We’re almost to the end of the French Open for 2018. Rafael Nadal remains the favorite but must defeat the Tower of Tandil, Juan Martin Del Potro to reach the final. Meanwhile Austria’s Dominic Thiem is bidding to reach his maiden Grand Slam final against surprise semifinalist Marco Cecchinato of Italy. Our panelists offer their predictions on both matches.
Rafael Nadal vs Juan Martin Del Potro
Yesh: It has been almost a decade since del Potro made the semifinals here. That year, he came so close to beating Roger Federer–and that remains Federer’s only Roland Garros crown. This year, he has a chance to stop Rafael Nadal, who seems en route to his 11th title here. Nadal looked much better Thursday than Wednesday, but I think the Argentine has a big enough game–especially if the weather is overcast–to pull off the huge shocker. Del Potro in 5
Steen: Del Potro will have a great shot as Nadal struggled a bit to start his match against Schwartzman. Additionally, emotion and momentum has to be on the side of Del Potro, who is thrilled to be at this stage, while Nadal faces all the pressure of expectations. That said, Nadal is on clay and picking against him to lose on this surface at the French Open seems like a foolish move. Nadal in 4
Brandon: After a shaky start, Nadal bounced back and put on a clinical display to dispatch of Schwartzman. Del Potro, who has struggled with injury, recently, may find it tough to stick with the Spaniard physically and won’t have what it takes to knock off the King of Clay. Nadal in 4
Brett: I don’t know if Rafael Nadal would’ve lost to Diego Schwartzman if there wasn’t the delay, but the delay certainly didn’t hurt the ten-time Roland Garros champion. Both Nadal and Del Potro will be short on rest, so nobody has the advantage there. Even though Nadal hasn’t been playing his best all tournament he’s still getting through; I expect it to be no different against Del Potro. Nadal in 4
Dominic Thiem vs Marco Cecchinato
Yesh: Cecchinato’s run here has been unreal. He played some amazing aggressive tennis to get through Djokovic in the quarters, just like he played amazing aggressive tennis to get to the quarters. But beating Thiem, on this surface, will probably be a step too far for the current World #72. Thiem in 3
Steen: Cecchinato has had his breakthrough moment at this French Open, and he’s now likely to be a major ATP contender on an ongoing basis. That said, Thiem has already been at a high level for a long time and he’ll be used to this situation. Cecchinato will battle hard without a doubt, but look for Thiem to hold his nerve and continue his run on clay. Thiem in 4
Brandon: Thiem has looked invincible throughout Roland Garros 2018 and looks likely to reach his first Grand Slam final as he takes on Cecchinato in the semis. However, Cecchinato is on fire and we’ve already seen the upsets this Italian can cause. Thiem in 5
Brett: Marco Cecchinato kept his dream run going after upsetting Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. He’ll now face Thiem who’s arguably been the best player besides Rafael Nadal in the clay court season. The two first played each other in an ITF final in Modena, Italy in 2013 with Cecchinato winning. I think this is too good of an opportunity for Thiem to pass up. Cecchinato will make it interesting if he’s able to play the way he did against Djokovic, but I think Dominic Thiem reaches his first grand slam final. Thiem in 4
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