The second Grand Slam of the year is underway, and the French Open so far has given us many things to discuss about. Plenty of surprises have occurred and big names were eliminated at the early stages of the tournament. In the women’s draw World No.1 Ashleigh Barty retired in the second round due to a hip injury. Petra Kvitova also retired due to an injury, and we all know why Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament.
Other big names like Aryna Sabalenka, Serena Williams, Karolina Pliskova, and Elina Svitolina were ousted early. The door is wide open for anyone now as the big names are out, and we will see who can take advantage of that. Here are the last four matches left of the fourth round in the women’s draw.
French Open Day 9 Matches
Sloane Stephens vs Barbora Krejčíková
This will be the first time these two will meet and it promises to be a good one. Finally, Stephens has managed to find her best game at the most important time. She has been playing exceptionally well and overcame being eliminated in her first-round match. Since then, she has dominated her opponents and did not lose a set against Karolina Pliskova nor Karolina Muchová.
The same can be said about Krejčíková, who has only dropped a set in her first match as well. After that she has dominated her opponents and cruised through her matches against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elina Svitolina.
Both players are in fine form, but the American has more experience since she made it to the final of this Slam back in 2018. She can use that to her advantage however the Czech is playing some of her best tennis and will not back down. She won the Strasbourg Open a day before the French Open began. We will see who will come on top in this great match.
Ons Jabeur vs Coco Gauff
The American teenager has the upper hand in their head-to-head with two wins and one loss. The first two encounters Gauff took those matches. Although, in their most recent match the Tunisian won in straight sets in Charleston. Now in their fourth encounter things will be way different as they will play against each other in a Grand Slam match.
Jabeur is playing some high-level tennis as of late and has only lost one set. Gauff has yet to lose a set and her third-round match was a short one as Jennifer Brady retired due to an injury. Surely both players will give it their all since their three previous matches have been some good ones.
We will see if Jabeur can even up their head-to-head or if the teenager can manage to grab another win. Certainly, this match will be an even one and a tough one to call.
Sofia Kenin vs Maria Sakkari
Three times these two have met with Kenin winning two. However, Sakkari won their most previous match at the beginning of this year in Abu Dhabi. The American has found her game at a precise moment of the tournament and is playing fantastic. She has gone the full distance in two of her three matches that she has played at this Grand Slam.
Sakkari has only lost one set and that came in her previous match against Elise Mertens. She quickly bounced back and dominated that match. The Greek is playing incredible and looks very dangerous coming into this match. We will see if she can come on top or if Kenin can use her experience of being in this situation before and overcoming the hurtle.
Both of these young players are playing some phenomenal tennis at the moment. Neither player has dropped a set and have looked great thus far. The Ukrainian and the Polish player have never played against each other before. So, it will be an interesting match that promises to be a great one.
No doubt Świątek is the heavy favorite in this match she is the defending champion and has not drop a sweat in her previous matches. She looks like she can repeat what she did last year and win it all. Although this may be true, her opponent is playing her best tennis and will try to produce a big upset.
Needless to say, this match will not be an easy one for the Pole as she will be forced to play her best. Kostyuk will push her opponent and we will see if Swiatek can use her experience to help her overcome a tough opponent.
Main Photo from Getty.
