FRENCH OPEN NEWS & NOTES
*Arevalo-Pavic are seeking to become back-to-back champions in Paris after taking the titles in 2024. This year’s top seeds were 1.65 (-153) when they beat Bolelli-Vavassori 7-5, 6-3. The last repeat champs at Roland Garros were Krawietz-Mies in 2019 and 2020. The straight sets finish was the second straight and third in the last five runs of the French Open.
*The all-seeded title match ( #9 vs #11) was the first since 2020. 2021-2023 all featured an unseeded pair in the championship match. Krawietz-Mies were the last unseeded pair to take the titles in 2019, which was also the last year that the final pit two unseeded pairs against each other.
*Arevalo-Pavic will be looking to break from history in Paris as the top seeds. It has been an even decade since the #1 seeds made a final at Roland Garros. Unsurprisingly, that was the Bryans back in 2015. They lost the final that year. The American twins were the last top seeds to take the titles with that run coming in 2013.
*As far as seeds early on, a top eight seed dropped their opener for the fifth time in the last six years. That match saw (5)Gonzalez/Roger-Vasselin lose to Heliovaara-Patten who were on the rise. As a result, that didn’t rate as an underdog win. Only two of the four “upsets” of seeds in round one in 2024 came at the hands of a set underdog. Both were big hits at 3.28 (+228) and 4.36 (+336) with the #14 and #16 seeds going out.
*The last three years have seen at least four seeds going one and done. More have come in the back half of the seeded field which you can see below.
*As far as underdogs overall, there were only a dozen (12) out of the 60 completed matches in 2024. That was a severe drop off from the 20 underdog wins in 2024. While 2023 had more underdog wins, only one was past the 3.00 (+200) mark. Seven of the dog scores last year came in round one with the previously mentioned 4.36 (+336) as the largest. There were only three dog wins in round two, but a pair of those were at 3.59 (+259) and 3.94 (+294). Those ranked as the second and third biggest bites of the tournament. There is no tried and true formula for finding the dog hits in Paris, but I will say that the research shows that rounds one and two are the better places traditionally to look.
*Even with the underdog hits not always being high, unseeded pairs do make a habit of getting deep in the draw at Roland Garros. Last year marked the fifth time in the last six years that at least two unseeded teams made it as far as the quarterfinals. 2024 was the first time since 2020 that the semifinals featured all seeded pairs.
*Three set finishes were sprinkled in generously through the 2024 draw with 21 of the 60 matches going the distance. It’s no surprise that the majority of those, 12, came in round one. There were four down the stretch too with a pair in the quarters and both semifinals needed a third set to settle. The 21 total in 2024 matched the 21 in 2023, but most of the 2023 three setters came early with an astounding 15 of the 21 hitting in the opening round. 2022 was the last time the first round didn’t have double digit three set matches with just eight. Generally, round one is a great place to look for three set matches and six of the last eight semifinals have also seen the matches go the distance.
*One of tennis’ eternal questions, at least for me, does being “in form” aid your cause when heading to a Grand Slam? I don’t think there’s much doubt that you’d rather have some wins under your belt rather than arriving on a losing streak. I think last year’s runners-up, Bolelli-Vavassori, will atest to that as they show up in Paris off a title run in Hamburg. They had lost five of their last six prior to this past week. Last year’s champs, Arevalo-Pavic, arrived having won eight of nine and the Geneva titles the week prior to arriving at Roland Garros. However, 2023 champs Dodig-Krajicek came to Paris losing three of four after taking the Monte-Carlo titles. 2022 winners Arevalo-Rojer lost four of their last five, but likewise did show strong early on clay with back-to-back semifinals in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. So the answer may be a bit muddy, but I’d certainly say that having seen some success during the European clay swing is a pretty good indicator of what pairs may be in store for a longer stay at the French Open.
WINNING FORM-ULA
With those notes in mind, let’s take a quick peak back at the Euro swing and look at the pairs that head to Paris with some success under their belts. They may not always be destined for success, draws do matter, but it still can help tell us a bit about what to expect over the next two weeks. I’ll start with the high seeds who look to have a healthy shot at winning followed by a few long shot unseeded pairs who check some of the boxes.
Arevalo-Pavic
It’s a no brainer to include the defending champs who have been rolling again on clay. They arrive at 12-3 on clay with a title in Rome, finals in Madrid and a semifinal in Monte-Carlo. One of their best traits has been the ability to take close matches. Arevalo-Pavic are 7-1 in super tie breaks on clay. That may not really mean anything as they went 1-3 in STBs during the Euro clay swing in 2023. Regardless, they’re the ones to beat and have the form to boot.
Heliovaara-Patten
I’ve beaten it into the ether all season. These two are as consistent as they come with eight of their eleven tournaments seeing them make the semifinals or finals. On clay, they went 8-4. The problematic thing for the 2025 Australian Open champs? They haven’t made a final since Dubai in late February/early March. They have dropped four straight semifinal matches. That gives some hesitancy to labeling them as true contenders to win when they’ve had their troubles making finals of late.
Bolelli-Vavassori
Does one tournament mean THEY’RE BACK?!!? That’s debatable. They did beat a good run of teams in Cash-Glasspool, Murray-Ram and Salisbury-Skupski just to get to the final where they destroyed Gonzalez-Molteni. The Italians also were not getting crushed during their losing skid. After winning the titles in Rotterdam in February, they lost seven of nine matches, but five of those came in super tie breaks. I’m willing to have them on the list based on their pedigree since they formed as a regular duo last year. At Grand Slams, they’ve made three finals. Two came in Australia and the other one of course in Paris last year. They slumped at both Wimbledon and the US Open, but that’s of no concern for this preview. They face French royalty in round one in Herbert-Mahut. That’s a match that will either put them back on the no fly list with a loss or elevate them to the top of the table of contenders with a win.
Granollers-Zeballos
Three straight semifinal runs in Paris earns them a spot on this list. They do have some form from the clay swing with the Madrid titles being their best and they also won in Bucharest early on. Their last tournament in Rome saw them make the quarterfinals, but they were beaten soundly by Salisbury-Skupski 6-3, 6-2. The previous two years they made finals in their last tournament prior to Paris, so they’re a little short of that this year. Still, they are usually a model of consistency at Grand Slams with quarterfinals or better in six of the last eight they have played. Of course the bigger issue is that they still have never won a Grand Slam, but they are too good for that to saddle them for their careers, aren’t they?
Doumbia-Reboul
The form is amongst the best in the business right now with eight wins in their last nine ATP-level matches, including the Geneva titles last week. Wins over Krawietz-Puetz and Heliovaara-Patten in Rome are a bright spot that may help see past their not-great history at the French Open. This will be their 5th one and they have yet to make it beyond the round of 16, losing in round one twice. The form is there and they’re one of the few teams that seems to give Arevalo-Pavic fits. Those two have squared off three times with all three going against the Frenchmen, yet they have taken a set off Arevalo-Pavic both times they met on clay. At worst, I think they may break through to a quarterfinal. At best? They could be a dark horse contender.
THE UNSEEDED MENACES
This trio of unseeded pairs fills the menace role and also bring some of the form that is needed to make run.
Behar-Vliegen
The casuals may think their Challenger success doesn’t account for much, but for a duo that just formed in April, they do. These two have rolled off a 13-4 record in that time with two Challenger titles on clay and a trip to the finals in Geneva. In Switzerland, they beat Arevalo-Pavic before falling in a super tie break to Doumbia-Reboul in the final. You can question the level of some of the competition they have seen, the fact remains that they’re in the Arevalo-Pavic quarter where the two could get a rematch in the third round. If you’re thinking outside the box, this unseeded pair is as good a place to start as any.
Arends-Johnson
They fit my broad definition of form after shocking the field in Barcelona early on to take the titles. Gonzalez-Molteni, Behar-Vliegen and Salisbury-Skupski were on the hit list that week. They also showed improvement against Granollers-Zeballos, losing twice, but taking a set the second time. They are in the botom half of the Arevalo-Pavic quarter where things are a bit more open, so they are ones to watch to see if they can get on a roll early.
Andreozzi-Arribage
If you want to look way over the horizon to a longer shot, this isn’t a bad pair to keep track of in Paris. Ten of their 14 wins in 2025 have come on clay. The Buenos Aires title was their highlight for sure. The question is how will they fare against the top tier tandems in the ATP? The two best they played in the prep tournaments were Heliovaara-Patten and Doumbia-Reboul. Both times they lost in a super tie break. That shows that they can compete, but may ultimately not pull off any sort of big upset to be in the mix. The good thing is none of the seeds in their quarter are playing at an elite level with Bolelli-Vavassori certainly looking the toughest, albeit still bringing questions of their own.
Tsitsipas Brothers
They don’t fill the role of a true contender to me, but the Greeks certainly are a menace on this surface to all who get in their way. They flashed that with a first round upset of Harrison-King in Madrid this year. This is their third go in Paris with last year’s quarterfinal finish being probably the best achievement this pair has to their credit. Their opener is going to tell a lot with Houston champs, Romboli-Smith, as their foes. A win there though and they could be destined for a shot to get to the quarterfinals again.
Cabral-Miedler
They could be done before they start with Granollers-Zeballos up first, but this is a duo that has done nothing but win on clay. They have amassed a 15-4 record on clay with three Challenger finals, one that ended with a title. They carried that to Geneva where they made it to the semifinals. If they pull off a stunner to start, who knows how far they could go.
Herbert-Mahut
It’s impossible to leave the two-time French Open champs off this list. Yes, they are playing sparingly these days with just two matches this year and 12 a year ago. Still, on home soil they are always tough. That’s been evident the last two trips when they lost tight three set matches in round one. That may well be the end game this year with Bolelli-Vavassori first, but that’s also the kind of match where they could score a win and be off on a legendary run. On top of all of that, this is Mahut’s final French Open. He announced his intentions to retire this year.
Gille-Zielinski
They fill this role of unseeded menace well, but they also unfortunately don’t win a lot of these tight matches they play. They’re a modest 6-6 on clay with super tie break losses to Krawietz-Puetz twice plus STB losses to Arevalo-Pavic and Heliovaara-Patten. They can play with anyone on this surface, but can they get the marquee wins? They get a shot right away against (9)Harrison-King.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
Since roughly 25-percent of the seeds have been eliminated over the last three years, there are likely more “upsets” in store in 2025. Let’s take a look at the seeds who look most prone to early trouble.
(4)Bolelli-Vavassori
As I mentioned up above, this first rounder is a monster against multiple-time Grand Slam champs, Herbert-Mahut. The French may not be elite as they once were, but you put them on French soil against anyone and it becomes a tougher match. Bolelli-Vavassori got hot in Hamburg, but had struggled to grab wins for months prior to that run. Does one week make a difference? I think the confidence is much higher, but the stakes are also bigger this week as well.
(7)Mektic-Venus
They face French/Australian pair Jacq-Romios in round one. That sounds like a win, right? Not so fast. The 7th seeds have lost three straight and do have a trio of opening match losses in the five tournaments played on this surface in 2025. Jacq-Romios are 0-2, but their last match in Hamburg showed their competitive nature. They narrowly lost to Arends-Johnson in qualifying, the same team that would knock Mektic-Venus out of the main draw in round one. I think this is tighter than most may think and Mektic-Venus play a lot of super tie breaks, 13 out of 24 matches. That means they are losing sets about half the time. You give the underdog life, you give the underdog a chance.
(8)Salisbury-Skupski
While they have found some consistency on clay, the Brits still seem primed to have trouble against solid teams. Are singles pairing Cerundolo-Etcheverry that? On any surface other than clay, probably not. On clay, this is where this pairing has grabbed all eight of their career wins. They beat Doumbia-Reboul this year and Krawietz-Puetz last year. The Brits haven’t lost an opener on clay so far, but a couple of them went to super tie breaks. That included one in Barcelona featuring Etcheverry partnered with Cobolli. This one could be interesting.
(9)Harrison-King
A rough opener is scheduled when they meet Gille-Zielinksi. The 9th seeded Americans have grown in results on clay after losing their first three matches on the surface. Madrid stands out as their best clay court experience with a semifinal earned. Overall, they are 5-6 on clay and are one of those teams that falls short against the top notch pairs. Gille-Zielinski may not be in that class, but they’ve played everyone tough. I expect more of that here with an upset possible.
(11)Lammons-Withrow
The Americans are 0-2 at the French Open in their careers. They arrive with no wins in four matches on clay and stand at just 2-8 so far in 2025. Gonzalez-Krajicek are the opposition in round one. They have cooled after winning their first tournament together, the Mexico City Challenger. Since then, it’s been three straight losses on clay. They did take Doumbia-Reboul to a super tie break in that Geneva loss however. With Lammons-Withrow prone to playing tight matches and tie breaks, I think that levels the playing field for this one.
(16)Nys/Roger-Vasselin
This all French duo will pair up for the first time in about six weeks due to an elbow injury for Roger-Vasselin. That’s not an optimal place to start and then getting one of the red hot teams on tour in Behar-Vliegen first up will make things worse. The French were actually off to a nice start on clay with a trip to the Marrakech final and then a 14-12 super tie break loss to Krawietz-Puetz in round two at Monte-Carlo. If healthy and in rhythm, they’re a solid duo that could do damage. The problem for them may be getting out of round one.
DRAW PREVIEW
TOP HALF
First Quarter
Arevalo-Pavic and Cash-Glasspool pace this part of the field. The defending champs half up top looks suited for an early run of wins for Arevalo-Pavic. The third round would be where things start to get interesting. That’s the part of this half that houses Nys-ERV as the other seed. I just mentioned the huge clash in round one against Behar-Vliegen. That could end the French pair’s stay in Paris quickly. The survivor will see one of two first-time teams in singles guys Gaston-Moutet and doubles vets Mansouri-Rojer. Mansouri is on his third partner in 2025 with Dodig being more of his regular guy. He hasn’t seen much success since the Australian swing ended. I believe Rojer has been out since February due to injury. He broke off from Pavlasek early and looked to have found a great partnership with Cabral as the clay court swing began in South America. They made three consecutive quarterfinals before Rojer was sidelined. Cabral moved on and is now featured in that budding partnership with Miedler. This is a real toss-up with chemistry being the key. It’s pretty straight forward to put the survivor between Nys-ERV and Behar-Vliegen into round three as the favorites here. Could lightning strike twice if Behar-Vliegen get another crack at Arevalo-Pavic?
In the bottom half of this quarter, Cash-Glasspool will be hoping to find better rhythm this week after falling flat in their opener in Hamburg. You can pardon their rust after missing about a month together due to an injury to Glasspool. Prior to that, they showed they can win on clay with a run to the Monte-Carlo final. They’re the class of this bottom half for me with Gonzalez-Molteni as the other seeds. The Argentinians have been misfiring mostly, but did make the quarters in Madrid in their last clay court action together. They made the round of 16 in Paris a year ago. They might have trouble matching that with round two looking the first speed bump in their path. That’s where Arends-Johnson may be waiting, but keep an eye on Demoliner-Jarry. They’ve played together before, but it’s been close to six years since their last action. If Arends-Johnson advance to see Gonzalez-Molteni, they do own a win over them during their Barcelona title run this Spring.
It’s probably unwise to pick against the defending champions to get back to at least the semifinals. However, there are pairs in this quarter that can make life difficult. Behar-Vliegen own a win over them and if it’s Nys-ERV instead, the French on home soil could get a boost. It is difficult to beat the same team, especially one of their quality, in two straight tournaments. I’d venture to say Arevalo-Pavic would like to get another crack at exacting some revenge. Cash-Glasspool might be the outliers amongst the seeds as the #6s could slip into the quarterfinals without much fanfare. Their only battle against Arevalo-Pavic came in Miami where AP beat them to complete the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami. Behar-Vliegen and Arends-Johnson look like the two unseeded pairs who would be best positioned to cause some upsets.
My Favorite: Arevalo-Pavic
My Sleeper: Behar-Vliiegen
Second Quarter
(3)Krawietz-Puetz and (5)Granollers-Zeballos are opposite of each other in this quarter. For the third seeded Germans, their half doesn’t look overly dangerous early on. Still, they arrive with some questions after an undisclosed injury to Puetz forced them out of Hamburg. Their best finish here is a quarterfinal back in 2023. If healthy, they certainly have the right road to challenge that result. The Germans should be afforded a few rounds to get back in rhythm before things get harder in the round of 16. That should be where they meet Murray-Ram or an upstart like the winners of the Romboli-Smith vs Tsitsi-bros clash. One thing you can count on from Murray-Ram are roller coaster matches. They have played super tie breaks in six of eight so far together, so they could be set for a three setter somewhere. That might be round two against Romboli-Smith or the Tsitsipas Brothers. Romboli-Smith own a super tie break win over Murray-Ram at the Turin Challenger a couple weeks ago. I’d be a bit surprised to not see an unseeded pair into the round of 16 in this spot. It’d still be a crime if Krawietz-Puetz didn’t use this draw to their advantage and get that spot in the last eight.
In the other half of this quarter, Granollers-Zeballos have a much tougher path to success. They get a very good pair in Cabral-Miedler to open. Granollers-Zeballos have been good enough the last few tournaments that you might think they’d get through, but I think it’s going to be a challenge. Their consistency is still a bit sketchy for me. Erler-Frantzen are ones to watch in this section. They’re not going to be world beaters, but they’ve shown enough on clay that they can be expected to be a pest to anyone they might play against. The other section in this half features a lot of well maybes with Lammons-Withrow as the seeds. I already laid out their struggles earlier, so they might be happy to escape round one against Gonzalez-Krajicek. Krajicek certainly will have good memories at Roland Garros with a Slam win with Dodig along with a second final and of course the gold medal match here last Summer. If they get out of round one, I think I like them to be into round three. Halys-Olivetti could be an unheralded French Connection in this part of the draw. They have a few matches together and could surprise in an open part of this draw.
If not for the tough opener for Granollers-Zeballos, I might pencil in a clash between the #3 and #5 seeds in the quarterfinals. Krawietz-Puetz definitely have the better route, but need to prove health. Granollers-Zeballos likely just need to avoid disaster in round one to feel like a third straight semifinal is possible at Roland Garros. Should we get the higher seeds meeting in the quarterfinals, it’s been one sided with Granollers-Zeballos winning all three previous matches. The last came in Madrid with the other two in Grand Slams at Wimbledon each of the past two seasons. They have not dropped a set against the Germans, but two of the last four sets did go to tie breaks.
Cabral-Miedler are the X-factors in this draw. They can blow it up in round one or be on a flight to their next stop. I do think Murray-Ram are dangerous, but they’re one of those teams that has proven more that they fight hard and lose close, rather than win close. Still, taking sets off of Arevalo-Pavic and Bolelli-Vavassori during this clay swing does signal they can push the best to be their best.
My Favorite: Granollers-Zeballos
My Sleeper: Murray-Ram
BOTTOM HALF
Third Quarter
2024 runners-up Bolelli-Vavassori are the highest seeds in this quarter and come in with some much needed momentum after winning the tournament in Hamburg. Prior to that, the Italians were mired in a two month long slump that saw them lose numerous close matches. Is everything fixed after last week? Time will tell, but I am still a bit hesitant to say “they’re back” fully. As far as their draw, it’s brutal to start. They get Herbert-Mahut who took a wild card entry to get into the French Open for the 9th time. Their last title run here came in 2021, so it’s been a minute since they have seen success. Some of that has come with the pair playing fewer and fewer matches together. They have just two matches under their belts in 2025, but the last shows they can still go. They lost 7-6, 7-6 to Ebden-Peers in the opening round in Geneva. On home soil, I think they certainly can push for an upset in round one. The survivors may well be the favorites to fight for the quarterfinal slot in this half with (15)Ebden-Peers as the other seed in this section.
The Aussies have had a very middling run this year at 6-7 since they decided to be a mostly regular pair back in March. They haven’t won back-to-back matches during that stretch. French wild cards Blanchet-Jacquet likely won’t be the ones to take them down in round one, but round two is going to be a tough one. Schnaitter-Wallner or Griekspoor-Stevens will be waiting. I think the Germans (Shnaitter-Wallner) pose a bigger threat on this surface as they play regularly across both Challengers and the ATP. They’re 14-9 on clay with semifinals in Geneva and Munich in their last ATP tournaments plus a trip to the Bucharest final back in April. Don’t sleep on their Dutch opponents who made the Marrakech semifinals, but have found better success indoors and most famously at Wimbledon with a quarterfinal run in 2023. Regardless, either pair will pose a big risk to Ebden-Peers’ hopes of a deep run. I think if Bolelli-Vavassori escape round one, they’re obviously the ones who look likeliest to run through this half of the quarter. I still think that Schnaitter-Wallner/Griekspoor-Stevens winner is going to be dangerous and capable of stealing the spot instead.
In the other half of the quarter, it’s (8)Salisbury-Skupski as the highest seeds. Goransson-Verbeek are the others as the #12s. Both have had some steady results on clay, but have also floundered enough that the door looks wide open for anyone in this section. The Brits could have their hands full in round one against Cerundolo-Etcheverry. They’re better known for their singles play, but have plenty of doubles experience with clay producing their only good results. Even if they advance, they could see another unseeded menace in Andreozzi-Arribage in round two. Goransson-Verbeek have a better draw with Mpetshi-Perricard/Muller up first. MP had a surprise run in doubles in Brisbane this year by making the semifinals alongside Jarry. Since then, he’s 2-4 and Muller has yet to win a doubles match in six tries this year. The team that might step up to stop the seeds in this section is Borges-Rinderknech. They have experience together and both have been competitive in smaller reps with other partners in 2025.
Without their slump, the Italians would be obvious favorites to rip through this quarter and earn another Slam semifinal. Last week’s confidence boosting wins in Hamburg have to help, but the draw isn’t great. They could still navigate their way through, but they are going to be tested just about every round. An early KO of Bolelli-Vavassori would really open this quarter up and it might just fall to one of the unseeded dangers. I’d say Goransson-Verbeek are my second highest rated seed behind the Italians, but it’s not by much over Salisbury-Skupski and Ebden-Peers. All of those pairs haven’t been too consistent, but in this wide open section, just about anyone could come through. That includes the former champs, Herbert-Mahut. What a story that would be.
My Favorite: Bolelli-Vavassori
My Sleeper: Andreozzi-Arribage
Fourth Quarter
The last quarter in the draw is headed by (2)Heliovaara-Patten and (7)Mektic-Venus. The seeds to keep an eye on are (13)Doumbia-Reboul. I’ve already talked about their lack of good history in Paris, but they have never come to the French Open with this kind of momentum. They’re in the half of the quarter with Heliovaara-Patten. The two could be on a collision course to face off in round three. Heliovaara-Patten get Nouza-Rikl first who have proven they can play at this level, but they have yet to face and beat a team of this quality. Barrientos-Bollipalli could be up in round two for the second seeds. They’re another pair that knows how to play on clay with a title early in Santiago to highlight that ability. I don’t think they’re up to par with Heliovaara-Patten at their best, but Heliovaara-Patten have had a few more highs and lows on this surface that could open them up to a surprise loss.
Doumbia-Reboul should get out of round one, but it’s round two where things start to get more difficult. They’ll see either Bopanna-Pavlasek or Cash-Tracy in that spot. Bopanna-Pavlasek have played just three matches together, but have a win over Mektic-Venus and lost a super tie break to Cabral-Miedler in Geneva. I’d expect them to be competitive. Cash-Tracy are a regular pairing who do have a pair of Challenger titles on clay, but have only played one clay court match at the ATP level this year. I’m not too concerned there as they beat the likes of Ebden-Peers and Arends-Johnson during one of their Challenger title runs. This first round match could be an underrated BANGER. That’s also why I think Doumbia-Reboul will need to be on alert in round two. Whoever is waiting will be a tough out.
The other half of this quarter sees Mektic-Venus against Jacq-Romios to start. They’re on my one and done watch list again, so you know I’m expecting Jacq-Romios to have a shot to score the win. Round two figures to be a good one regardless of who advances with Haase-Jebens or Bhambri-Galloway waiting. Both have made Challenger finals on clay recently. There’s a lot in the way of a clash of seeds in round three. Keep in mind that Doumbia-Reboul have also been walking that fine line in doubles with seven super tie breaks in their last nine matches. They went 6-1 in those matches, but it shows that they could be prone to a loss if they keep dropping sets. The other portions of this upper half has Harrison-King as the seeds. They have one of the more difficult openers against Gille-Zielinski. Even should they get through, it could be Monte-Carlo champs Arneodo-Guinard waiting or a Matos-Melo. Arneodo-Guinard have predictably struggled to maintain the level we saw in Monte-Carlo, but Matos-Melo have dropped five of their last six openers. I really think Gille-Zielinski could sneak out of this section and compete for a quarterfinal. I’d definitely be surprised if both Mektic-Venus and Harrison-King made it through to the third round.
Heliovaara-Patten are the clear class of the quarter. They may not get past a semifinal, but they’ve been so good at getting into the final four of tournaments. I think Doumbia-Reboul are the ones to watch amongst the other seeds, but I fear that all their close matches are going to go the other way at some point. Still, if they get a shot at Heliovaara-Patten, they have the confidence of that Rome win. Gille-Zielinski are my unseeded menaces to watch. It’s certainly boom or bust with Harrison-King first, but if they explode out of the gate, then they’ve got a real shot to perhaps go as far as the quarterfinals or better. There is a lot of unseeded talent here, but I think most of them need Heliovaara-Patten to be removed before a potential clash to have a realistic shot to be dark horse types.
My Favorite: Heliovaara-Patten
My Sleeper: Gille-Zielinski
CLOSING TIME
Repeat champs don’t come often in Paris, so history starts against Arevalo-Pavic. The team in their half that could keep them from even sniffing a final is Granollers-Zeballos. They own four wins in five matches against the defending champs, although the one win was here in three sets a year ago. Granollers-Zeballos won the most recent meeting in Madrid. The bottom half has some questions too. Can Heliovaara-Patten get past that semifinal hurdle if they make another one? Are Bolelli-Vavassori ready to roll like they did early in the season and last year here in Paris? Both answers could be yes. Both answers could be a resounding no. I’m more in tune with thinking Heliovaara-Patten will at least be in the mix, while the Italians still need to prove it to me. That run in Hamburg was nice, but let’s see how they will handle an uptick in competition level each round.
Seeds have ruled the roost at Roland Garros for six of the last seven runs. I do think an unseeded pair could enter the finals mix again like they’ve done in three of the past four years. Once you get to that final, you always have a chance.
PIG PIX
Arevalo-Pavic
Gille-Zielinski
Granollers-Zeballos
DOUBLES TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS & PICKS 