Image source; @rolandgarros on X
The French Open; The Roland Garros which started on May 26 and is expected to run till June 9 has given us some amazing matches so far. There have been a lot of intense plays, comebacks, close calls, and dramatic exits, and some favorites have started to emerge.
MEN’S SINGLES
The 37-year-old Serbian legend Novak Djokovic who is always a favorite to win the competition appeared to be edging closer to a fourth French Open victory until he pulled out of the competition on Tuesday due to injury. He struggled in his last match against Argentinian 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.
Image source; @rolandgarros on X
The Serbian twisted his knee and had to receive four medical time-outs for the problem. Despite his movement being limited Djokovic refused to give up and pressed on, eventually emerging victorious in the five-set thriller which lasted for nearly five hours. He had to battle from two sets to one down and 2-4 in the fourth set to make it to the last eight in the competition for the 15th consecutive time and a record 59th Grand Slam Quarterfinal. The match which ended 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, means Djokovic is now the player with the most Men’s Grand Slam wins in history with 370 wins in total surpassing Roger Federer’s 369. The last time the Serbian won a back-to-back five-setter was in the 2012 French Open when he was 25 and for him to do it again at age 37 while battling a knee injury is absolutely phenomenal and a testament to his longevity in the game.
Image source; @rolandgarros on X
Djokovic was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarterfinal on Wednesday but pulled out of the competition on Tuesday because of the knee injury. Ruud, the Norwegian seventh seed who defeated American Taylor Fritz 7-6(8-6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to book his spot in the quarterfinals, will now progress to the semifinals via a walkover.
Novak Djokovic and Casper Rudd
With the early exit of Djokovic, the competition has been thrown open in the Men’s division. Rudd made it to the finals of the competition last year and lost to Djokovic but with the Serbian out early this year he may yet clinch the title. It won’t be easy though as the other players left in the competition have been in great form. Later today, German fourth seed Alexander Zverev will face Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur for a spot against Rudd in the semi-finals while Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz will face Italian second seed Jannik Sinner in the semifinal for a spot in the finals of the 2024 French Open.
Image source; @rolandgarros on X
Jannik Sinner who is now the World’s number one following the early exit of Djokovic has been on a roll in this competition. He has been in excellent form and has only lost one set so far. The competition is tight and the games promise to be exciting. Carlos Alcaraz as well has also been in excellent form losing only one set so far. The match up between both players is sure to be an amazing watch as they battle it out for a place in the finals.
WOMEN’S SINGLES
Iga Swiatek. Image source; @rolandgarros on X
In the women’s singles, American third seed Coco Gauff has secured her spot in the semifinal with a dominant win over Türkish eighth seed Ons Jabeur. Gauff won the quarter-final matchup 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and will now face Polish first seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals on Thursday. Swiatek completely blitzed past fifth seed Marketa Vondouršová defeating her 6-0, 6-2 in the quarter-final; first seed for a reason.
Image source; @rolandgarros on X
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated American 22nd seed Emma Navaro in a dominant fashion in the fourth round. She will now battle it out with 17-year-old Mira Andreeva for a place in the Semifinals. The competition is stiff and the eventual winner is hard to predict at this point but based on the performances so far in the competition, Swiatek is likely to emerge victorious.
Aryna Sabalenka
Swiatek’s hardest game came against Naomi Osaka in the fourth round of the competition. The defending champion won the match up 7-6, 1-6,7-5 and that was the last and only time she has lost a set so far. She has dispatched all her opponents with relative ease since then, keeping her matches to only two sets and even winning her second-round match against Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0. The three time Roland-Garros winner is in amazing form and has been bulldozing through opponents all competition but things are about to get serious as she comes up against Coco Gauff who has also been running through her opponents. Gauff has had to play three sets only once so far; against Ons Jabeur in the quarter-finals. The American ended the rest of her games in two sets. Gauff is the current champion of the US Open and has been in excellent form all season but the match against Swiatek is sure to test her mettle.
Iga Swiatek. Image source; @rolandgarros on XÂ
Sabalenka is not to be slept on either as she has also been dominant in her matches so far and will put up stiff competition for the trophy. She has not lost a single set since the beginning of this competition.
Mira Andreeva from @espn on X
Who do you think will emerge as the winner of the women’s singles?