Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are all three wins away from setting new milestones in the sport. On the women’s side, three of last year’s semifinalists are still alive, and all three could foreseeably return to that stage again this year. In total, 57 Major singles titles are still represented in the singles draws. Joining the champions in the last eight of each draw are some exciting young players fighting for their own glory. We should be in for some classic matchups over the next six days.
Roger Federer (3) vs. Stan Wawrinka (24)
This is a rematch from the last time Federer played Roland Garros. It was also the last time Wawrinka defeated Federer. In this same round four years ago, Stan prevailed in straight sets on his way to winning his second Major. That’s one of only three victories for Wawrinka over Federer out of 25 tries, with the other two also coming on clay. But the big question here is what will Stan have left after his five-hour, nine-minute odyssey with Stefanos Tsitsipas two days ago? Federer meanwhile has cruised to this stage without facing a seeded player, and without dropping a set. This may be a case where extending points, as well as the match, could be to the 37-year-old’s advantage. And while Stan owns three clay court wins over Roger, Federer owns four over Wawrinka. This feels like a perfect opportunity for Federer to return to the French Open semifinals for the first time since 2012.
Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Kei Nishikori (7)
Even more so than Wawrinka, Nishikori is going to be completely wiped coming into this quarterfinal. As per usual, Kei has found himself in too many extended battles early on at Majors. He’s coming off two straight five-setters: one of which was completed just yesterday, and both of which required him to overcome a fifth set deficit. In the past two rounds alone, Nishikori spent over eight hours on court. And Kei is 2-10 lifetime versus Nadal, with his only two wins coming in best-of-three matches on hard courts. Rafa should advance to his twelfth semifinal here without complications.
Sloane Stephens (7) vs. Johanna Konta (26)
It’s last year’s finalist against a first-time quarterfinalist who had never won a match here prior to this fortnight. While that sounds like a mismatch, Konta got the best of Stephens on clay just a few weeks ago in Rome. In fact, Johanna has won both of their previous meetings, with the other coming on a hard court earlier this year. Konta’s success on clay this season has come out of nowhere, after almost two full years of struggling with injuries and confidence, and no prior results on the surface. But the British No.1 now owns 14 clay wins over the past six weeks. All that being said, Stephens is still the favorite here. She remains the better clay court player, and looked quite sharp in taking out former champion Garbine Muguruza on Sunday.
Petra Martic (31) vs. Marketa Vondrousova
This will be the biggest match in both women’s careers to date, with one moving on to repeat that feat in two days. Martic is a 28-year-old from Croatia who finally broke through to her first Major quarterfinal in her fifth try. It comes seven years after her first time in the fourth round of a Slam, with years of injuries in between. Vondrousova is nearly 10 years her junior, a left-handed 19-year-old from the Czech Republic. Marketa has now reached the round of 16 or better at two of the last three Majors, and will debut inside the top 30 on Monday. Martic will debut inside the top 25, and the winner will move inside the top 20. Petra owns a 4-0 edge in their head-to-head, which includes the final of Istanbul just six weeks ago on clay. But I have a feeling Vondrousova may get her first win today. Despite being much younger, she’s often the more composed of the two players. Vondrousova has plenty of game, and doesn’t strike me as a player who will be overwhelmed by this occasion.
Order of play –Play on all courts to start at 2pm GMT
COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER
- S. STEPHENS [7] vs. J. KONTA [26]
- K.NISHIKORI [7] vs. R.NADAL [2]
COURT SUZANNE LENGLEN
- S.WAWRINKA [24] vs. R.FEDERER [3]
- M. VONDROUSOVA vs. Petra MARTIC [31]
