On a day that saw only one match in the men’s draw go beyond three sets, there were no upsets in the top half of the draw at the French Open. This comes in stark contrast to what we have been seeing the whole week. Here is a look at some of the men who impressed:
French Open Day 7
Jannik Sinner, the Italian hopeful, arrived at Roland Garros following a mediocre start to the clay-court season with his best performance coming in Barcelona where he reached the last four. Barely clearing the first two rounds, the Italian finally found some confidence as he demonstrated very clean hitting from the baseline, especially across the court. How else would one overpower the big-hitting Swede? Sinner outwitted Ymer in straight sets 6-1 7-5 6-3.
Is this a one-off performance, or has Sinner finally found some footing in this edition of the French Open? While compatriot Fabio Fognini produced one of the more forgettable matches of his career on the previous day, Sinner seems to have brought some cheer to fans back home.
Diego Schwartzman is a known clay specialist who has an excellent forehand and plays solidly from the baseline. The Argentine has had a difficult season, but was very convincing in the previous rounds, and the third round match wasn’t any different. One of the strongest contenders to book a last-eight berth in his quarter, the 10th seed appeared to be getting some match practice as he eliminated the German veteran in three sets needing just two hours.
Schwartzman is growing stronger by the day. If he maintains this level, he could well be a threat to just about anyone. If the Argentine can overcome the challenge of Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the fourth round, he will face either Rafael Nadal or Jannik Sinner in the Quarterfinals.
Novak Djokovic is the top seed in Paris for a reason. With a third brutal win in a row, he has made a strong statement. The 2016 champion is playing with absolute authority as he is making just about anyone look like a piece of cake. The unseeded Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis was no match to the Serb’s all-court came and court-coverage. Djokovic dropped just six games on his way to a straight-set thrashing of the Lithuanian.
The world #1 now faces the talented Grand slam debutant Lorenzo Musetti in the Round of 16. The 70th ranked Italian has home hopes pinned on him and is clearly a player with a bright future. Musetti turned many a heads with a stupendous behind the back lob against compatriot Marco Cecchinato in the Round of 32’s marathon match. The epic battle was a three hour long saga of swinging fortunes that saw Cecchinato moving a lot more to the net. However, he was also the one who recorded higher unforced errors. All in all, this all-Italian thriller was the match of the day.
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