French Open Day 2 Women’s Predictions Including Rybakina vs Riera
The first round of the women’s singles continues on Day 2 of the 2025 French Open. 25 matches are scheduled, and our writers here at LastWordOnTennis share their thoughts on all of the matches with you. We split the matches between seven articles. Our other articles feature Emma Raducanu vs Xinyu Wang, Naomi Osaka vs Paula Badosa, Danielle Collins vs Jodie Burrage, Madison Keys vs Daria Saville, Veronika Kudermetova vs Viktoria Tomova, and Iga Swiatek vs Rebecca Sramkova. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Manuel Traquete, and Andreas Pelekis. Who do you think will move on?
French Open Day 2 Women’s Predictions
Jaqueline Cristian vs Kimberly Birrell
Jordan:
Cristian lost to Maya Joint in the Morocco Open final on Saturday. Birrell will try to take advantage of any physical or mental hangover from that loss. However, Cristian is a better clay-court player, and the level she showed in Morocco would be good enough to win this match.
Prediction: Cristian in 2
Nurein:
Despite being lower ranked, Cristian is the better player of the two on clay, as shown by her run to the final last week in Rabat. In these conditions, she should have the edge over Birrell.
Prediction: Cristian in 2
Andreas:
Cristian lost in the final of the WTA 250 Rabat event just two days ago, and it’ll be a tough turnaround to play Birrell, an all-court player looking for her first French Open win. The Romanian is arguably more aggressive from the baseline and will have to limit her unforced errors. Expect a close three-setter, with Birrell having some confidence in this matchup as she won the pair’s only meeting in 2024.
Prediction: Cristian in 3
Polina Kudermetova vs Jelena Ostapenko
Jordan:
Predicting Ostapenko’s matches is never easy. The 2017 champion at Roland Garros could challenge for the title again if she finds her best tennis, but the Latvian losing in the early rounds after an error-strewn performance is also a possibility. I’m backing her to produce more good than bad to overcome Kudermetova.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Nurein:
Ostapenko is a former champion at this event and always a menace when she plays her best tennis. As inconsistent as her level might be, she shouldn’t struggle too much in this first round.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Andreas:
It’s always interesting to see how Ostapenko plays at the French Open–a tournament she won in 2017–and she’s performed better on clay this year compared to past seasons. She dominated Top 10 foes en route to a WTA 500 title in Stuttgart, and has lost to strong players in the tournaments she’s played. Kudermetova is steadily rising the ranks, but has only two Top 20 wins to her name, and might not be able to rise to the occasion.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Clara Tauson vs Magda Linette
Jordan:
This is a fascinating matchup between Tauson’s aggressive style and Linette’s defensive skills. In the conditions at Roland Garros, I favor Linette slightly more. The Pole should benefit from the courts being pretty slow.
Prediction: Linette in 3
Nurein:
In terms of rankings, it might be the best match of this round and it should live up to it. It should be a very close match, decided by small details in the most important points.
Prediction: Tauson in 3
Andreas:
This is an underrated first-round match between two players ranked inside the Top 35. Linette would be seeded, had there not been an early cutoff for rankings at this tournament, because she performed well at the WTA 500 Strasbourg tournament. Tauson has a bit more energy and power, while her serve is slightly more reliable than her opponent.
Prediction: Tauson in 2
Elena Rybakina vs Julia Riera
Jordan:
Rybakina’ title win in Strasbourg felt important after a challenging last 12 months on and off the court. I do not foresee her having any issues against Riera. The Kazakhstani’s big hitting is something Riera will not be used to facing.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Nurein:
On paper, one of the biggest mismatches of this round. While Riera had a nice run to make it through qualifying, Rybakina is a considerable step up in level and should advance with relative ease here.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Andreas:
Rybakina’s 2025 season hasn’t gone entirely to plan, but she powered her way to a first WTA title in Strasbourg last week, and she won’t have too many ranking points to defend for the remainder of the year. Riera is ranked well outside the Top 100, but did well to qualify here with only 10 games lost in her last two matches. The Kazakh will have to avoid long points given her many matches played lately. Otherwise, she’ll cruise through this match.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
