With Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic all sharing one half of the draw, they will all play on the same day for the rest of this extended fortnight. And with only two spots each day on Court Philippe-Chatrier for men’s matches, one of them will be bumped to Court Suzanne-Lenglen as long as all three remain in the tournament. On Thursday, it’s Djokovic, the world No.1, who is scheduled on Lenglen. And that could be a significant booking: rain is possible later in the day, and only Chatrier has a roof.
Djokovic will play the highly-entertaining Pablo Cuevas, who he surprisingly has never met. Nadal will play Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who has never beaten Nadal in 16 tries. And in a rematch of two recent Major finals, Roger Federer will play Marin Cilic.
The women’s world No.1 Ash Barty will be up first on Chatrier. Questions abound regarding her condition, due to recent thigh and hip injuries. She faces Poland’s Magda Linette, who has earned two tour titles over the last two years. Speaking of Poland, defending champion Iga Swiatek looks to extend her current 16-1 streak on clay. And the most appetizing women’s match of the day features two recent top three players: 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, and 2016 US Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova.
Thursday’s play will begin at 11:00am local time on all courts except Chatrier, which starts at 12:00pm.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Magda Linette – First on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Since the start of 2020, Barty is now a stellar 39-8, with four titles. And that’s despite not playing for a full year due to the pandemic. But the treatment she has received for injuries in both Rome and Paris is troubling. Linette has struggled to regain her form after undergoing knee surgery this past offseason, but was able to string three wins together just last week in Strasbourg, advancing to the semifinals. Defeating Barty would be completely new territory for Magda, as she’s never beaten a top 10 player (0-14). Despite Barty’s injury issues, she remains the favorite. The 2019 champion hasn’t lost this early at a Major since the 2018 French Open.
Karolina Pliskova (9) vs. Sloane Stephens – Second on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Both players passed tough opening round tests: Pliskova against Donna Vekic, and Stephens against Carla Suarez Navarro. In her first match since defeating cancer, Carla even served for the match, yet Sloane was able to break and prevail in three. Stephens is 3-1 against Pliskova, though Karolina claimed their only clay court encounter, three years ago in Madrid. Sloane opened up this week to the The New York Times (here) about how her family has been devastated by COVID-19, which makes her improved form this clay season all the more impressive. Pliskova just reached the final of Rome a few weeks ago, her best result since the previous year’s Rome event, but she was completely blitzed in that final by Iga Swiatek. Karolina’s game is much more one-dimensional than Stephens, which gives Sloane a good opportunity to earn her first top 10 win in nearly three years.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Pablo Cuevas – Not before 2:30 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Dating back to the 2008 US Open, Djokovic has only once lost in the second round of a Major. He’ll be a heavy favorite today against Cuevas, despite Pablo’s love for the clay. Of Cuevas’ 10 career tour finals, nine of them have come on this surface. However, the 35-year-old from Uruguay has never advanced beyond the third round of any Major, even on clay. Cuevas is known as one of the sport’s highlight reel specialists, making shots and finding angles that most cannot. So this should be a fun match to watch, but the outcome does not feel in doubt.
Roger Federer (9) vs. Marin Cilic – Not before 4:00pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Federer is 9-1 lifetime against CIlic, in a rivalry that began in 2008. Marin’s only victory came during the best two weeks of his career: the semifinals of the 2014 US Open. Roger would avenge that loss on two big occasions: the championship matches of both the 2017 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open, with the latter being their most recent meeting. They’ve just once played on clay, when Federer was victorious in straight sets 10 years ago in Monte-Carlo. This will only be Roger’s fifth match since January of last year after undergoing two knee surgeries. However, he looked like his normal, confident self in the first round. And this is not the same Cilic who defeated him seven years ago. Since the pandemic restart last summer, Marin actually has a losing record. Federer should be able to advance against an opponent he usually defeats rather comfortably.
Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Richard Gasquet – Not before 9:00pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
It’s hard to defeat an opponent more comfortably than Nadal has Gasquet. This rivalry has been completely one-sided. In their 16 clashes, Gasquet has only mustered four out of 41 sets contested. And the Frenchman hasn’t earned a set since the 2008 Rogers Cup, meaning Rafa has taken ther last 28 sets. At an event where Nadal is a ridiculous 101-2, a healthy and in-form King of Clay seems almost unbeatable in this matchup, especially considering Gasquet is a modest 8-6 on the year.
Other Notable Matches on Thursday:
Iga Swiatek (8) vs. Rebecca Peterson – Swiatek is on a 16-set win streak at this event. Peterson narrowly survived a grueling battle three days ago against Shelby Rogers.
Sofia Kenin (4) vs. Hailey Baptiste (Q) – Kenin ousted former champion Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round. Baptiste is a 19-year-old fellow American who just earned her first win at a Major this week.
Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Ann Li – Svitolina has now reached three French Open quarterfinals, though is yet to advance farther. 20-year-old Ann Li has advanced to the third round at the last two hard court Slams.
Gael Monfils (14) vs. Mikeal Ymer – On Tuesday, Monfils earned just his second win since February of 2020. Ymer is a 22-year-old from Sweden who reached the third round at February’s Australian Open, his best result at a Major to date.
Thursday’s full schedule is here.
