World No. 8 Stan Wawrinka’s road to a second career Grand Slam title is off to a rousing start at Roland Garros with a routine straight sets victory in the first round. The Swiss ace moves on to the second round, where World No. 75 Dusan Lajovic awaits. Lajovic is fresh off a straight sets win of his own, and will be looking for his first ever win against one of top-ranked players in the world.
Read on below as we preview this French Open second round matchup. And for more Roland Garros action, check out our preview of the Roger Federer vs. Marcel Granollers showdown.
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Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Dusan Lajovic Betting Preview
Stan Wawrinka breezed by his first round matchup with Marsel Ilhan as he recorded a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win in just over ninety minutes. It was a major improvement from the Swiss’s showing at Roland Garros last year, when he shockingly crashed out in the first round.
[sc:Other240banner ]Wawrinka’s superior return game proved to be the difference against the Turk. He won 46 percent of receiving points en route to five breaks of Ilhan’s serve in 13 attempts. The Swiss also saved all six break points he faced.
Wawrinka’s outstanding service game also shone through as he won 78 and 58 percent of first and second serve points, respectively. The Swiss is No. 15 in first serve points and No. 9 in second serve points on tour this season.
However, Wawrinka has been far from impressive on clay this season. He’s crashed out in the second round in three of the four clay court tournaments he’s entered, including a loss to World No. 74 Federico Delbonis in the quarterfinals of the Geneva Open. But he did reach the semifinal of the Rome Masters, where he ousted “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.
Wawrinka, the World No. 8, is definitely the superior player to the World No. 75 Lajovic, but the Swiss must be wary of beating himself. He had 32 unforced errors against Ilhan, including five double faults. Wawrinka won his lone meeting with Lajovic, a first-round Davis Cup matchup last year, but he made a whopping 52 unforced errors.
Betting on Dusan Lajovic
Dusan Lajovic made short work of his first round opponent Maximo Gonzalez as he rolled to a comfortable straight sets victory, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. The 24-year old Serb’s serve was on point all match long, with an impressive 79 percent of his first serves put in play. He also won 74 percent of his first serve points, as well as 47 percent of receiving points.
Lajovic’s serve is one of the most accurate on the tour. He’s 22nd in first serve percentage (64 percent), and 31st in second serve points won (52 percent). But he must be able to consistently turn those service opportunities into points against one of the game’s best in Wawrinka.
Lajovic took a set off of Wawrinka in their one and only meeting last year. The Serb edged the Swiss in terms of first serve percentage (65 to 60) but was blown away in the percentage of first serve points won (81 to 62). His serve was also broken six times.
Lajovic reached the fourth round of the French Open last year, his best ever finish in a Grand Slam in his career. However, he is 0-4 in his career against Top 10-ranked players in the world.
Writer’s Prediction
Wawrinka stamps his class against Lajovic en route to a straight sets win. Create a betting account now and earn big on the best tennis players stamping their class at Roland Garros.
