Predictions for Day 11 of the French Open
Four players have already booked their spots in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Wednesday will be the final day of quarterfinal matches at Roland Garros, as two more women’s and men’s matches will take place.
Out of the eight players competing Wednesday, seven of them are seeded in the tournament, with all four seeded on the men’s side, and three seeded on the women’s side. The only unseeded player in action on day 11 is Barbora Krejcikova, who will be up against the 24th seed Coco Gauff.
The other women’s quarterfinal match on Wednesday will be a battle between defending champion Iga Swiatek and the 17th seed Maria Sakkari.
Over on the men’s side, we have two of the greatest to ever play the sport, with Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic both in action. Nadal will be up against Argentine Diego Schwartzman, while Djokovic competes against the 9th seed from Italy Matteo Berrettini. Berrettini is the only player who did not play in the fourth round, as Roger Federer withdrew from the tournament, giving Berrettini a walkover to the quarterfinals.
All four of these matches can be extremely close, as I do expect at least a couple to go the distance. Here are my predictions for day 11 of the French Open.
Coco Gauff (24) vs Barbora Krejcikova
This will be the first meeting between the two, as eight years separate the 17-year-old Coco Gauff and the 25-year-old Barbora Krejcikova. Both players played really well in their fourth-round matches, as Gauff lost four games in a straight sets win over Ons Jabeur, while Krejcikova only lost two games in a dominate win over Sloane Stephens. Gauff has yet to lose a set at this year’s tournament, as Krejcikova has lost only one, which was in her first-round match. Gauff has made it look easy so far and has not been tested once at Roland Garros yet. I believe that Gauff can win this match in straight sets, but I think in the end she will get it done in three.
Prediction: Coco Gauff in three sets
Novak Djokovic (1) vs Matteo Berrettini (9)
I have a feeling that this will be the best match of the day, as Djokovic has already shown signs of weakness in his last round when coming back from down two sets to love to Lorenzo Musetti. I believe that if Djokovic was playing an experienced player on tour, he would have lost that match. Berrettini on the other hand is well rested after not having to play in the fourth round. That rest could play a factor if Berrettini can jump out to an early lead and make Djokovic play four or five sets. This is the second time they will meet in their careers, as Djokovic leads the head-to-head 1-0. I think that if Berrettini can win one of the first two sets, he has a good shot at the upset, but I expect a motivated Djokovic from the start.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic in four sets
Iga Swiatek (8) vs Maria Sakkari (17)
I believe that this will be the toughest test for Swiatek thus far, as Sakkari comes into each match with a ton of confidence in herself. In her fourth-round match, Sakkari came out with a lot of energy, and completely dominated Sofia Kenin, winning in just over an hour. However, as dominate as that match was for Sakkari, Swiatek has been doing that all tournament, making it look easy on her way to the quarterfinals. Swiatek has yet to lose a set and looks even better than she did in last year’s tournament when she won. This is the first meeting between the two, as Swiatek will be a huge favorite to advance in this match. I think that Sakkari can play her absolute best and still not be able to win, as Swiatek is just on another level right now.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek in straight sets
Rafa Nadal (3) vs Diego Schwartzman (10)
These two will meet for the 12th time in their careers on Wednesday, as Nadal leads the head-to-head 10-1. They have played each other at the French Open twice before, with the last one coming in the semi-finals of last year’s tournament, where Nadal defeated Schwartzman in straight sets. Now they are meeting the next year, but just a round earlier. Nadal is in his normal peak French Open form, getting better with each match. This will be an impossible task for Schwartzman, who did take a set off of Nadal here at Roland Garros back in 2018. I think that Schwartzman has a chance of taking a set off Nadal again this year, but it seems unlikely, as I believe nobody can even slow down Nadal right now on clay.