After plenty of surprises so far at Roland Garros, the action will continue on Wednesday, when the remaining four quarterfinal matches will be played. All four matches on the slate promise plenty of engaging action and drama for the fans, both in the grounds and those watching from home. Here’s a look ahead at the matches to played on Wednesday at Roland Garros.
Roland Garros Quarterfinals
Petra Kvitová vs Laura Siegemund
Kvitova has been playing formidable tennis so far in Paris and is yet to drop a set. In fact, her only real scare came in the third round, up against the young Canadian Leylah Fernandez, but the Czech ultimately passed that test comfortably enough, winning 7-5 6-3. In the fourth round, she proved far too strong for China’s Zhang Shuai, losing just six games in a 6-2 6-4 win. She will now seek a place in her second French Open semifinal, having last reached that stage in Paris eight years ago.
Laura Siegemund, meanwhile, finds herself in uncharted territory. It would be an exaggeration to call the German inexperienced, but she has never been this far at a Grand Slam before. That said, she has been playing with confidence and skill so far, claiming some impressive wins as a result. She did lose her only previous meeting with Kvitova, which came at the 2015 US Open, in straight-sets, but it would not be a surprise to see a closer contest five years later.
Danielle Collins vs Sofia Kenin
This all-American battle promises to be a memorable clash. Danielle Collins isn’t known for her clay-court prowess, but she has conjured a deep run at a Major before, having reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2019, only three years into her professional career. She is also working with Nicolas Almagro, with the Spaniard a three-time Roland Garros quarterfinalist during his playing days. His insights into clay-court tennis may well have proven crucial for Collins.
Sofia Kenin, meanwhile, has also been playing some fine tennis, although she has not yet faced a seeded player. Kenin also trails in her head-to-head with Collins, having lost all three of their previous meetings, the most recent of which came earlier this season at the Adelaide International. Expect plenty of heavy hitting, particularly from Collins, with Kenin sure to look to use her tactical awareness and variety to try and carve out an advantage.
Andrey Rublev vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
This should be an evenly matched and entertaining contest between two players in fine form. They met less than two weeks ago on this surface in the final at the Hamburg Open, where it was Andrey Rublev who came out on top, claiming his third win in four meetings against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek will be out for revenge as a result, adding an extra dynamic to what already promised to be one of the matches of the tournament. As for who will win, based on how close their previous matches have been, that is anyone’s guess.
Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta
When this pair met at the US Open, the match ended after just 11 games when Novak Djokovic (in)famously hit a ball away in frustration after dropping serve, only for it to strike a line judge, resulting in him being defaulted out of the tournament. Barely four weeks later, Djokovic will, it seems safe to assume, be determined to avoid another such lapse as he seeks to build on his good form at the Italian Open, where he won his fourth title of the year.
He looks like the heavy favorite coming into this match, but Pablo Carreno Busta also has looked sharp so far at Roland Garros. He has dropped just one set, which came against his countryman the 10th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, and gave the qualifier Daniel Altmaier something of a lesson in the last 16. With both men supreme athletes and excellent ball-strikers, expect plenty of lengthy baseline exchanges and regular use of the drop shot, particularly from the Serbian.
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