French Open Day 9 Preview: Five Must-See Matches

Those top 10 battles are in the men’s draw, where all top 10 seeds advanced to this stage. Of course we lost one of those seeds yesterday, in the fantastic epic that was penned by Stan Wawrinka and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Meanwhile, the world No.1, who is also the winner of the last three Majors, can reach the quarterfinals without meeting a seed at all.

In the women’s draw, only three top 10 seeds remain. In fact, half of the women on today’s schedule will be making their round of 16 debut at a Major. It’s a huge opportunity for the new blood to make a deep run, but some women who have done so before are eager to return to the last weekend of a Slam.

Sascha Zverev (5) vs. Fabio Fognini (9)

Both men are vying for their second Major quarterfinal, a feat they first accomplished at this tournament. They met on clay earlier this year, with Fognini prevailing in straight sets on the way to the biggest title of his career in Monte Carlo. Zverev took both of their other matches back in 2017, one of which was on clay. The 22-year-old must be short on stamina at this point, considering the amount of tennis played over the past two weeks. First there was his title run in Geneva, and then the 13 sets it took him to advance to this round. He played five of those sets just two days ago against the other Monte Carlo finalist, Dusan Lajovic. However, it is worth noting Fognini played 12 sets of his own last week, winning each of his first three rounds in four. I would not be at all surprised by another extended battle here, but I think this day may belong to the Italian. Zverev is still yet to round into top form, and the clay favors the 32-year-old veteran.

Juan Martin Del Potro (8) vs. Karen Khachanov (10)

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This is the other matchup between two top 10 seeds, featuring two heavy hitters who will not hesitate to club the ball. All three of their previous meetings took place last year, with Del Potro winning all three. One of those took place at a Major, as Juan Martin needed four sets and nearly four hours to knock Karen out of last year’s Australian Open. But Del Potro is not quite the same player he was a year ago. He missed about six months of action due to a knee injury last fall, and aggravated that knee during his second round win over Yoshihito Nishioka. That being said, he had no problem dismissing Jordan Thompson on Saturday, dropping just eight games. Khachanov has now reached the fourth round here in each of the past three years, but is yet to go farther at any Major. Is the 23-year-old ready to breakthrough? This match has a similar feel to yesterday’s Wawrinka/Tsitsipas encounter, with a veteran who has been recovering from a serious knee injury defending his turf against the next generation. I think Khachanov has enough game, and enough confidence in himself, to push Del Potro just a bit farther than his knee will allow the big man to go. The Paris Indoors champion of last year may be poised for more success in this city.

Dominic Thiem (4) vs. Gael Monfils (14)

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This could be just as good as, if not better than, the day’s matches between top 10 seeds. The athleticism and shot-making abilities of both men could combine to create a classic. But that’s only if Monfils finds way to be competitive against Thiem, something he’s never done before. Gael is 0-4 against Dominic, and when they played last year on the clay of Buenos Aires, he won just three games. Monfils has had a much stronger season in 2019, and he played excellently in week 1, not dropping a set. On the other side of the net, Thiem dropped a set in each of his first three rounds. The 25-year-old’d inability to get cleanly through the first week is turning into a pattern at the Majors, and causes him trouble come the second week. That could happen here, especially with the French crowd playing a factor. While you can never be sure what you’ll get from him day-to-day, I expect an inspired effort from Gael here at home. Will it be enough to upset last year’s finalist? I would be tempted to say yes, if it weren’t for how lopsided their history has been.

Simona Halep (3) vs. Iga Swiatek

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Here we have a three-time finalist, and last year’s champion, against a new face on tour. The WTA has an informative piece regarding the 18-year-old here. She quickly rose through the rankings by racking up seven ITF titles, and will move into the top 65 with this fourth round run. Aside from a random 6-0 set she lost to Monica Puig on Saturday, she’s been destroying opponents here, with no other player winning more than three games in a set. That includes Qiang Wang, the sixteenth seed. Iga’s been the one dictating play in all her matches. Against Wang, she struck 33 winners and only 12 unforced errors. But the youngster from Poland is yet to face a player with the defensive skills of Simona Halep. The world No.3 hasn’t played her best tennis this year, but she could be rediscovering her form just in time for her title defense. On Saturday against Lesia Tsurenko, Halep lost just three games. While Swiatek surely has a bright future, that future may not immediately materialize. Halep will be a strong favorite in their first career meeting.

Ash Barty (8) vs. Sofia Kenin

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It was the spunky 20-year-old American who upset Serena Williams on Saturday. But taking out another top 10 seed after the biggest win of your life is a lot to ask. While Barty has never excelled on clay, her success from the past few seasons is now translating to this surface. After reaching her first Major quarterfinal in her home country earlier this year, the Australian is now a favorite to reach her second one consecutively. However, it’s not fair to count out Kenin, who has shown just how strong a competitor she is many times over the past year. If she can put her upset of Serena out of her mind, this could be a close one.

Other notable matches on Day 9:

• Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff. The 29-year-old from Germany is into his first Major fourth round after an upset of Borna Coric, in a match that went to 11-9 in the fifth.
• Madison Keys (14) vs. Katerina Siniakova. Siniakova upset Naomi Osaka two days ago, and will be the underdog again here against Keys, who has reached the quarters or better at four of the last six Slams.
• Amanda Anisimova vs. Aliona Bolsova (Q), in the first meeting between the 17-year-old American and the 21-year-old Spaniard, both playing for their first major quarterfinal.

Order of play