The ATP Grand Slam festivities are in motion, as the first round of this year’s French Open opened with some exhilarating matches.
17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer began his bid for his second title at Roland Garros with a superb 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alejandro Falla. Federer will take on Spaniard Marcel Granollers in the second round. Granollers also had an equally impressive victory is his first round match with Matthias Bachinger, winning 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7).
Read on below for our coverage of the upcoming bout between an all-time great and a battle-tested veteran. Over in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors look to close out their series against the Houston Rockets. Head over here for our preview of that much-anticipated matchup.
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Roger Federer vs. Marcel Granollers Betting Preview
Roger Federer’s road to redemption is off to a great start. After losing to Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open earlier this month in his last match, Federer handily dispatched Colombian Alejandro Falla in straight sets during the first round of the French Open.
[sc:Other240banner ]With the victory, Federer is now 8-0 is his career against Falla. Federer had eight aces and 42 winners in a quick match that lasted less than two hours. Federer also improved his record to 62-15 in Roland Garros, as he his quest for a second Coupe de Mousquetaires continues.
Next up in the second round for Federer will be Marcel Granollers. Look for Federer to have another dominant performance, as he is 3-0 lifetime against Granollers. Their last encounter was at the 2014 US Open, which Federer won in four sets. Federer had 13 aces in that match, and won 72 percent of his first serve points.
Federer is not only looking to conquer the courts of Paris, but his 2015 season as a whole is shaping up to be a sensational one. Federer has a 62-5 record for the year, with three titles in eight tournaments. A win at Roland Garros will be his first title at the prestigious event since 2009.
Marcel Granollers has had a rough 2015, but his win over Matthias Bachinger in the first round of the French Open should serve as a morale booster for the Spaniard. Granollers prevailed over Bachinger on the strength of eight aces in the match against Bachinger’s one. Bachinger also had 37 unforced errors in the match to propel Granollers to the easy victory.
Granollers’ overall record this year is 10-12, and has crashed out of the first round in seven of the 12 tournaments he’s entered. Six of his 10 wins this year have been on clay. He reached the round of 16 in Madrid and Barcelona before falling to Andy Murray and Tommy Robredo, respectively.
Granollers has also gone deeper in the French Open than in any other Grand Slam, reaching the fourth round in two of the last three years.
But the odds will be against Granollers from going any further this year with Roger Federer as his next competitor. He has not yet defeated Federer in his career, and was outclassed by the future Hall-of-Famer at the 2014 US Open. Granollers only had 25 winners compared to Federer’s 57 in that match. On a side note, all three of his loses against Federer were played on hard court and not on clay.
Granollers is looking for his fifth singles title in his 12-year professional career. His last victory was back in 2013 at the Generali Open in Austria.
Writer’s Prediction
Federer wins 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the next round of the French Open.
