The quarter finals begin at the French Open on Tuesday when the first half of the last eight matches take place. The entire singles event will be played on the Philippe Chatrier Court at Roland Garros from here on in so the eyes of the world will be on one place.
Anticipation is building ahead of the Tuesday card which is headlined by two of the best ever to play the game going at it in the night session match but the day session looks like it is going to be pretty tasty as well.
Martina Trevisan vs Leylah Fernandez
The opening quarter final on Tuesday sees one of the two unseeded players left in the women’s draw in Martina Trevisan taking on a Leylah Fernandez who will be looking to make it into a second semi-final in three Grand Slams.
This will certainly be a competitive match. This opportunity might not come around again for the Italian while Fernandez will have seen her half open up and will be looking to maximise the opportunity that is in front of her. Trevisan did well to come through against Sasnovich in the previous round but she was set point down in the first set and Sasnovich served for the second set so there was a bit of fortune about it. Sasnovich at 47 is the highest ranked player Trevisan has beaten this tournament but to be fair she is on a nine game winning streak. Fernandez has seen off the classy Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova so she definitely has the form in the book. This hasn’t been a fortnight for favourites though so although I think Fernandez will win I’ll let her do so at the prices.
Coco Gauff vs Sloane Stephens
After the last 16 on Sunday we knew we would be guaranteed an American in the semi-finals and in the second match on Tuesday we will find out who it will be when the young star Coco Gauff takes on the more experienced Sloane Stephens.
These two met at the US Open last year when Stephens won and I think she is decent value to win this one too. Gauff is clearly a class act and will be a world superstar in a few years but I think she is still improving and bids to tread new territory here having never made the last four of a Grand Slam. Stephens had no form whatsoever heading to Roland Garros but she is a big tournament player and has already taken care of Sorana Cirstea and Jil Teichmann here. The way she dealt with Teichmann was very impressive. I think she was hitting the ball at the level she was when she won the US Open back in 2017. Her clay form is no surprise because she has been to the final of this tournament in 2018 and if she carries the form she had against the Swiss in the previous round Stephens will be hard to beat. There is no doubt Gauff is getting towards the very top of the game but her second serve would still scare me if I was backing her. Stephens can swing with a bit more freedom here and I think she’s good value to come out on top.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Alexander Zverev vs Carlos Alcaraz
The first of the men’s matches on Tuesday sees the Olympic champion Alexander Zverev going up against the new superstar on the block in Carlos Alcaraz, who is looking to make the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Both these men have cruised through the draw with the exception of one match which they nearly stumbled in. Zverev was two sets down to Sebastian Baez in the second round but turned things around while Alcaraz was taken the distance by Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Their other three wins have all been in straight sets. Zverev leads the head to head 2-1 with Alcaraz winning their most recent meeting which was in the Madrid final when the German was blown away but as he quite rightly stated afterwards he was in no position to play his best because of the ridiculous scheduling of that tournament. Zverev will be in much better condition here but he’ll need to be because Alcaraz is looking more and more like the real deal. I still wonder if there is a vulnerability in him over five sets but even though it has improved the days I want my money on that Zverev second serve has long gone. I’m happy to just watch this spectacle.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal
The best is very much getting saved for last on Tuesday as the two legends meet in what many would suggest is far too early in the tournament as Novak Djokovic takes on Rafael Nadal in what simply has to be an absolute barnburner of a match in the night session.
Much has been made since the schedule was announced that Nadal has strongly opposed playing at night because of the colder and therefore slower conditions but I wonder if that is being overplayed in the media because the coldest and dankest French Open of them all in 2020 was won by the Spaniard, where he destroyed Djokovic in straight sets in the final. I don’t see this being won in straight sets though. I do think Djokovic has to have an edge given that Nadal went more than four hours in getting the better of Felix Auger-Aliassime last time out, although the extra few hours for this game to take place might negate that a little. This is sure to be a great occasion and I wouldn’t be surprised if we are seeing a fifth set here. Hopefully these two can play at their best and if they do, or they are anything close to it, then we’ll go beyond 37.5 games here. These two aren’t going to die without leaving it all out there so the over in games looks like the best bet to me.
Tips
Back S.Stephens to beat C.Gauff for a 3/10 stake at 2.63 with Boylesports
Back her here:
Back N.Djokovic vs R.Nadal – Over 37.5 games for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with BetVictor
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
