French Open: Predicting the results of every ATP quarterfinalist

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PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 04: Dominic Thiem of Austria celebrates his victory over Hugo Gaston of France in the fourth round of the men’s singles at Roland Garros on October 04, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images) /

3. Dominic Thiem

2020 French Open finish: SEMIFINALIST

It’s unfortunate that Thiem had to end up in Nadal’s half because he would’ve had an easier time taking out Djokovic on clay rather instead of the only man better than him on the surface. Regardless, Thiem is still considered a threat to Nadal given his position as the defending major champion.

The Thiem-Nadal rivalry is a close one (Nadal leads 8-4 on clay and 9-5 overall). It’s something to note that Thiem hasn’t beaten Nadal in Paris and only this year was able to emerge victorious in a best-of-five match (2020 Australian Open QF, which Thiem took in four sets). A revitalized Nadal on his favorite court in the world (probably) is the key problem for the World #3. The 0-3 he has against Nadal at Roland Garros, coupled with the immense pressure that comes from taking him on in general at this event has plagued all but two men. Thiem will win this event in his career, likely more than once), but an in-form Nadal is too much to handle at this current moment.

4. Stefanos Tsitsipas

2020 French Open finish: SEMIFINALIST

Stefanos Tsitsipas is having a great week as he advanced to his first Roland Garros quarterfinal with a win over Grigor Dimitrov. Since coming back from two sets down for the first time in his career during Round 1, he’s regained form and has yet to drop a set since.

"“I am glad that I played good tennis and I didn’t panic,” he said after his match. “I stayed concentrated, stayed low-key, and tried to take it point-by-point.”"

He’ll now face 13th-seeded Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. After reaching his third 2020 tournament final on tour last week, he fell to Rublev in a three-set match that saw him get broken at 5-4 in the third set when he was mere points away from winning his second trophy of the year.

Tsitsipas is in the midst of an up-and-down year; while he’s reached three tournament finals so far, he hasn’t put together the Grand Slam success that many expected he would. Things are looking up for him this week, as it marks the first time he’s into a major quarterfinal since the 2019 Australian Open (where he progressed to the semifinals).

He, unfortunately, won’t be making his first career final this week unless he pulls off a miracle. With a projected win over Rublev, he’ll have to match up against Djokovic, who convincingly took him down in the Dubai finals this year. He’s simply a different animal on the court and has been virtually unbeatable in Grand Slams by the NextGen group.

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