Image source: @rolandgarros on X
The stage is set for the Roland-Garros finals. In the men’s singles division, Carlos Alcaraz will face Alexander Zverev while Iga Swiatek will go toe to toe with Jasmine Paolini. It’s been quite a long tournament full of drama and upset but goodness, it has been entertaining.
In this article, we give you a preview of what we think the finals will look like and what the eventual results may be. Stay with us.
MEN’S SINGLES
Image source: @rolandgarros on X
In a match of the tournament contender, Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz defeated Italian first seed and incoming world number one Jannik Sinner to reach his first French Open final. The Spaniard showed incredible resilience as he had to fight back from behind twice to win the match. The match eventually ended 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 in Alcaraz’s favor, effectively ending Sinner’s hopes for back-to-back major titles after winning the Australian Open in January.
Carlos Alcaraz. Image source: @rolandgarros on X/ gettyimages.Â
In the epic semifinal matchup, Sinner started well but Alcaraz came alive as the match went on. Sinners’ great start and excellent defending forced a flurry of mistakes from Alcaraz and won the Italian the first set 2-6. The Spanish third seed came alive in the second set as he started to find better angles and hit with more precision. He managed to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 lead and won the second set 6-3. Sinner won the third round but started to have cramps in his swinging arm and perhaps this was the point that the balance shifted in Alcaraz’s favor as the Spaniard went on to win the fourth and fifth sets 6-4 and 6-3 to win the match and set up a date with German fourth seed Zverev in the final on Sunday.
Image source: @rolandgarros on X
Zverev triumphed over Casper Rudd in a four-set match for a place in the finals. The match which eventually ended 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-2 started with high intensity but Casper Rudd seemed to slow down as the game wore on and that was when Zverev got the upper hand. The German lost the first set but won the subsequent three to win the match and qualify for a chance to win his first Grand Slam.
Alexander Zverev
HEAD TO HEAD
27-year-old Zverev is up by one in the head to head against Alcaraz. The record currently stands at 5-4 in the German’s favor and it includes a 2-1 standing at Grand Slams. Zverev won against Alcaraz in the quarter-final of the 2022 Roland-Garros and earlier this year at the Australian Open quarterfinals. The Spaniard’s only grand slam victory against Zverev was in the 2023 US Open quarterfinals and it came after Zverev had played an exhausting match against Jannik Sinner leaving him with little in the tank against Alcaraz. At this point Alcaraz has two major titles; the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon while Zverev is yet to win any. Will Alcaraz balance the scales or will Zverev extend his lead in the head to head?
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Both players have been in excellent form this tournament and it will no doubt be a tough match. Zverev’s quest for his first major title may help him to dig deep push past his limits and get the job done on Sunday but just mental fortitude is not enough. Alcaraz will probably have the fan’s support considering Zverev’s court case. Alcaraz has grown much since their last meeting in Paris and corrected much in his game. He won’t be the same player and with the confidence of already having two major titles, he will be able to stay focused and put his best foot forward. Essentially both players are excellent and have good records on clay. It will probably come down to who will make more mistakes and if Alcaraz starts as poorly as he started with Sinner, we may see Zverev capitalize on it and get an early lead. In all, we predict Zverev will win his first major title in five sets.
WOMEN’S SINGLES
The women’s singles final of Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini sounds like an exciting match. Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek made light work of Coco Gauff in the semifinals as she dispatched the American in a 6-2 6-4 two-set victory. With her straight sets, the Pole extends her career record against Gauff to 11 wins in 12 meetings with Coco’s only victory against her coming in the Cincinnati Masters last year. Swiatek has ended Gauff’s campaign in Paris for three years running now; the 2022 finals and last year’s quarterfinal.
Jasmine Paolini
Paolini comfortably beat 17-year-old Amira Andreeva 6-3 6-1 in the semifinals to set up her date with Swiatek in the finals. The Italian twelfth seed has not had it very easy so far in the tournament. She came up against fourth seed Elena Rybakina in the quarter-final but managed to win.
HEAD TO HEAD
Swiatek leads the head-to-head 1-0 having beat the Italian 6-3 6-0 in their only meeting in the first round of the 2022 US Open.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Iga Swiatek
Swiatek is clearly the favorite in this matchup considering her form so far in this competition. She is one win away from three consecutive French Open titles and a total of four. The Pole has been steamrolling through opponents so far in the tournament serving bagels and breadsticks left, right, and center and her opponents have been quite tough. She defeated third seed Coco Gauff in the semifinals and made light work of fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals. She served the Czech fifth seed a bagel in their match and won 6-0 6-2; dominant.
Swiatek served Anastasia Potapova a double bagel in the fourth round and defeated Naomi Osaka in the second round in what looks to be her hardest match yet. Swiatek right now is a bulldozer that will crush anyone in her way.
The Italian on the other hand has had to struggle and fight her way to the finals. Her easiest match was the semi-final match against Andreeva. While she has also served bagels and breadsticks it hasn’t been as dominant a performance as Swiatek.
Jasmine Paolini
Swiatek is aggressive, fast, and moves with great agility. She likes to dictate the game and play fast and if Paolini allows her to do that, the game will go to the Pole. Honestly, we don’t think there’s much the Italian will be able to do against the Pole. With the way Swiatek is going, we may witness the fastest final yet and may even see bagels and breadsticks. We predict Iga Swiatek will win comfortably over Jasmine Paolini and claim her fourth French Open title. What do you think?