Julia Goerges vs Dominika Cibulkova Tennis Prediction

Julia Goerges is making her tenth consecutive main draw appearance at the French Open, as the world #11. By contrast, she contested Paris last year as #51. Since then, she has played seven career finals and won three titles (Moscow, Zhuhai, and Auckland), resulting in a top 10 debut this February.
The German has posted a clay final this year at Charleston (l. Bertens). But, in the run-up to the slam, she has played three European clay events and gone 2-3 in them. Goerges, who has played 40 slam main draws without reaching a quarterfinal, has an average 22-18 record in slam first rounds (6-3 at Paris).
Dominika Cibulkova arrives at Paris after suffering a crushing defeat in the final of Strasbourg last week at the hands of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She held two match points to lift her first title since 2016 WTA Finals but ended up letting it go in three hours and 35 minutes, the longest non-slam match of 2018.
The Slovak played at Paris last year as a top 10 player, but this fortnight she enters as #32. In her ten previous stays at the slam, she has advanced to one semifinal (2009, l. #1 Safina) and one quarterfinal (2012). The former #4 has a 9-1 record in first rounds here in Paris, with that sole loss coming in 2011.
The two former top 10 players had met once in the past, at Wimbledon in 2011, when Cibulkova prevailed over the German in three-sets (6-4 1-6 6-3). A close contest can be expected in this match, as Goerges is coming from a shaky Europe swing and Cibulkova from a disappointment at Strasbourg.

Tennis Prediction: Julia Goerges
Odds: 1.88