It’s been a hugely entertaining week so far at the French Open – now 16 more players will battle for their spot in the fourth round at Roland Garros. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all eight matches in Paris, including Frances Tiafoe vs Alexander Zverev. But who will reach the second week and who will fall short?
French Open Day 7 Predictions
Nicolas Jarry vs Marcos Giron
Nicolas Jarry’s run of stupendous form continues onto the slow clay of Paris. Marcos Giron has done well to get to this stage but his weaponry is inferior to the Chilean’s on this surface. There’s normally a tight set or two when it comes to big servers like Jarry but his current confidence in his entire game should earn him the first Grand Slam fourth round of his career.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
Yesh: Jarry is quietly finding his old near-elite form, while Giron is quietly becoming a very solid player. Jarry is a lot better than just “solid” though.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
Damian: Jarry isn’t quite as dangerous here as he was in Geneva or Santiago, but he’s doing fine to overcome that so far. The Chilean will play Giron now and in many ways, it seems like the matchup dynamics will be similar to what he just had to face against Paull. However, the older of the two Americans is definitely the weaker version.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
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Taylor Fritz vs Francisco Cerundolo
Taylor Fritz has had no problems playing aggressively in these conditions. Just as well because Francisco Cerundolo is great at taking control of proceedings against some of the best defenders in the game. It’ll be close but I actually rate Cerundolo’s reliability to maintain aggression on this surface higher than Fritz’s… A result that’ll surely please the crowd!
Prediction: Cerundolo in 5
Yesh: Fritz is letting everything out here on the French clay, and he’s really enjoying it. The crowd in Paris doesn’t like him, and he’s enjoying that too. We’ll see if it lasts.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Damian: One of the underrated matches of the round with Cerundolo being so dangerous once he gets some form going on the clay. He’s definitely found it now and especially after Monte Carlo, Fritz had some expectations for himself on the dirt this year that he didn’t quite deliver on. It’s so tight, I’ll take the less reliable, but more explosive player in Cerundolo.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 5
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Grigor Dimitrov vs Daniel Altmaier
A chance for Grigor Dimitrov to make his deepest French Open run yet or a chance for dark horse Daniel Altmaier to continue the run of his life? Dimitrov’s never been totally comfortable here whilst Altmaier looked like a man possessed in his match against Jannik Sinner. It’s tough to go against the German given these two factors.
Prediction: Altmaier in 4
Yesh: Dimitrov might be approaching the twilight of his career, but his form is still gorgeous to watch. When it breaks down he can get frustrated, fast, but with the way he’s playing he shouldn’t struggle with Altmaier.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Damian: Altmaier is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career and repeating that is never easy. The German played some fabulous tennis to dispatch Sinner, but it also took him over five hours to do so. Dimitrov isn’t playing anything spectacular and yet all his experience and a couple of straightforward matches so far definitely put him in pole position here.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 4
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Holger Rune vs Genaro Alberto Olivieri
With likely no fatigue in his legs after a walkover from Gael Monfils, Holger Rune will be feeling incredibly fresh against Genaro Olivieri. The qualifier is one of three left in the draw but his route to the third round was admittedly far easier than that of his peers. The chances of an upset feel very slim.
Prediction: Rune in 3
Yesh: Rune got a walkover in the last round, which likely saves him from the crowd’s ire in this one. He has a potential to get rattled, but his game is just way too good for the Argentine here.
Prediction: Rune in 3
Damian: What a run it’s been for Olivieri, but enough is enough. The solid grinder took advantage of his opening in the draw to beat Mpetshi Perricard and Vavassori, but the jump in quality will be as stark as it gets here. Rune should be able to clean it up easily, despite looking quite shaky in his opener against Eubanks.
Prediction: Rune in 3
Main photo credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports
