Third-round action concludes on Day 7 of the French Open. 16 women will compete for eight fourth-round spots. As always, we at LWOT are here to share our thoughts on the matches with you. We will be predicting all eight matches, split between this and a separate article. Predicting today’s matches are Fraser Learmonth, Jakub Bobro, and Damian Kust. Who do you think will win?
French Open Day 7 Women’s Predictions
Irina-Camelia Begu vs Leolia Jeanjean
Fraser:
Jeanjean is a name only French fans will have had making the third round. The 26-year-old has never featured in the top 200 in the women’s game. However, a straight sets win over world #6 Pliskova has made sure that will change regardless of how much further she goes in Paris. I suspect her dream run ends here as she faces a tough opponent in Begu. The Romanian covers the court far better than Pliskova and isn’t as reliant on hitting her opponent off the court. I’d love to see an upset here, but I think Jeanjean’s race is run.
Prediction: Begu in 2
Jakub:
Lynn alum Leolia Jeanjean made a name for herself with a win over struggling former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, taking it 6-2 6-2. Begu has fought past Jasmine Paolini and Ekaterina Alexandrova in three-set matches, despite hitting a young fan in the crowd after throwing her racquet. Jeanjean has been a great story but Begu with her experience should know how to maximize her opportunities and take the win.
Prediction: Begu in 2
Damian:
Leolia Jeanjean had a couple of great ITF runs this year, but nothing that would help us foresee the stunning wins over Nuria Parrizas-Diaz and Karolina Pliskova she’s had here. The 26-year-old might not be a young prospect anymore, but she took a different path to the pros by playing college tennis. With Irina-Camelia Begu barely surviving her first two rounds and not being in great form recently, the magic may continue.
Prediction: Jeanjean in 3
Alize Cornet vs Qinwen Zheng
Fraser:
I didn’t have either of these women making the third round so hopefully I’m closer to the mark in picking a winner here. Zheng is showing the world that she is a bona fide star and will be a feature on the WTA Tour for years to come. Cornet did well to best Ostapenko but may struggle to overcome the confidence Zheng will be feeling after beating a tournament favorite in Halep. I suspect that confidence boost may gives her the edge here in what looks to be a great match.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Jakub:
19-year-old Zheng pulled off the best win of her career so far, upsetting Simona Halep in the second round. Cornet won a very dramatic match over Jelena Ostapenko to close out Thursday’s action. The Frenchwoman clearly struggled physically towards the end of the match but the crowd carried her through the finish line. If Cornet has anything left, she will leave it all on the court against Zheng. It will be interesting to see how the teenager deals with the crowd being fully against her.
Prediction: Cornet in 3
Damian:
The talent of Qinwen Zheng is really beginning to shine through and she feels like one of the players that could actually trouble Iga Swiatek in this event. However, to get there, she first needs to get through Alize Cornet, a task that will be all the more challenging with the French crowd in Paris. The veteran should benefit from that; her experience might be another key factor.
Prediction: Cornet in 3
Camila Giorgi vs Aryna Sabalenka
Fraser:
This match should be fireworks from the word go. Both Sabalenka and Giorgi smash the cover off the ball come hell or high water. Both are near unstoppable when on and hard to watch when things aren’t going their way. If they both play well this may well be the match of the third round. Giorgi seems to be playing as well as she ever has at the moment while Sabalenka is still searching for her best tennis. If that holds true, I back the Italian to pull of an upset in this one.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Jakub:
Giorgi vs Sabalenka
Battle of the ballbashers here; these players’ performances can be night and day. Giorgi made her way past Zhang Shuai and Yulia Putintseva while Sabalenka beat Chloe Paquet and Madison Brengle. The seventh seed is priced as the favorite but this really is essentially a coin flip for me. Whoever hits better on the day will take it; there is no plan B for either player.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Damian:
Aryna Sabalenka had a very tough start to her French Open campaign against Chloe Pacquet, but controlled her game a lot better to beat Madison Brengle. Camila Giorgi had no wins on clay coming into Roland Garros, but with her streakiness, it’s not even that surprising that she made the third round. Sabalenka has the firepower to stand up to her even when the Italian is playing well, but an upset cannot be excluded.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Madison Keys vs Elena Rybakina
Fraser:
Keys’ 2022 resurgence continues in Paris as the American looks to make the fourth round here for the first time since her quarterfinal run in 2019. Rybakina will be determined to stop her though and this may come down to who makes the most shots as these two have big serves and are quick to pull the trigger off the ground. Rybakina seems to be finding her stride on clay and I think she holds a slight edge here but this one really could go either way.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
Jakub:
An interesting match-up that will largely depend on whose powerful groundstrokes will be firing better on the day. Rybakina is a better clay court player but if Keys’ game is on that day, that will not really matter. I do see the Kazakh as a slight favorite just because she is a better clay mover and has the pressure of defending a quarterfinal on her.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
Damian:
A very interesting matchup between two extreme hard-hitters, who like contesting the rallies on their own terms. Elena Rybakina generally fares a bit better on clay, but when clicking, Madison Keys doesn’t really care which surface she’s playing on (hence her Roland Garros semifinal run four years ago). Rybakina’s form has been more impressive, but this feels quite open.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
