Several gripping men’s matches took place on Day 7 of the French Open. Defending French Open champion Novak Djokovic, two-time runner-up at Roland-Garros Casper Ruud, and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev were some of the players to feature. This article evaluates who impressed, which players looked bad, and highlights the best match of Day 7.
French Open Day 7 Men’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Alexander Zverev narrowly avoided an upset with an incredible comeback against Tallon Griekspoor. The German was down 1-4 and a double-break in the fifth set. It seemed like Griekspoor’s powerful forehand and drop shots would overwhelm the 2020 US Open runner-up, but Zverev refused to give up. He retrieved both breaks before winning the deciding set tiebreak 10-3 to seal a dramatic 3-6 6-4 6-2 4-6 7-6 victory.
Daniil Medvedev needed four sets to progress to the Round of 16 at Roland-Garros. He prevailed 7-6 7-6 1-6 6-4 against Tomas Machac. The Czech played very well throughout the match, and Medvedev deserves a lot of credit for staying strong in the big moments to come through a tough battle.
Casper Ruud was another winner in four sets on Day 7 of the French Open. The three-time Grand Slam finalist overcame Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4 1-6 6-2 6-2. Etcheverry, who reached the quarterfinal in Paris last year, is a very good clay-court player. That shows how high Ruud’s level was in the final two sets, which he won very comfortably.
Taylor Fritz had an absorbing battle with Thanasi Kokkinakis in Paris. The American looked set to cruise into the Round of 16 after taking the opening two sets 6-3 6-2. But his Australian opponent then showed outstanding fighting spirit to win the following two sets 7-6 7-5. However, Fritz kept his cool and got the crucial break in the sixth game of the fifth set to triumph 6-3 6-2 6-7 5-7 6-3.
Alex de Minaur underlined his improvement this year on clay by overcoming Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-3. De Minaur used the slow conditions in Paris to his advantage, being able to effectively neutralize Struff’s powerful serve.
Who Looked Bad
It was a rare day where no player looked completely bad during their matches. The two men who were closest to looking bad were Jozef Kovalik and Tommy Paul. Kovalik was knocked out 5-7 1-6 6-7 by Holger Rune. Despite the majority of the match being competitive, Kovalik did play a loose second set and could not reach the level he found during his amazing comeback against Karen Khachanov in the last round. Paul was beaten 6-3 3-6 3-6 2-6 by Francisco Cerundolo. Although there is no shame in losing to a strong clay-court player like Cerundolo, the usually rock-solid American made a few more unforced errors than usual after the first set.
Match Of The Day
Despite how dramatic Zverev’s match was, Novak Djokovic’s thriller with Lorenzo Musetti was still the best match on Day 7 of the French Open due to the incredible quality of the tennis played. After the pair exchanged breaks at the start of the contest, the world No. 1 broke a second time to take the opening set 7-5. Djokovic raced into a 4-1 lead in the second set, but Musetti then raised his level even further. After the Italian broke back, both men hit several outstanding shots, leaving the crowd in awe. Eventually, the set was decided by a tiebreak. Djokovic held a set point at 6-5, but after he failed to convert it, Musetti won three points in a row to take it 8-6 and level the match.
The 22-year-old dominated the third set with some incredible shots. Djokovic was broken to love twice and lost the set 2-6. The 24-time Grand Slam champion looked weary at that stage, and a comeback seemed unlikely. But Djokovic, as he so often has, defied the odds. His level was close to unplayable in the final two sets. Despite Musetti still playing at a high level, the Serbian controlled the rest of the match. After barely missing a shot for two sets, Djokovic progressed 7-5 6-7 2-6 6-3 6-0. It was a tough loss for Musetti, but good times certainly await for him if he keeps playing like he did in this match.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
