Tennis
2026-05-27 - Tomas Machac vs Alexander Zverev
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Tennis : French Open Second Round
Wednesday 27th May 2026 - Scheduled 8:15pm
7:15pm (British Time)
Preview
It has been written in the Novak Djokovic preview for his Second Round match that the writer feels the absence of Carlos Alcaraz is a big boost for the former World Number 1 as he looks for a twenty-fifth Grand Slam title.
The absolute same can be said for the Number 2 Seed in the French Open draw as Alexander Zverev chases a maiden Grand Slam title.
Two years ago, Alexander Zverev was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open Final after leading 2-1, although the World Number 3 has openly admitted he still feels Jannik Sinner is the clear favourite to win this title. However, being able to avoid the Italian until the Final and knowing that a big battle with Carlos Alcaraz is not needed should give Alexander Zverev confidence that he can finally pick up a big Grand Slam title.
Five sets were needed when Zverev was beaten by Alcaraz in the Australian Open Semi Final earlier this year, but the former has reached at least one Grand Slam Final in each of the last two seasons. Alexander Zverev made very comfortable work of Benjamin Bonzi in the First Round, despite the potential of that being an awkward draw, and he will enter this French Open Second Round match with real confidence.
In terms of World Ranking, a match up with Tomas Machac will feel like it has come a bit too early- the 25 year old was inside the top 20 of the World Rankings thirteen months ago, but dropped out of the Seeding positions as injuries have held back the Czech player.
Tomas Machac has produced his best tennis on the faster surfaces, but his First Round win over Zizou Bergs in straight sets shows the kind of level that he can produce when fully dialled in.
The 5-4 record on the clay courts prior to the French Open is one thing, but Tomas Machac has shown his inconsistencies within tournaments during that time- he has only managed to win two matches in a row on one occasion in a clay court tournament this season, while the Tomas Machac defeats have been against some of the stronger clay court players on the Tour, but also adding a disappointing defeat to Cameron Norrie to the ledger.
It is clear the serve is not nearly as effective on the clay as it is on other surfaces, although the very hot conditions in Paris should aid Tomas Machac.
He is 1-2 on the clay courts when facing top 20 Ranked opponents this season and Tomas Machac is now 2-9 in his career under those conditions. There have been some competitiveness shown, but the Machac serve is a big part of his tennis and in those matches against top 20 Ranked opponents, those numbers are heavily impacted on the surface.
As mentioned, conditions will help, but the same applies for Alexander Zverev, who is the much more comfortable player on the surface.
This Second Round match at the French Open has been scheduled for the Night Session, which may not be an issue for Alexander Zverev as much as Tomas Machac, and the higher Ranked player will take confidence from having beaten Machac on the clay courts of Roland Garros in routine fashion at the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024.
Alexander Zverev can sometimes get bogged down in matches in Grand Slam events, but this is a Second Round opponent that should focus the former Finalist and that can see him put together the performance needed to avoid the upset as the German moves through to the Third Round on Friday.
Prediction
The Night Session on Wednesday features a French Open Second Round match involving a former Finalist in Alexander Zverev.
He is unlikely to win by a big margin in each individual set, but those can build up against Tomas Machac and lead to a narrow cover of the spread set.
The Pick :
Tomas Machac 0-3 Alexander Zverev
