The French Open gets underway on May 27 and the second Grand Slam of the season looks set to serve up another superb two weeks of top-class action. The clay court swing regularly throws up a number of surprises, with the unseeded Jelena Ostapenko unexpectedly triumphing 12 months ago. We take a look at three players who could make a similar impact in 2018.
Hyeon Chung: 2018 has been a breakthrough year for Hyeon Chung, with the South Korean breaking into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time at the beginning of April. The 21-year old has a bright future in the game and has been compared to Andy Murray by his coach, Neville Godwin. He made it to the latter stages of the Australian Open and he has quickly become a firm fan-favourite. He held 18 straight service games at the beginning of this year's Miami Open before being knocked out by eventual champion, John Isner. Chung is versatile and has shown enough ability on the slower surface to suggest that he could at least progress to the final four in Paris. He is 33/1 in the outright tennis betting market and with the absence of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal seemingly lacking in match fitness, he could be worth keeping on-side.
Pablo Carreno-Busta: The man who is also known as PCB is one of the most consistent clay court players on the tour and after a solid start to 2018, he will be expected to progress to the latter stages of the competition. The 26-year old Spaniard was impressive in Miami until being defeated by eventual finalist Alexander Zverev. His only title in 2017 arrived on the slower surface in Estoril and, with a number of top players out of form, he will be looking to take advantage. PCB boasts a career record of 63-56 on the clay courts and although his record against top ten players isn't particularly impressive, he should be able to continue his upward trajectory at Roland Garros.
Daria Kasatkina: The Australian Open final was competed between the top two in the WTA rankings but a repeat of that battle seems unlikely to occur in Paris. The aforementioned Jelena Ostapenko will be aiming to defend her title at Roland Garros and will be fancied by many, but it's strongly advised to keep an eye on Daria Kasatkina, who could realistically replicate the Latvian's 2017 success. The Russian has enjoyed a good start to 2018 and has already beaten a number of former Grand Slam winners, including Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams. She was defeated by Naomi Osaka in the Indian Wells final and crucially, she also appears to enjoy playing on the clay courts. She has moved up to 12th in the WTA rankings and boasts at 9-4 record on the slower surface. The Russian was disappointed with her own performance in Miami but she should be ready and raring to go ahead: of this event.
Both draws appear wide open and it looks set to be a fascinating tournament once again. The French Open is one of the most exciting and unpredictable events on the calendar and these three players look likely to enjoy a fruitful fortnight in the French capital.