3 must-watch matches for Monday at the French Open

Monday will be the final day of fourth round matches, as the second half of players will be looking to book their spots in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.

The best in world will be competing on Monday, as Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal will be in action on the men’s side on day nine. On the women’s side, it will be defending champion Iga Swiatek, last year’s finalist Sofia Kenin, and 17-year-old American Coco Gauff all competing.

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In total, there will be seven singles matches played on day nine of the French Open, as three men’s and four women’s matches will take place. This comes after Roger Federer was forced to withdraw from the tournament to prevent further injury to his knee, meaning that Berrettini will be advancing to the quarterfinals. Out of the seven, three stand out to me as matches you will definitely not want to miss. Here are the three must-watch matches for Monday at the French Open.

Rafa Nadal vs Jannik Sinner

We all know Nadal will be a huge favorite in this match, but that does not mean Sinner does not have what it takes to pull off the upset. Sinner is currently just 19 years old, and yet will be looking to advance to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the second year in a row. Sinner actually lost to Nadal in the quarters in last year’s event, losing in straight sets.

This will be the third career meeting between the two, as they met again earlier this year, where Nadal won in straight sets in the Rome round of 32. Sinner has yet to win a set off of Nadal, but that could change on Monday, as Sinner has played really well coming into this match.

Sinner got through a tough first round match to start the tournament, taking out Herbert after going down two sets to one, but has since been playing better with each match. He took out Gianluca Mager in the second round in four sets, before defeating Mikael Ymer in the third round in straight sets.

Nadal is coming in without dropping a set, even though he probably should have lost a couple already, as Norrie and Gasquet were each up in the second set against Nadal before he came storming back. Nadal continues to prove why he is the big favorite here and has yet to face some serious competition.

Sinner will hope to be the first to do it, but it will be a difficult task. In the end, I think Sinner can be the one to take a set off of Nadal, but that is the best he will do, as I believe Nadal will win this match in either three or four sets.

Ons Jabeur vs Coco Gauff

Any match that features a 17-year-old that is one win away from a quarterfinal appearance in a Grand Slam is a must-watch match. Coco Gauff will be looking to make the quarterfinals of a Major for the first time in her career as she takes on the 25th seed from Tunisia.

Jabeur will be looking for just her second Major quarterfinal, and her first at the French Open in her career. Jabeur is only 26 years old yet is nine years older than her opponent on Monday.

This will be the fourth career meeting between the two, as Coco Gauff currently leads the head-to-head 2-1. They did meet already earlier this year, where Jabeur defeated Gauff in the quarterfinals of Charleston in straight sets. The first meeting between the two was the only one that went three sets, as Gauff fought back after losing the first set in Lexington in 2020.

Gauff has been playing like someone ranked in the top five in the world throughout this tournament so far, although she is just the 24-seed at Roland Garros. This is a big opportunity for both players, as the winner will face an unseeded player in the next round.

Coming into the match, I give Gauff the small edge as she has yet to drop a set in this tournament and was only on the court for 23 minutes in her third-round match, as Jennifer Brady retired with an injury after losing the first set. I think Gauff will get it done and advance to her first career Major quarterfinal.

Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti

Who in their right minds would want to miss a fourth-round match between a 19-year-old and the world number one? Exactly, nobody. This match will be the biggest test by far for the 19-year-old Italian, as he will get a chance at an upset for the ages if he wins on Monday.

Musetti has not played like someone playing in his first career Grand Slam main draw, as he has defeated top players with ease in the early stages of the tournament. First, he defeated David Goffin in straight sets, only to back up the big win with a victory over Yoshihito Nishioka in three sets as well.

Musetti did face a tough task in the third round though, facing fellow countryman Marco Cecchinato, but was able to showcase his perseverance and endurance, as he went the distance and won in five sets.

Djokovic has been playing like the second-best player on clay this entire tournament, winning comfortably in all three of his matches so far. It looks as though currently we are headed for a Nadal vs Djokovic semi-final, unless the Italian’s can do the impossible to change that.

The winner of this match will face Berrettini in the quarterfinals, as this comes after Roger Federer withdrew before his fourth round match at the French. I believe Musetti can take a set off of Djokovic, but in the end, Djokovic will win this match.