🎾 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Giulio Zeppieri – French Open R1

ATP French Open

🎾 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Giulio Zeppieri – French Open R1 Preview

🧠 Form & Context

Carlos Alcaraz
🌟 Back to his best: Alcaraz ended his form concerns with a title run at the Rome Masters, beating world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final — a career-defining mental breakthrough.
📈 Confidence restored: After injury setbacks and erratic performances earlier in 2025, his Rome campaign restored belief in his dominance on clay.
🏆 Defending champion: Having lifted his first Roland-Garros title in 2024, Alcaraz returns as the reigning king of clay and is seen as the clear tournament favorite.
🎾 Clay record in 2025: 15–1 (only loss due to injury in Madrid).
Giulio Zeppieri
🎯 Clay-court grinder: Though plagued by inconsistency on tour, Zeppieri has shown a knack for grinding through French Open qualifying, reaching the main draw for the fourth year in a row.
🚀 Flash of brilliance: Famously pushed Alcaraz to three sets in the Umag 2022 semifinal — still his career highlight.
🇫🇷 Roland-Garros performer: 2–2 career record in French Open main draws, with second-round finishes in 2023 and 2024.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Carlos Alcaraz is the prototype of modern clay dominance: an aggressive baseliner with variety, physical explosiveness, and unmatched shot-making. He often eases into his Grand Slam campaigns, giving opponents a glimmer of hope in early sets, but quickly tightens the screws when needed. Giulio Zeppieri, a lefty with solid rally tolerance, is comfortable on clay and won’t shy away from long exchanges. His forehand-heavy game can trouble flat-hitting opponents — but not someone with Alcaraz’s court coverage and countering skills. The Italian might keep a set close if Alcaraz plays passively or over-experiments, but the gap in fitness, explosiveness, and mental durability will eventually break the match open.

🔮 Prediction

Zeppieri will bring effort, but Alcaraz has too many weapons and too much momentum. Expect one close-ish set, but the defending champion’s title defense should begin on a high note. 🧩 Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz wins in 3 sets (likely one competitive set, then cruise control).