One of the only items missing from Novak Djokovic’s resume is an Olympic gold medal. But over the course of the next three days, he has a chance to win two. In the men’s singles semifinals, he faces Sascha Zverev, the remaining player with the best chance of preventing him from standing atop the podium in singles. The other men’s semifinal sees Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta face a second consecutive Russian. On Thursday, he eliminated Daniil Medvedev from medal contention. On Friday, he takes on recent Wimbledon quarterfinalist Karen Khachanov.
Also on Friday, the men’s doubles medals will be decided, with two teams of Croats facing off for the gold. And the mixed doubles semifinals will also be played, which include two teams representing the Russian Olympic Committee, as well as Djokovic and fellow world No.1 Ash Barty.
Friday’s play gets underway at 3:00pm local time. There are possible thunderstorms forecast in the afternoon and evening, though the roof over Centre Court will guarantee uninterrupted play for those scheduled there.
Pablo Carreno Busta (6) [ESP] vs. Karen Khachanov (12) [ROC] – 3:00pm on Centre Court
Khachanov has achieved two Major quarterfinals, while Carreno Busta has reached two semis. However, both players would certainly state this is the biggest match of their careers to date, as it will decide who plays for the gold medal on Sunday. Pablo leads their head-to-head 3-2, though Khachanov leads 2-1 on hard courts, as two of the Spaniard’s victories came on clay. Four of their five meetings have been straight-setters, meaning the first set may prove extremely crucial on Friday. Carreno Busta has advanced considerably more comfortably, requiring only one third set, compared to Khachanov who has been pushed to a third set in three out of four matches. Pablo has also been the much better player over the past year, and unlike Khachanov, his two best results at Slams have come on this surface. He possesses a much more consistent game than Karen, who can easily rack up a large amount of unforced errors. I like Carreno Busta’s chances of prevailing in this semifinal.
Novak Djokovic (1) [SRB] vs. Sascha Zverev (4) [GER] – Second on Centre Court
Djokovic is 6-2 against Zverev, and 5-1 on hard courts. Sascha’s two victories have either come on clay or on an indoor hard court. He defeated Novak in the championship match of the 2018 ATP Finals, the biggest title of his career. Both men have dominated all competition through four rounds. Neither has dropped a set, and only Zverev has been pushed to a tiebreak. Novak has been even more savage, averaging just over two games lost per set. Through four rounds, Sascha has struck 23 aces and absolutely no double faults, which is notable considering the second serve issues of his recent past. If he continues to serve like that, he has a legitimate chance to upset Djokovic. But Novak seems to be completely in the zone, exuding a calm confidence that is unmatched in the sport. Twice before, he’s reached the semifinals of the Olympics in men’s singles, but is yet to advance to the gold medal match. That should change on Friday.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic (1) [CRO] vs. Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig [CRO] – Mektic and Pavic are the heavy gold medal favorites, with 52 wins and eight titles on the year.
Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus [NZL] vs. Austin Krajicek and Tennys Sandgren [USA] – Daniell and Venus are the more accomplished doubles players, though they are not a regular pairing. The Americans teamed at three events leading up to this tournament.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev (4) [ROC] vs. Ash Barty and John Peers [AUS] – The Australians are definitely the better doubles players, but few players are having better seasons than Pavlyuchenkova or Rublev.
Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev [ROC] vs. Nina Stojanovic and Novak Djokovic [SRB] – Vesnina and Karatsev were finalists at this year’s Roland Garros. The Serbians prevailed convincingly on Thursday, dropping only three games.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
