Hurkacz vs. Goffin, Korda vs. McDonald

The French Open gets underway on Sunday, with plenty of intriguing first-round matchups in the works. Hubert Hurkacz may have a tough opener on his hands against David Goffin, while an all-American affair features Sebastian Korda and Mackenzie McDonald.

David Goffin vs. (13) Hubert Hurkacz

Hurkacz and Goffin will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time at the French Open when they clash in round one on Sunday. They faced each other in the third round last year and Hurkacz cruised in straight sets, but Goffin won their only other meeting 7-6(8), 7-6(2) at the Rome Masters.

Their recent Roland Garros result notwithstanding, Hurkacz has a horrible Grand Slam record relative to accomplishments elsewhere on tour. The world No. 13 has advanced past the second round only once at both the Australian Open and French Open, has advanced past the Wimbledon third round just once, and has never made it out of the U.S. Open second round. With a disappointing 3-4 record on clay this spring, there is little reason to anticipate any sudden French Open success for Hurkacz. Goffin showed recent signs of life with decent performances at the Aix-en-Provence Challenger and Rome Masters, so don’t be surprised if the 32-year-old Belgian pulls off an upset.

Pick: Goffin in 5

Mackenzie McDonald vs. (24) Sebastian Korda

Korda was one of the breakout stars of the 2020 French Open, when he reached the fourth round as a qualifier before falling his idol–Rafael Nadal. The American also advanced to the third round last spring, losing to another Spaniard–Carlos Alcaraz. Although Korda is up to No. 29 in the world at 22 years old, expectations are not high for him this time around. That’s because he missed three months following the Australian Open due to a wrist injury and has not won a match in two clay-court tournaments upon his return to tennis.

Up first for Korda on Sunday is McDonald, whom he has never faced. Clay may be the 56th-ranked American’s worst surface, but he is far from hopeless on it. He has reached at least the second round of three straight Roland Garros appearances (including as a qualifier in 2021) and then made a third-round run last year. Despite not being in great form at the moment, if McDonald plays like he normally does in Paris he should be able to take advantage of a struggling opponent.

Pick: McDonald in 4