We have reached the crunch stage of the French Tennis Major, as only eight players are left standing in the men’s and women’s tournaments. There are very familiar players left standing in the men’s tournament, but the women’s looks a much tougher task to call.
Men’s French Tennis Major
There is set to be a thrilling day of semi-finals in the men’s half of the draw on Friday, as two previous winners clash, while there will be a Grand Slam final appearance on the line for either Alexander Zverev or Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Rafael Nadal is the king of this competition, and he has once again seamlessly made it through to this stage of the event without breaking a sweat. He has lost just one set on his way to the semi-finals, with that coming in his quarterfinal showdown against Diego Schwarzman. However, Nadal’s numbers throughout that contest were still staggering, as he won 74% of the first serve points, and the same percentage on the second serve points. He would look hard to oppose even against the top-seed in the event, who overcame a scare in the fourth round to outlast Lorenzo Musetti.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the BetXChange favourite to join Nadal in the final, as the Greek has been excellent throughout the event. Like Nadal, he has dropped only a number of sets on his way to the final, with those both coming in a third round tie against John Isner. This will be his biggest challenge to date, as Alexander Zverev has been excellent throughout. However, Zverev hasn’t beaten a single seeded player thus far, which means the preference remains with Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas will be a new opponent for Nadal in the final, but it would still seem hard to see any player beating Nadal in the final. The Spaniard will continue to rewrite the history books with another win in the French Tennis Major.
Tip: Nadal to win the French Tennis Major.
Women’s French Tennis Major
The women’s half of the draw looks a much harder proposition to break down, with two first-time Grand Slam finalists set to compete in the showpiece event this weekend.
Maria Sakkari is currently the clear favourite to win the French Tennis Major. The Greek has certainly proven that she has what it takes to succeed on the clay throughout the event, as she has beaten Sofia Kenin and reigning champion, Iga Swiatek on route to the final. She was very impressive in that quarterfinal against the reigning champion, and she looks to be just too strong for Barbora Krejcikova.
The other semi will see Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova take on Tamara Zidansek. Pavlyuchenkova certainly looks to be the stronger of the two players on clay, but she has needed to ride her luck throughout the event so far, as she has dropped three sets. However, Pavlyuchenkova should be too strong in the semi-final.
Very few would have predicted these four players to be the final ones standing in the competition this year. However, the draw has meant that Maria Sakkari is the outstanding chance. Her quarterfinal performance against Swiatek was captivating, and if she can match that, then she will win the event.
Tip: Maria Sakkari to win the French Tennis Major.
