Bring on the third round from Paris. Though making the second week isn't the be-all, end-all, for many it's a significant achievement at this level. Friday brings the opportunity for some to do just that.
Here are my picks for Grigor Dimitrov vs Zizou Bergs and Corentin Moutet vs Sebastian Ofner in my Friday Roland Garros picks for May 31.
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Friday Roland Garros Picks
Grigor Dimtrov (-450) vs Zizou Bergs (+350)
8 a.m. ET
It's great to see Bergs in a third round of a major after all these years of being one of the game's most talked about youngsters at the Challenger level. I'm not sure we can even consider him among the "youngster" group anymore, but the breakthrough has finally happened.
I opposed him in the second round as a big favorite (he tends to be a guy that is best bet on when he's an underdog and you're getting a nice, low breakeven percentage with a very talented player) and after losing the opening set, he stormed back to send Maximilian Marterer packing. That was especially impressive not just because of the dominance he displayed in the final three sets, but because it's been physical issues that typically plague the Belgian.
Being able to come back from behind in a best-of-five set match was good to see. That said, I'm not totally convinced by his ability to hold up physically, but I am a fan of his talent and opposing Dimitrov on clay.
The veteran rolled past Fabian Marozsan on Thursday but still leaves plenty to be desired on slower courts.
I'm not going to pick Bergs to win another best-of-five match here, but I think he's much more live than the +225 valuation the market has set for him to claim the first set.
Pick: Bergs 1st set ML (+225 via DraftKings)
Corentin Moutet (-555) vs Sebastian Ofner (+375)
11 a.m. ET
Moutet's coach talked a big game ahead of his opening round clash with Chilean Nicolas Jarry and his charge did not let him down. In fact, he built on that momentum and played a very similar match to that one in the second round as he beat Alexander Shevchenko in four sets, dominating the first two and then looking shaky in the third.
This time out, he plays Ofner, a player I'd make the case is his least difficult test yet. Ofner plays a similar style to Jarry, but not nearly at the same level and doesn't possess the athleticism of a Shevchenko, who played one of his better matches of the clay season on Thursday.
We've seen Moutet handle pace from the other side of the net with ease and exploit guys who may not be the fleetest of foot with his variety and precision.
Finally, time on court isn't something that typically comes into play in the third round of a Grand Slam. This situation is different though. With Wednesday rained out for the most part, these two both played their matches Thursday and won't have the built-in day off that this level of tournament usually offers.
That's key, because not only do I trust Moutet more in terms of physicality, but he was on court for under three hours, compared to Ofner's four hours and 20 minutes.
Pick: Moutet -4.5 games (-110 via bet365)
