Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Roland Garros match.
Carlos Alcaraz, one of the leading contenders for the Roland Garros title, begins his campaign against Giulio Zeppieri, who made it through qualifying with a series of composed performances. As the world number two, Carlos Alcaraz is widely expected to ease past the Italian, especially given that making the main draw is already a notable milestone for Giulio Zeppieri.
Giulio Zeppieri
Since late March, Giulio Zeppieri has played 17 matches on clay, which has allowed him to build a decent level of form heading into this Grand Slam. In qualifying, he produced consistent displays against Jan Choinski (6:4, 7:6), Eliot Spizzirri (6:2, 6:3), and Federico Agustin Gomez (6:1, 6:4). However, his game still lacks stability — in Friday’s match, he made 22 unforced errors in just one hour. The 23-year-old is likely to face difficulties even on his own serve in this opening-round encounter in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz arrives in strong shape after a productive clay-court swing through Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome, collecting two titles along the way. His only setback came in the Barcelona final, where Holger Rune handed him a 7:6, 6:2 defeat. In Rome, Carlos Alcaraz delivered a commanding win over Jannik Sinner (7:6, 6:1), underlining his assertive playing style — he led 18:7 in winners. All indicators point to Carlos Alcaraz being in prime form as he looks to retain his Roland Garros crown.
Giulio Zeppieri vs Carlos Alcaraz Prediction
The two players have faced each other once before, three years ago on clay in Umag, where Giulio Zeppieri managed to take a set before going down (5:7, 6:4, 3:6). However, the gap in quality between them has widened significantly since then — the prediction is a comfortable win for the favourite with a -9.5 games handicap.
