French Open 2023: Carlos Alcaraz vs Taro Daniel preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs Taro Daniel

Date: Wednesday, May 31

Tournament: French Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €49,600,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Taro Daniel preview

Carlos Alcaraz is through to the second round.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will take on Japan's Taro Daniel as a place in the French Open third round beckons.

World No. 1 Alcaraz was on a roll in his Roland Garros opener, bursting to a two-set lead for the loss of just two games against qualifier Flavio Cobolli. He faced stern resistance from the Italian in the decider, conceding five games.

Having failed to serve out a victory the first time, Alcaraz broke serve immediately, registering his 32nd victory in 35 matches this year. He's now 7-2 at Roland Garros.

About failure to serve out at 5-4, Carlos Alcaraz said:

"It is not too good when losing your serve at 5-4. But I had to overcome that and forget that. I think I forgot it really quick and I played a great level from 5-5."

Meanwhile, 112th-ranked Taro Daniel improved to 9-6 in 2023 with a straight-set win over Australia's Christopher O'Connell. The Japanese dropped just six games all match, including a bagel opening set, as he improved to 3-6 at Roland Garros.

Daniel has never been beyond the second round at the claycourt Major, where he last won a match six years ago before doing so this year.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Taro Daniel head-to-head

The two players haven't met before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Taro Daniel odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Carlos Alcaraz	-5000	-1.5 (-2000)	Over 26.5 (-110)
Taro Daniel	+1100	+1.5 (+600)	Under 26.5 (-125)

All odds as per BETMGM

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Taro Daniel prediction

Taro Daniel won at Roland Garros for only the second time in seven years.

Alcaraz and Daniel like to dominate opponents from the back of the court, but the similarities in their game styles end there.

Alcaraz is widely regarded as one of the most talented young players on tour and is a monster on clay. He is 60-13 on the surface, winning seven titles. The Spaniard has won 20 of his 22 matches on clay in 2023, winning titles in Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Madrid. Daniel, meanwhile, is 33-43 on red dirt, where he has won his lone singles title.

Considering the same, anything but a straightforward win for Alcaraz would be a huge surprise.

Pick: Alcaraz in straight sets