French Open Day 4: Men's singles predictions ft. Sebastian Baez vs Sebastian Ofner, Lorenzo Sonego vs Zhang Zhizhen

Day 4 of French Open 2024 will see the second round of the men's singles event commence. Several top players will be in action, with second seed Jannik Sinner facing local boy Richard Gasquet and third seed Carlos Alcaraz taking on Jesper de Jong.

Madrid Open champion Andrey Rublev will be up against Pedro Martinez, while Monte-Carlo Masters winner Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet Daniel Altmaier. The likes of Hubert Hurkacz, Grigor Dimitrov and Frances Tiafoe will also be in action.

On that note, let's take a look at the predictions for some of the men's singles fixtures on Day 4 of the French Open.

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#1 Sebastian Baez vs Sebastian Ofner

Twentieth seed Sebastian Baez will face Sebastian Ofner in the second round of the French Open. This will be the very first encounter between the two.

Both players endured tough five-setters in the opening round of the claycourt Major. Baez beat Gustavo Heide 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, while Ofner triumphed 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, 7-5 over Terence Atmane.

Baez has won 23 of 35 matches this season, winning titles at the Rio Open and the Chile Open. Ofner, meanwhile, has come out on top in only 11 of 26 matches.

The Argentine has produced some impressive performances on clay in 2024. While he had to grind out a victory over a qualifier. Baez should beat Ofner without much trouble to reach the second round of the French Open.

Predicted Winner: Sebastian Baez

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#2 Lorenzo Sonego vs Zhang Zhizhen

Lorenzo Sonego will face Zhang Zhizhen in the second round of the French Open. It will be the second meeting between the two, with the Chinese winning their previous encounter 7-6(4), 6-3 in the first round of the 2023 Rothesay International in Eastbourne.

Both players secured four-set wins in the first round, with Sonego beating 17th seed Ugo Humbert 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 and Zhizhen overcoming Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The Italian has had a disappointing 2024 season, with only eight wins in 24 matches. Zhang hasn't been too impressive either, garnering 12 victories in 26 fixtures.

While both players on their day can produce some impressive performances on clay, Sonego is a relatively better mover on the surface compared to Zhang. That coupled with his counter-punching could see him come out on top.

Predicted Winner: Lorenzo Sonego

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#3 Matteo Arnaldi vs Alexandre Muller

Matteo Arnaldi will face Alexandre Muller in the second round of the French Open. It will be the first encounter between the two. Arnaldi ousted 29th seed Arthur Fils 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round, while Muller made easy work of Luca Nardi, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.

The Italian has won 16 of 28 matches in 2024, reaching the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open and making the fourth round of the Madrid Open. Muller, meanwhile, has triumphed in 10 of 20 matches this year, reaching the fourth round of the Italian Open and the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic.

While Muller will probably have the crowd on his side, Arnaldi has been in much better form and should get the win and advance to the third round of the French Open.

Predicted Winner: Matteo Arnaldi

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#4 Corentin Moutet vs Alexander Shevchenko

Corentin Moutet will lock horns with Alexander Shevchenko in the second round of the French Open. It will be the first encounter between the two.

Moutet booked his place in the second round of the claycourt Major with a 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 win over the in-form Nicolas Jarry, who reached the final of the Italian Open. Shevchenko, meanwhile, had to grind out a 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Aslan Karatsev.

Moutet has won seven of 14 matches this season, while Shevchenko has come out on top in 13 of 28 matches. Shevchenko is the favorite to come out on top given his relatively better run of form, and he should win the fixture.

Predicted Winner: Alexander Shevchenko