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We are now over the halfway point of the 2018 French Open and while all is going to script in the men’s draw, with Rafael Nadal on track to take out his eleventh crown at Roland Garros, in the women’s picking a champion with any confidence has proven to be very difficult.
As expected, the Spaniard has romped into the fourth round of his pet Grand Slam tournament without the loss of a set as he sets about creating more history at a venue he has ruled over since his debut in 2005.
Since being taken to a third set tiebreak by Italian lucky loser Simone Bolleli in the opening round, the 32-year-old has not lost more than three games in any set, and was again in ominous touch against his latest victim, Richard Gasquet, on Sunday morning (AEST).
Next on his hit list is little-known German Maximilian Marterer, who in just his third major tournament has reached the second week for the first time. Beyond that, there seems to be little obstacles between him and an eleventh French Open title.
Nadal must successfully defend his title if he is to leave Paris with the world number one ranking. But even so, the Spaniard may not be seeded first at Wimbledon, where Roger Federer is the defending champion, owing to his recent poor record on grass.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
It would be the third time in nine years that Nadal is not seeded first at the All England Club, despite him being world number one entering the most prestigious Grand Slam tournament of the year on two occasions.
In 2010, Nadal had just reclaimed his French Open crown and the world number one ranking, but was seeded second behind Federer because he had missed Wimbledon the previous year due to a knee injury.
And four years ago, the Spaniard had just come off winning his ninth French Open title and was ahead of Novak Djokovic in the rankings, but it was the Serb who was top-seeded owing to his more superior record on grass as opposed to Nadal’s recent struggles on the surface.
While it is smooth sailing for Nadal, on the other side of the draw the same can’t be said for second seed Alexander Zverev, who had to endure consecutive five-set matches just to reach the second week of the French Open for the first time.
The German, who has never reached a major quarter-final, saved a match point in the final set of his match against Damir Dzumhur to reach the fourth round of a major for just the second time.
Unbelievably, this marked his first win over a top-50 opponent at a major, and he will get the chance to advance to his maiden Grand Slam last eight when he faces Karen Khachanov.
The only other former champion remaining in the draw, Novak Djokovic, will fancy his chances of reaching the quarter-finals when he faces Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco, who sent Grigor Dimitrov crashing out of the tournament by way of a straight-sets win in the third round.
Novak Djokovic (AFP PHOTO / PAUL CROCK)
The French Open is the only major tournament in which Verdasco, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open nearly a decade ago, has not yet reached the quarter-finals; judging by his poor record against Djokovic overall, it doesn’t look like that hoodoo will end overnight.
While the likes of Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori, John Isner and Juan Martin del Potro have also advanced to the second week of the tournament, one man who won’t be there is 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.
The Lausanne native, who had to forgo his US Open title defence last year due to a knee injury, will (believe it or not) drop out of the world’s top 250 after suffering a gut-wrenching five-set loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the same man who beat him at Roland Garros in 2014, in the first round.
This would leave the 33-year-old needing to qualify for Wimbledon, unless officials relent and award him a wildcard to the tournament where he has fared the worst, as opposed to the mountain of success his compatriot, Roger Federer, has achieved at the All England Club since 2003.
Wimbledon is the only major he needs to win to complete his set of titles, but that task appears mountainous given the likelihood that he will have to qualify given what will be his lowest ranking for a very long time.
Meanwhile, the women’s side of the draw has been plagued by three major upsets, including that of reigning champion Jelena Ostapenko, fourth seed and pre-tournament favourite Elina Svitolina, and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
Ostapenko became just the second woman after Anastasia Myskina to have her title defence ended in the first round when she was defeated in straight sets by Kateryna Kozlova on the first day of the tournament.
Svitolina, meantime, was upended in straight sets by little-known Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu in the third round, while Kvitova suffered the same fate against Anett Kontaveit.
But there have been no such problems for other favourites Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza or Caroline Wozniacki, all of whom have reached the fourth round with minimal fuss between them.
Of the four, Muguruza, the 2016 champion, must be firming as the new favourite, having won her three matches in straight sets including those over 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2010 finalist Samantha Stosur.
Garbine Muguruza (AP Photo/David Vincent)
She could face her toughest test in the quarter-finals, where either Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova will await.
Williams’ comeback from maternity leave continues to gain momentum as she bids to become the first player since Kim Clijsters at the 2009 US Open to win her first major tournament back after having a baby.
Her straight-sets win over Julia Goerges has seen her line up a showdown against Sharapova, whom she will be looking to beat for the 19th consecutive time, and 20th overall (Williams leads 19-2 in the head-to-head, with Sharapova’s last win coming at the 2004 WTA Tour Championships).
It will be their first meeting since the 2016 Australian Open, which was the Russian’s last appearance at a major before she dropped a bombshell announcing she had failed a drugs test at that very tournament.
Her subsequent 15-month suspension from the sport meant she wouldn’t contest another major until last year’s US Open, where she reached the fourth round after defeating Simona Halep in her first match.
Moreover, it will be their earliest meeting anywhere since Wimbledon 2010, and the first time ever that these two players have met with their current rankings outside the top 25.
Serena has fired the first shot, saying that she has “nothing to lose”, but at the same time paying Sharapova a compliment saying the Russian was the favourite, despite the lopsided head-to-head easily favouring the American.
Serena Williams (AFP / Jewel Samad)
Last year’s US Open finalists, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens, also remain alive, with the former winning a marathon three-set match against Camila Giorgi with the final set lasting 14 games.
Only Petra Kvitova’s conqueror, Anett Kontaveit, stands between her and a possible quarter-final showdown against reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, who has also breezed through her section of the draw with minimal fuss but must face an opponent she has lost to twice this year.
That player is Daria Kasatkina, the 2014 girls’ champion who is appearing in the fourth round of a major for the second time after also getting this far at last year’s US Open.
So, who will be left to lift the men’s and women’s singles title by the end of the next weekend? Here are all the fourth round matches to watch as we approach the business end of the tournament.
Men’s draw
[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) versus Maximilian Marterer (GER)
[11] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) versus [6] Kevin Anderson (RSA)
[3] Marin Cilic (CRO) versus [18] Fabio Fognini (ITA)
[9] John Isner (USA) versus [5] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)
[8] David Goffin (BEL) versus Marco Cecchinato (ITA)
[20] Novak Djokovic (SRB) versus [30] Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
[7] Dominic Thiem (AUT) versus [19] Kei Nishikori (JPN)
Karen Khachanov (RUS) versus [2] Alexander Zverev (GER)
Women’s draw
[1] Simona Halep (ROU) versus [16] Elise Mertens (BEL)
[12] Angelique Kerber (GER) versus [7] Caroline Garcia (FRA)
[3] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) versus Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)
Serena Williams (USA) versus [28] Maria Sharapova (RUS)
[26] Barbora Strycova (CZE) versus Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
[13] Madison Keys (USA) versus [31] Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU)
[25] Anett Kontaveit (EST) versus [10] Sloane Stephens (USA)
[14] Daria Kasatkina (RUS) versus [2] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
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