The singles quarterfinals will be set after Monday’s action in Paris.
Through three rounds, Iga Swiatek has been dominant, dropping only eight games across six sets, with four of those sets featuring a score 6-0. But on Day 9, she faces a red-hot Lesia Tsurenko, who has already defeated two other Major champions this fortnight in Barbora Krejcikova and Bianca Andreescu.
Monday’s matches also feature two WTA finalists from last season at Slams: Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur. ATP action is headlined by what should be two extremely competitive matchups between seeded players.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Monday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Sara Sorribes Tormo vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia (14) – 11:00am on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Prior to this fortnight, Haddad Maia was 0-7 in the second round of Majors. Her success outside the Majors had previously come on grass and hard courts, so this run on clay is a bit of a surprise. Beatriz is now 20-11 this year on all surfaces, and won two consecutive three-setters to reach this stage for the first time in her career.
Sorribes Tormo was unfortunately part of a very controversial decision on Sunday, where her doubles opponent Miyu Kato was defaulted for unintentionally hitting a ball girl with a ball, and only after Sara and her partner Marie Bouzkova allegedly argued for the default to happen. There’s been a huge backlash on social media regarding Sorribes Tormo and Bouzkova’s behavior, which could easily impact her play on this day. Sorribes Tormo won her first two singles matches in straight sets, before receiving a walkover in the last round from Elena Rybakina. And Sara missed much of this season due to injury.
These players have split four previous meetings at all levels. But on Monday, I favor the more aggressive game of Haddad Maia to prevail.
Holger Rune (6) vs. Francisco Cerundolo (23) – Second on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Rune is now 29-10 on the year, and looking to repeat as a quarterfinalist in Paris. It was also in this city where his biggest title to date occurred, when he won the Paris Masters last November by upsetting Novak Djokovic in the final.
This is the farthest Cerundolo has ever advanced at a Major. In fact, prior to 2023, he had never won a match at a Major. But he is a huge threat on this surface, and came back from a set down to upset Taylor Fritz in the last round.
They have never played at tour level, but four years ago at a Challenger tournament on clay, Francisco prevailed in straight sets. However, a young Holger wasn’t even ranked inside the top 1,000 at the time. In 2023, Rune is a significant favorite to achieve his second Roland Garros quarterfinal.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Lesia Tsurenko – Third on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
As aforementioned, Swiatek has been in beatdown mode this fortnight. Iga is 24-2 lifetime at the French Open, and vying for her third title within the last four years. And after a slow start to this year by her high standard, she is now 31-6, and 15-2 on clay.
But Tsurenko is a dangerous fourth round draw. She is 28-8 this year at all levels, and has not dropped a set this fortnight. Her victories last week over Krejcikova and Andreescu were clinical.
Swiatek is 2-0 against Tsurenko, with both matches taking place within the past year on clay. And both matches had the same score line: 6-2, 6-0. While I expect a tighter contest on Monday given Lesia’s current level, Iga is still a heavy favorite.
Grigor Dimitrov (28) vs. Sascha Zverev (22) – Not Before 8:15pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Zverev may finally be rounding back into form a full year after the gruesome ankle injury he suffered here in Paris against Rafael Nadal. He was just 17-14 this season before arriving in Paris, yet has only dropped one set thus far, which includes a strong four-set victory over 12th-seeded Frances Tiafoe.
Dimitrov has not dropped any sets through three matches. And coming off his run to the final just a week ago in Geneva, he’s won six of his last seven contests. This equals his best-ever result at Roland Garros, the only Major where he’s yet to reach a quarterfinal.
Zverev leads their head-to-head 3-1, and has taken their last three meetings, though only one of those occurred within the past seven years. With Sascha’s confidence level growing match-by-match, I like his chances of winning on Monday.
Other Notable Matches on Monday:
Bernarda Pera vs. Ons Jabeur (7) – Jabeur is only 14-6 on the year, as she’s battled multiple leg injuries this season. This is the only Major where she’s yet to advance beyond the fourth round. Meanwhile, this is Pera’s first time in the fourth round of a Slam at the age of 28. They have split two prior encounters at all levels.
Nicolas Jarry vs. Casper Ruud (4) – After a bad start to the year on hard courts, Ruud is now 14-5 on clay. Jarry is 19-6 this season on clay, and is on an eight-match win streak, after taking the title in Geneva right before this tournament. Nicolas beat Casper 7-5 in the third during that Geneva run, with Ruud claiming their only other meeting last season in Seoul on a hard court.
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs. Coco Gauff (6) – Gauff has already twice come back from a set down in her first three matches. Schmiedlova is yet to drop a set on the way to her deepest progression at a Major to date. Last year in Madrid, Coco defeated Anna Karolina by a score of 6-0, 6-2.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Yoshihito Nishioka (27) – This is Nishioka’s second consecutive advancement to the second week of a Major, and he played 14 sets in the first week. This is Etcheverry’s best ever Slam result, and he did not drop a set in the first week. This is their first meeting.
Monday’s full Order of Play is here.
