Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem will be the favorites on the day 11 quarterfinals at the 2019 French Open in Paris. We predict Alexander Zverev vs Novak Djokovic. Djokovic faces young gun Alexander Zverev who is seeking to boost his slam performance while Thiem faces the on-fire Karen Khachanov. Steen Kirby, Yesh Ginsburg, Jim Smith and Harsh Bhoot offer their predictions.
Alexander Zverev vs Novak Djokovic
Yesh: Zverev has not looked nearly his best this tournament, nor all clay season. His level did pick up against Fabio Fognini in the fourth round, though Fognini wasn’t quite healthy for the entire match. Djokovic, meanwhile, has been as dominant as any player we’ve ever seen, well, ever. This match won’t be close. Djokovic in 3
Steen: There were serious doubts that Zverev would perform up to his seedline and reach the quarterfinal stage. It wasn’t easy for the young German but he did manage to make it this far and now stares down an elite opponent in Djokovic. Djokovic is simply playing too well to lose this match against an unreliable Zverev. Zverev is capable but he hasn’t shown the form this season or in the Grand Slams to win a match like this. Djokovic in 3
Harsh: With less hype about Zverev this year, it’s proving to be beneficial for him but Novak Djokovic has looked so so good this year. Zverev has the weapons and the gameplay to win against Novak but it’s fair to say Zverev still hasn’t played at his full potential. Head to head they’ve split their four meetings but this is their first encounter in a Grand Slam and all the headaches for Alexander Zverev regarding Grand Slams isn’t going away soon. Djokovic in 4
Jim: The first four rounds could hardly have gone better for Djokovic, who has raced through to the quarterfinals without dropping a set. But fifth seed Zverev should provide his first real test of the tournament, even if the German has looked a little shaky at times so far in Paris. He has the power to hit through Djokovic and has won half of their four meetings. That said, Djokovic is a man who looks like he means business, as he always does at the business end of a Slam. Expect him to cut the German down to size. Djokovic in 3
Dominic Thiem vs Karen Khachanov
Yesh: Khachanov was impressive in his victory over Del Potro, but that’s not enough to get through Thiem. Thiem is finally rounding back into form, and got through an out-of-sorts Monfils in the fourth round. Khachanov will hit the ball hard and make Thiem work for it, but the Austrian will reach another semifinal here. Thiem in 4
Steen: Thiem is making yet another French Open run, while this is some career best form and a career best performance from Khachanov, who stunned Juan Martin Del Potro in the previous round. With the way Khachanov is playing this will be a competitive match, Thiem should bring his best though and on the surface he’s the favorite. Thiem in 5
Harsh: An absolute dominant display from Dominic Thiem against Monfils makes him the clear-cut favourite for this matchup. The Russian proved to the tennis community how good he is by playing a splendid match against Del Potro but he would find it tough to hit through Thiem. The rallies will be entertaining but the slightly better court coverage of Thiem and the comfort he enjoys at Roland Garros (on the court) puts him in a good position to book a semi-final spot. Thiem in 4
Jim: It wasn’t the best start to Roland Garros for Thiem, but he’s grown in confidence as the tournament has progressed. He looked particularly sharp and focused in overcoming Gael Monfils and the Chatrier crowd to end French hopes of a titlist in Paris. But he will need to be at his very best to get past Khachanov, who delivered a superb performance to beat Juan Martin del Potro. This battle of the big-hitters should be close then, but expect Thiem’s clay-court nous to just swing it in his favour. Thiem in 5
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