Jannik Sinner will look to make it eight slam wins on a row on Monday when he takes on Christopher Eubanks in the opening round of the French Open. The match will open an interesting day on Suzanne Lenglen, with fellow contender Stefanos Tsitsipas amongst the other competitors.
Sinner is the player of the year so far but injury has meant he has been unable to push on further following his Australian Open win. A hip injury has plagued him recently, putting paid to his chances of competing in his home tourney in Rome. “The hip feels good. I’m not concerned anymore about my hip. The last tests we made, they were very positive. That’s why I’m here,” he said on the current status. “For sure, the general physical shape is not there where I want it to be, but we cannot make miracles in less than 10 days before the first-round match. But I’m happy to be here. Look, it’s not been an easy period for me, not playing Rome, which is a very special tournament.
Eubanks burst on to the scene in the middle of last year, showcasing some exciting tennis during the grass season. He hasn’t quite managed to build on that and has struggled massively in 2024. He is 4-12 on the year and has lost all five matches on clay, including in Houston where the surface may well have suited him more.
This feels like the perfect kind of match for Sinner to ease himself into the tournament. The Eubanks serve will be far less threatening while the American looks ill-suited to playing on the surface in general. It should be a fairly straight forward opener for the Australian Open champion, who can work further on his fitness before tougher matches come.
Prediction – Jannik Sinner in straight sets
