Preview: Tatjana Maria vs. Elise Mertens - French Open prediction, form, head-to-head

Meeting for the second time on clay in a singles match, Tatjana Maria and Elise Mertens square off in the opening round of the French Open.

Heading into the second Grand Slam of the year, the German exited the Morocco Open in straight sets versus Yasmne Kabbaj 2-6 4-6, while Mertens lost to Mirra Andreeva in the last 16 of the Italian Open 3-6 3-6.

Match preview

Beginning with this match, Tatjana Maria will hope to roll back the years and reclaim some of her magic from past major tournaments.

The 2018 Wimbledon quarter-finalist has not fared so well at these big events lately, exiting in the opening round of her last four Grand Slam singles tournaments.

Roland-Garros has not been an ideal surface for her, with Maria losing her opening-round match at this tournament in each of her previous six appearances.

She has, however, advanced beyond her first match in three of her last four singles events on the WTA tour, with her best showing of the year coming in France, reaching the semi-finals of the Rouen Open on clay.

So far this year, she has won 64.7% of her service games and been able to capture 65% of her first serves.

For as much power as she boasts on her serve, she can be prone to just as many errors, with 80 aces and 46 double faults in 2026.

Elise Mertens is hoping for a redemption story of her own at Roland-Garros this year after a surprise opening-round exit in 2025.

That was the only time in her last nine appearances at this event that she went out that early, while she has made it to round four twice this decade.

In 12 of her last 13 Grand Slam appearances, she has advanced beyond her opening match, making it into the fourth round four times.

The powerful Belgian has not lost an opening-round outing on tour this year, reaching the last 16 in two of her last three singles tournaments on clay.

Her service game has been solid all year round, winning 74.4% of her service games overall and 70.7% of her first serves.

On the opposite end, Mertens has won 39% of her return points in 2026 and has been able to convert 50% of her break points.

Head To Head

Porsche Open (2024) - First Round: Mertens wins 6-1 4-6 6-0

Singapore Open (2025) - Second Round: Mertens wins 6-7 6-3 6-1

When these two first met in Maria’s home country, it was Mertens who came out on top, thanks to winning 85% of her first-serve points.

The following year, in Singapore, the Belgian triumphed in another close match by converting six of her break points, while Maria managed only two.

We say: Mertens to win in three sets

While Maria can make things interesting, we believe Mertens is a little more battle-tested in these spots, which should power her through if the going gets tough.