Rafael Nadal and Diego Schwartzman have been cruising at the French Open so far. Now into the Quarterfinals, are they on a collision course to meet in a big semifinal, or can Dominic Thiem and Jannik Sinner create some magic and reach the semis themselves? David Gertler, Harsh Bhoot, Damian Kust and Steen Kirby offer their predictions.
Diego Schwartzman vs Dominic Thiem
David: Diego Schwartzman is having, arguably, the best run of form in his career. After beating Rafael Nadal on his way to the Rome final, he is now in the French Open quarterfinals without losing a set. Schwartzman’s depth and clean ball striking have been particularly impressive this tournament. Dominic Thiem has done well to back up his US Open victory with a push the quarterfinals here. Thiem definitely has seemed a little weary in his last match against Hugo Gaston, but that might have been because of Gaston’s unconventional style. Nevertheless, Schwartzman’s played the better tennis and his Rome win over Nadal (and follow-up victory over Shapovalov) showed he’s more ready for the big stage than he’s ever been. Schwartzman will control the baseline better than Thiem and take this in a thrilling encounter. Schwartzman in 5
Harsh: It was worrying signs for Dominic Thiem as he survived a huge scare. His fitness will be a huge question mark as he prepares for another gruelling encounter against an in-form Diego Schwartzman. The Argentine will be fancying his chances for a win if he can manage his serve well. Thiem will definitely be exhausted and by the looks of it, this match should exceed three sets. If that’s the case, Thiem’s serve will put him in a better position provided he recovers well. The Austrian has played a lot of matches recently but he’s one of the fittest guys on tour. Expect the Austrian to fight and give it his all to just clinch this match. Thiem in 4
Damian: Hugo Gaston really got into Dominic Thiem’s head on Sunday. Will Diego Schwartzman be able to do the same? The Argentinian has a different skillset than Gaston but he’s an extremely solid baseliner who won’t back off easily. Thiem’s power game will have to be in great shape as leaking errors could definitely lead to his downfall here. The Austrian’s ability to hit through the court in these conditions should see him through, but it could get ugly. Thiem in 4
Steen: Thiem looked like a potential finalist until he ran into Hugo Gaston in the fourth round. The little known Frenchman made him look silly and outmatched at times, but the Austrian gutted out a win and showed his tenacity and focus when it mattered most. The trendy pick here is Schwartzman who hasn’t been pressured through four matches and has yet to drop a set. Taking that next step still looms large for Schwartzman however, Thiem is an entirely different level of player than he normally wins against, and the Austrian is very comfortable at this venue. I’ll go with experience and back Thiem’s ability to recover and buckle down under pressure over Schwartzman’s red hot form. Thiem in 5
Rafael Nadal vs Jannik Sinner
Steen: Unbeaten in a number of years at the French Open, and with no more than 4 games dropped in a set this tournament, Nadal is once again cruising to another final at Roland Garros. Can Sinner upset the apple cart? He’s a talent and he’s played some massively impressive tennis this week, but the exertion and patience required to beat Nadal on clay in best 5 would take a superhuman effort right now. Sinner should give Nadal a better test than the other opposition he’s faced this week, but he’s no Robin Soderling and doesn’t match up well with the Spaniard. Nadal in 3
David: Jannik Sinner is playing some of the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play this week. He’s been incredibly patient from the baseline and has done a great job picking his moments to unload on his huge groundstrokes. Rafael Nadal is, well, Rafael Nadal. He doesn’t need an introduction, he’s by far the best clay court player the game’s ever seen. Expect Sinner to be able to hit through Nadal for short bursts in the match, but Nadal’s rally tolerance and counterpunching ability will prove to be too much. Nadal in 4
Harsh: Jannik Sinner will be hoping the roof is closed for him to have a better chance to pull off one of the toughest tasks in tennis. However, knowing Rafael Nadal, roof closed or not, the Spaniard looks hungry as ever for his 13th French Open title and won’t be surrendering so easily. He’s been aggressive throughout and his forehand has fired at will. It’s a match-up that’ll be decided by who can dictate points with their forehand. Sinner hasn’t looked nervous at all so far and expect him to give it his all but as many have found out before, Rafa’s a solid counter-puncher on clay and that extra ball he puts in at awkward angles will create problems for Sinner. Expect the King of Clay to march on although it won’t be as easy as previous matches. Nadal in 3
Damian: Jannik Sinner’s game always lacked consistency but it most certainly isn’t the case here. The Italian is constructing the points very patiently for his standards and impresses with great mental composure. Still, this will be an uphill battle. Maintaining an aggressive game against the best clay-courter ever, who only lost twice on the Parisian clay, is an extremely tough ask. Sinner has the game to make this a bigger challenge for Nadal than any of his four previous opponents. But Nadal should be expected to gear up when needed. Nadal in 3
Main Photo:
