Day 9 at the French Open will see the conclusion of the women’s fourth round. We will see the final four quarterfinalists determined on Monday. Who will move on and keep the dream of a Grand Slam trophy alive? As always, our writers share their thoughts with you. Predicting these matches are Fraser Learmonth, Jakub Bobro, and Jim Smith.
French Open Day 9 Women’s Predictions
Jessica Pegula vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Fraser:
Pegula has improved with each round at the French Open. The American has consistently performed well in big tournaments over the last year or so and looks a good bet to make the second week in Paris. Begu was impressive in her last match as well, albeit against a lesser opponent in Jeanjean. Still, the Romanian is a talented player who is perhaps more at home on clay than Pegula is. This one should be a close match, but if Pegula’s game keeps trending upwards she should be able to edge her way into the second week of Roland Garros.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Jakub:
Pegula is currently set to break the Top 10 as things stand and the American will be keen to get another win to solidify her position. Begu has won their two previous meetings, though both were on hard. The 31-year-old is in her first fourth round at a Slam in six years and is looking for her first quarterfinal. I do think Pegula is a slight favorite but I don’t think there is much in it.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Jim:
Considering the number of upsets that have already been pulled off at this year’s French Open, it’s hard to say with any real certainty that Pegula will win this match, but she certainly should. Begu is a fine player and has enjoyed a good week in the French capital, but Pegula has been in excellent form on the clay and has considerably more experience of big matches than the Romanian.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Veronika Kudermetova vs Madison Keys
Fraser:
Kudermetova benefitted from Badosa’s retirement in booking her place here. However, that shouldn’t take away from the fact that she has played very good tennis so far in this tournament. She will need to keep her form going though as Keys has been equally impressive both this week and this year. The American is enjoying a revival after a poor two years by her standards. She has shown flashes of the tennis that once saw her inside the top ten in the women’s game. Her win against Rybakina suggests she is near that level now and should have too much firepower for Kudermetova here.
Prediction: Keys in 3
Jakub:
Keys’ last match against Rybakina went down to the wire, but the American dominated when it mattered in the third-set tiebreak. Kudermetova got a third-round retirement from Paula Badosa so she had an easier road here. The American is the favorite for me; she has had deep runs at Roland Garros before and if she is firing, Keys is almost unstoppable.
Prediction: Keys in 2
Jim:
Keys career has been blighted by injuries, but she delivered a reminder of just how good a player she can be when she is on song by storming to victory in a third-set tiebreaker against Elena Rybakina in the third round. Kudermetova, meanwhile, benefitted from Paula Badosa’s retirement in the third round, but has otherwise impressed so far in Paris. Still, if Keys body holds up, she may well be able to overpower the Russian.
Prediction: Keys in 3
Daria Kasatkina vs Camila Giorgi
Fraser:
Giorgi was spectacular in her last match against Sabalenka. When the Italian’s game is firing, she is nearly unstoppable. However, because she is an all or nothing type of player, she can be prone to errors when things aren’t going her way. Kasatkina has an immense tennis IQ and will surely look to drag points out and draw errors of the Giorgi racket. This match will likely be decided by Giorgi and whether she can keep her error count under control. Given her last performance, I think she should do enough to hit her way into the second week of Roland Garros.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Jakub:
Kasatkina is pummelling her way through the draw, dropping just ten games across her first three matches. Giorgi won the battle of the ballbashers last round, taking out Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. This is the furthest the Italian has ever gone before at Roland Garros so I think we can predict her coming back to earth and for a better clay-court player to win out in Kasatkina.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Jim:
Power meets court-craft in what should be an entertaining clash. When Giorgi gets on a roll, she can be very hard to stop as Aryna Sabalenka found out to her cost when Giorgi rallied from a set down to win 4-6 6-1 6-0 in the third round. Kasatkina, however, will not give Giorgi the sort of rhythm that the Italian thrives on. That might just prove fatal to her chances.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Qinwen Zheng
Fraser:
Swiatek had a bit of a wobble in the second set of her last match against Kovinic. However, the World #1 has become very good at winning when she isn’t at her best. Given the players left in the draw, it’s hard to see her losing any time soon and that holds true in this matchup. Zheng was superb against Cornet in her last match and looks a real talent who should be a star on the tour for years to come. However, she doesn’t have enough in her locker to upset Swiatek.
Predictions: Swiatek in 2
Jakub:
Swiatek finally looked less than fully sure of herself in the third round against Danka Kovinic. The Pole still won in straight sets but she was not in her form from the first two rounds. Zheng had her breakout win over Simona Halep in the second round and got a retirement from Alize Cornet in the third. Her Roland Garros story will end here though, I am afraid.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Jim:
It’s been a great tournament for Zheng, but there is no escaping the reality that she’s enjoyed quite a lot of good fortune having benefitted from injuries to her opponents, including Alize Cornet, who had to retire trailing 3-6 0-3 in the third round. Facing Iga Swiatek, despite her brief stumble in the third round, is a different matter entirely.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
