Roland Garros Round One Features Baez vs. Kecmanovic, Rune vs. Bautista Agut

PARIS, France — Round-one action at the French Open continues Monday, featuring a matchup between Sebastian Baez and Miomir Kecmanovic, as well as Holger Rune taking on Roberto Bautista Agut.

Baez will face Kecmanovic for the third time in their careers at the French Open. Kecmanovic has won both previous encounters in 2024, including a decisive 6-3, 6-2 victory on grass at Eastbourne and a harder-fought 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 match in Paris Indoors. Ranked 46th, Kecmanovic hopes to continue his dominance over Baez on the clay surface.

While clay is generally Baez’s preferred surface, he has struggled lately, with a disappointing record of 1-6 in his last seven matches. Conversely, Kecmanovic recently reached the semifinals of a challenging Challenger tournament in Estoril, providing him with some momentum entering this match.

“Given Baez’s current struggles, his woes in this particular matchup are likely to continue,” said a tennis analyst, predicting a win for Kecmanovic in four sets.

On the other side of the net, Rune, ranked 10th in the world, begins his French Open campaign against Bautista Agut, who ranks 49th. Rune has emerged as a dark horse at Roland Garros, but questions remain about his endurance in best-of-five matches. However, he enters the tournament in good form, capped by a title win in Barcelona earlier this season.

This match marks their third face-off. Rune has previously defeated Bautista Agut 7-6(1), 7-6(6) in Basel and 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in Montreal. With Bautista Agut struggling this year with a record of 7-13, Rune is favored to secure an easy victory.

“Rune is not far behind players like Sinner and Alcaraz in quality,” added the analyst. “He simply needs to be consistent.” Rune is expected to triumph in three straight sets.

The matches promise an exciting start to the tournament as players fight not just for victory, but for the opportunity to advance further in their quest for tennis glory.