The fourth-round action concludes today at the french open, and here are my predictions.
Simona Halep vs. Elise Mertens
Simona Halep is the current world No. 1 on the WTA Tour, having previously held this position for 16 weeks between October 2017 and January 2018. Whilst she is the world number 1, she has not won a grand slam.
Elise Mertens is a Belgian professional tennis player. Mertens has won four WTA singles titles and four WTA doubles titles as well as 24 ITF titles to date. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 16, achieved on 7 May 2018, and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 30, achieved on the same day.
My prediction: I think Elise Mertens will not be able to challenge Simona Halep here, although it may take three sets.
Rafael Nadal vs. Maximilian Marterer
Marterer hasn’t had much success previous to 2018. At the Australian Open, Marterer won his first ATP main draw match. In the second round, he upset Fernando Verdasco in a five-setter before losing to Tennys Sandgren in the next round. He, of course, knocked out Shapovalov in the second round.
Rafael Nadal needs no introduction, and should have no problem against the german.
My prediction: Nadal in straight sets. Will drop no more than 7 games.
Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova
The match everyone has been talking about.
Serena Williams doesn’t need much of an introduction. In total, she has been No. 1 for 319 weeks, which ranks third in the Open Era among female players behind Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.
Her total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles marks the record for the most Grand Slam wins by a tennis player in the Open Era, and is second on the all-time list behind Margaret Court (24).
She is the only tennis player in history (man or woman) to have won singles titles at least six times in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the only player ever to have won two Grand Slams seven times each (7 Wimbledon titles and 7 Australian Open titles). She is also the only tennis player to have won 10 Grand Slam singles titles in two separate decades.
Following her tennis ban, Maria Sharapova is in good form and won her third round match with ease, but this will not be as quick.
My prediction: I’m hoping that Serena will win this match in a nice and quick straight-set win.
Marin Cilic vs. Fabio Fognini
Over the course of his career, Cilic has won 17 ATP singles titles, including the 2014 US Open. He was also runner-up at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships and the 2018 Australian Open, losing to Roger Federer both times. Cilic has reached at least the quarter-finals.
One of the best personalities in tennis; Fognini is back, and ready to cause some problems at the french open. Fognini has the most success on the red clay, having won four ATP singles titles on it, and made the quarter-finals of the french open in 2011. He is a grand slam doubles champion, along with Simone Bolelli and became the first Italian men’s pair to win a GS title in the open era.
My prediction: Cilic should win this. He’s a big server, and Fognini does struggle against this kind of player. They have played three times, but not since 2011. Cilic in 4 sets.
Diego Schwartzman vs. Kevin Anderson
Diego Schwartzman has won two ATP singles titles, and is currently number 12 in the world. He is known for his deadly return game, and being a clay-court specialist.
He will face 6th seed; Kevin Anderson. He became the top-ranked male South African player on 10 March 2008 after making the final at the 2008 Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas. He achieved his career-high ranking of world No. 7 on 14 May 2018. He is the first South African to be ranked in the top 10 since Wayne Ferreira was No. 10 on 5 May 1997.
My prediction: This could go either way but will be a long one. Anderson in 5 sets.
Angelique Kerber vs. Caroline Garcia
In my opinion, Angelique Kerber is one of the most talented players on the women's tour. She is a former world number 1, 2-time grand slam champion and Wimbledon finalist.
She will face 7th seed; Caroline Garcia. She has won five singles and six doubles titles on the WTA tour, one singles and one doubles title on the WTA 125K series, and has one singles and four doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.
My prediction: Angelique Kerber in three sets. She has been playing some great tennis.
John Isner vs. Juan Martin Del Potro
Isner has 13 ATP titles, and in 2013, became the 18th player to serve more than 5,000 aces on the ATP tour. As it currently stands, he has 3rd-most aces in the history of ATP.
Del Potro’s biggest achievement has been winning the 2009 US Open, defeating Rafael Nadal in the semifinal and 5-time defending champion Roger Federer in the final. He was the first to defeat both Federer and Nadal during the same major and was the only man outside the Big Four to win a major between the 2005 French Open and the 2013 US Open, a span of 35 tournaments. He is also the second Argentine and the fifth-youngest man to win the US Open in the Open Era.
My prediction: This is going to be a close one, but I have to go with the Argentine in 4 sets.
Garbine Muguruza vs. Lesia Tsurenko
Along with Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza is one of the most talented women in tennis, and as the 3rd seed; should have an easy win over Lesia Tsurenko.
Lesia Tsurenko is having her best Roland Garros to date, and has not yet won a title on the WTA tour. She does, however, have six ITF singles titles, and 10 ITF doubles titles.
My prediction: Garbine Muguruza in straight sets.