Rafael Nadal looks to make the second week of the French Open as he takes on Botic van de Zandschulp on day 6 at Roland Garros. We have predictions for every day 6 match in Paris including Novak Djokovic’s third round match.
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Rafael Nadal
Damian Kust: Botic van de Zandschulp’s game is very complete now and it’s a little bit unfortunate for the Dutchman to be facing Rafael Nadal here. Two matches into his Paris campaign, the Spaniard has looked rather majestic (although against weaker opposition than van de Zandschulp). The foot hasn’t been acting up and that’s a very good sign. Nadal in 3
Jakub Bobro: Nadal is yet to be troubled at this year’s Roland Garros, dropping just 14 games across his matches against Jordan Thompson and Corentin Moutet. He will get a stronger test now against Van De Zandschulp, who has also looked very good. This will be a tougher match for Nadal but ultimately I don’t see the Dutchman pulling off an upset here. Nadal in 4
Grigor Dimitrov vs Diego Schwartzman
Damian; Diego Schwartzman came back from two sets to love down against Jaume Munar, while Grigor Dimitrov has barely dropped games so far (10 in 6 sets). The Bulgarian is quietly doing very well this clay-court season, losing in the semifinals at Monte Carlo and then three times in a row only to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Form-wise he’s got the advantage, although the Argentinian is usually the much better player on the surface. Dimitrov in 5
Jakub: Schwartzman has faced some adversity on his run here, dropping a set to Andrey Kuznetsov and two sets to Jaume Munar. Dimitrov has been incredible so far, losing just ten games across six sets against Marcos Giron and Borna Coric. The Bulgarian beat Schwartzman in a similarly impressive fashion in Madrid this year and though I do not think it will be that sort of a beatdown, I see Dimitrov winning here. Dimitrov in 4
Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima
Damian: This is where I admit to underestimating how good Brandon Nakashima can be on clay already. The American has made some rapid progress on the dirt compared to where he was in the previous two years. Still, an upset like this is probably not happening. The tight win Alexander Zverev had against Sebastian Baez should only help him to calm down in the latter stages. Zverev in 4
Jakub: Nakashima pleasantly surprised with a straight-set win over Tallon Griekspoor but now that Zverev had his obligatory early-round five-set match against Sebastian Baez, I expect the German to come in more focused from the start. The American is talented but I don’t see him pulling off that upset here. Zverev in 4
Cameron Norrie vs Karen Khachanov
Damian: Cameron Norrie might already be thinking about possibly battling Carlos Alcaraz again in round four, but this is no guarantee at all. Karen Khachanov is very strong physically and should be able to trade blows with him in the best-of-five format. The Brit’s got that lefty topspin forehand, which he’ll attempt to use to keep pushing the Russian behind the baseline. Tough call. Norrie in 5
Jakub: Norrie is still looking for his first second week appearance at and looks well-poised to do so, coming into this third-round with a six-match win streak. The Brit took the title in Lyon and has not been threatened by Manuel Guinard or Jason Kubler in his first two rounds here. He should be the favorite against Khachanov, who dropped a set against both Nuno Borges and Hugo Dellien. Norrie leds the head-to-head 3-2, winning both of their previous clay meetings, so I see him finally breaking through to his first career slam fourth round. Norrie in 4
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