The French Open men's singles has witnessed some quality tennis in Paris, and it is only going to get better as the competition moves ahead. Top seed Novak Djokovic is set to face Steve Darcis at the Suzanne-Lenglen Court and Marcos Baghdatis will take on Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in their respective second round fixtures at the Phillipe-Chartier Court on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic vs Steve Darcis
Djokovic is the big favourite to win the French Open title, and the Serbian, if he plays his A-game, should progress into the third round of the competition easily. Djokovic did not have any trouble in defeating his first round opponent, Yen-Hsun Lu, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
Djokovic came all guns blazing, dominating the match from the baseline, and also showing his class at the net. The world number one will be keen to come with another flawless performance against 44th-ranked Darcis, whose best performance in any Grand Slam has been a third round finish in the French Open 2011.
Darcis got the better of Turkey's Marsel Ilhan as the Belgian registered a straight sets victory, without any problem. Darcis knows the herculean task ahead of him, and the form Djokovic has shown in 2016, the Belgian should be happy to even win a set in Paris.
Marcos Baghdatis vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
This has to be the match of the day in the men's singles on Thursday, with two hard-hitting tennis players, Baghdatis and Tsonga keen to reach the third round of the French Open.
Baghdatis looked in prime form during his first round encounter against Gilles Muller, who was helpless as the Cypriot player put up a ruthless performance. His triumph over Muller was a major landmark in his career, as it was his 300th win.
Tsonga, who will be well-supported by the home fans, is another dominant player, who loves to strike the ball hard, and catch his opponents by surprise. Tsonga faced a tricky opponent in the first round, big-hitting Jan-Lennard Struff, who looked second best against the Frenchman.
Hence, both the players come into this match with their tails up. The player, who absorbs pressure more, and strikes the ball clean, making less errors, should emerge victorious.
Where to watch live
Novak Djokovic vs Steve Darcis French Open second round fixture is the second match at Suzanne-Lenglen Court. The first match on this court will start at 11 a.m local time (2:30 p.m IST, 10 a.m BST, 5 a.m ET).
Marcos Baghdatis vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga French Open second round fixture is the third match at Phillipe-Chartier Court. The first match on this court will start at 11 a.m local time (2:30 p.m IST, 10 a.m BST, 5 a.m ET).
India viewers can watch the French Open 2016 singles action on Neo Sports and Neo Prime. Audience in the UK can watch 2016 French Open live on ITV or ITV Player, while viewers in rest of Europe can do the same on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.
Viewers in the US can watch French Open matches live on Tennis Channel, ESPN 2 andNBC, with live stream options on Tennis Channel live,Watch ESPN and NBC Sports Live Extra.
Fox Sportsand Foxtel Play is the place to be to watch the French Open 2016 live in Australia.
Middle Eastern countries can watch French Open 2016 in BeIN Sports and online on BeIN Sports Connect.
Fox Sportswill broadcast French Open 2016 live in Asian countires.
Listeners across the world can also catch French Open 2016 matches live on Roland Garros Radio.
