylor Fritz

Fritz’s second-round match was one of the most memorable of the French Open so far, but not because it was some kind of epic thriller. With the Fritz playing the night session on Court Suzanne Lenglen against France’s Arthur Rinderknech on Thursday, the fans were predictably bullish in their support of Rinderknech–and in their disdain for Fritz. The eighth-ranked American managed to keep his cool throughout the match and won 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 but afterward gave the crowd the business with plenty of taunting and shushing.

With an Argentine opponent instead of a Frenchman on the other side of the net, Fritz certainly won’t have to endure the same kind of atmosphere on Saturday. Barring something unexpected, it will be all about tennis in this third-round showdown between Fritz and Cerundolo. And that means it should be a great one. While Fritz has soared into the top 10, Cerundolo is also playing the best tennis of his career. The world No. 23 is coming off a quarterfinal run in Rome and a runner-up performance last week in Lyon, giving him a 22-14 record this season. However, Grand Slams have been a problem. Cerundolo has never advanced past a third round and prior to this year had never won a single main-draw match at a major. In this situation, an inspired Fritz will likely have the edge.

Pick: Fritz in 4

(15) Borna Coric vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry

Coric took the scenic route to get to the third round. The 16th-ranked Croat scraped past Federico Coria in four tight sets and then outlasted Pedro Cachin 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in round two. Thus continues a sudden resurgence for Coric, who started the 2023 campaign in a significant slump but recently advanced to the semifinals in Madrid and the quarterfinals in Rome.

Up next for the No. 15 seed is a third consecutive clay-court specialist in Etcheverry. The 23-year-old Argentine has climbed to 49th in the rankings and has earned 17 of his 21 lifetime ATP-level match victories this season. That includes defeats of Jack Draper (via second-set retirement) and Alex de Minaur (6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3) so far at Roland Garros. This could be one of the best matches of the entire third round, but Etcheverry is making first trip to this stage of a slam and he is facing an opponent who is both experienced and in great form.

Pick: Coric in 5