“The King of Clay” sent Benoit Paire packing after the first round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 drubbing. He has now won 18 of his 19 matches on the clay this year, along with three titles on such courts.
No. 4 Nadal, as always, is in excellent shape to reign on clay. He owns 52 championships on that type of surface, nine of which were in the French Open (2005-2008, 2010-2014). Further, his 91.6 winning percentage on the clay is, by far, the best in the sport – 382-35 all-time, 72-2 all-time at the FO.
It’s rare for Nadal to encounter problems on the first couple of rounds of any tournament, and this one should be no different. He should have zero issues breezing through Haase, whom he has beaten twice – one comeback win at the 2010 Wimbledon, and one commanding, straight sets victory last year in Doha.
No. 46 Haase advanced after winning in straight sets over Alex Minaur, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. It was only his fourth win in his nine total matches on clay this year, and fifth in 13 matches at the French Open.
That record, however, doesn’t exactly depict how decent he is on the said court. He’s 77-67 (.535) all-time in such surface, while also making seven finals appearances (won four) in tournaments held on clay since 2015.
Then again, decent, average, or even above average won’t cut it with Nadal. For Haase to have a small chance at edging “The King of Clay,” he will have to raise his level of play several notches higher.
