Tennis News

The biggest rivalry in men’s tennis will write another chapter on Wednesday afternoon, as nine-time champion Rafael Nadal and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic meet for a unprecedented 44nd time on the professional tour. The Nadal vs Djokovic Head to Head stands at 23-20, but has lost the most recent match against Djokovic at Monte Carlo Masters event. The two players have already surpassed John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl and will likely continue to add to their rivalry’s ever-growing legacy, yet the stakes are high at the French Open, as Nadal attempts to close in on his 10th title at Roland Garros, while Djokovic will get one step closer to completing his career Grand Slam.

Djokovic’s fourth round match against Richard Gasquet ended in straight sets to hand the Serb his 26th victory of the season. Djokovic struck 47 winners and saved eight break points faced on serve to close out the match 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in just under two hours.

“Of course it is a different approach mentally when you play Nadal in quarter-finals than any other player,” said the Serb. “There is no doubt about that. I’m going to try to keep my routine the same and not give so much importance to the match.

“I know what I need to do to have a chance to win. That doesn’t mean that I will win. The future is unpredictable.”

Rafael Nadal looked as though he was about to cruise into yet another French Open quarter-final but faced some resistance from Jack Sock when he attempted to serve out the match. From there, he had his serve broken and was forced to contest a fourth set before securing the 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win. He will now go on to face Djokovic in the final eight of the tournament.

“It is not the final, you know,” said Nadal, who will turn 29 on Wednesday. “It’s a quarter-final. And, no, the winner of that match will not be the Roland Garros champion.

“They will be a semi-finalist of Roland Garros. That makes a big difference. Even if it’s a special match, it’s a quarter-final match.”

Following their three meetings last year and one meeting so far this season, Nadal leads Djokovic 23-20 in the head-to-head series. Rafa is 14-5 against Djokovic on clay but the gap has closed to 5-5 on that surface since 2011, which certainly evens out Djokovic’s chances on Wednesday afternoon. Given that he has a proven track record against Nadal at clay court Masters 1000 events, Djokovic will now need to find the confidence in himself to complete a historic upset of Nadal at Roland Garros.
 

After meeting on three occasions in 2014, Andy Murray and David Ferrer will meet for an opportunity to further their quest for a first French Open crown on Tuesday afternoon in Paris. Of their previous encounters, Murray leads the head-to-head series 9-6, including wins in two of their last three meetings.

The third seed at this year’s Roland Garros event maintained his undefeated clay court streak on Monday afternoon when he defeated Jeremy Chardy in four sets to advance to the final eight in Paris. It was not the easiest of matches, as Murray had to withstand 49 winners and four breaks of serve to secure the 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.

“I wasn’t overly concerned,” he said. “I had a lot of chances in the second set. He had one break point, which he obviously won, but throughout the course of the match I was creating many more opportunities than him. I just had to take my chances when they came. I did that in the third and fourth sets.”

In one of his more impressive matches of the season so far, David Ferrer cruised past US Open champ Marin Cilic in straight sets to advance to his sixth quarter-final at the French Open. It was also his 40th win overall at the prestigious Grand Slam event. He won the match 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 53 minutes.

“When asked about Murray, Ferrer admitted, “He’s much more aggressive. When he uses the different shots he has to play, he’s one of the best players in the Top 3. If, in addition to this, you were to count his talent, I think that he’s more aware of what’s happening. Not just on quick surfaces, but also on clay. He’s much more serene and calm.”

This is the 16th time that Murray and Ferrer will cross paths on the professional tour, with Murray leading the series 9-6. While the Spaniard is more than capable of earning the victory, Murray will likely add to his title win last week with another victory over Ferrer.

When the nine time Roland Garros champ Rafael Nadal steps onto the Philippe Chatrier court Wednesday afternoon to face world no.1 Novak Djokovic for a place in the French Open semi-finals, the whole world will be watching closely. The Spaniard is still 23-20 ahead in the Head to Head series, but the Serbian has been closing the gap in the last 18 months.

For many tennis fans, this clash between the two heavy weights will feel like a final, despite Rafa downplaying the fact that the winner of this showdown will go on to clinch this year’s title: “This is not the final, you know. It’s a quarter-final. The winner will not be the champion of Roland Garros. That makes a big difference. Even if it’s a special match, it’s still a quarter-final.”

The Spanish superstar and undisputed champion of Roland Garros (his only defeat came in the 2009 R16 against Robin Soderling) has produced some high quality clay court tennis during last week here in Paris. After defeating the French youngster Quentin Halys in the opener, he then dismantled Nico Almagro and Andrey Kuznetsov in straight sets before dropping a set to American Jack Sock 6-3 6-1 5-7 6-2. Having been a break up in the third set at 5-3, it almost feels like Rafa lost a bit of focus before regaining his footing and storming into the quater-finals.

However, his next opponent will be the Serbian machine Novak Djokovic, who is missing only the French Open title from his collection of 8 Grand Slam trophies. After defeating Andy Murray in this year’s Australian Open final, he will fancy his chances here in Paris too. Without dropping a set, he overcame Jarkko Nieminen, Gilles Muller, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Richard Gasquet to book his place in the quarters. Djoko’s shot making and movement have been immaculate so far and Rafa will have to come up with something very special if he wants to break down the Serbian’s rock solid defence.

If we look at the stats, Novak has won 5 out of the last 6 encounters against the Spaniard, recently defeating him in the Rome Masters semi-finals in straight sets 6-3 6-3. However, Rafa’s only win came in last year’s French Open final when he overcame the Djoker 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4 and without a shadow of a doubt, Nadal’s best chance of beating the world no.1 is on his beloved Philippe Chatrier court central, where he still remains undefeated against Djokovic, holding a 6-0 record. Novak said in his press conference: “Playing him here and playing him in any other tournament in the world is completely different. Conditions are very suitable to his style of the game.”

If history is any guide, one would expect for Rafa to find a way past Nole, no matter what it takes. On the other hand, the majority of tennis pundits favour Novak to break the six match losing streak vs Rafa here in Paris and march on to claim the well desired title that has been eluding him up until now.
 

For the second time this season, the Swiss stars Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka will cross paths on the professional tour, this time to determine who will advance to the semi-final of the Roland Garros Grand Slam event. Federer leads the overall head to head series 16-2, including a win in their most recent encounter in Rome.

In a match that required two days to complete, Roger Federer finally got his revenge on Gael Monfils on clay when he defeated the Frenchman in four sets to advance to the quarter-final stage in Paris. The contest began late on Sunday due to a rain delay and was completed on Monday morning with the contest split a set each. Federer managed to take advantage of a dejected Monfils to close out the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

“I wanted to get off to a good start, because you never know how he will be playing,” said Federer. “So I felt good. I was calm yesterday. I was calm this morning. So we (Stefan Edberg and I) adopted the right game plan and the right tactical approach. I’m very happy.”

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Seeded eighth at this year’s event, Stan Wawrinka defeated 12th seed Gilles Simon to take out the local favourite 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and secure his place in the quarter-final round of the tournament, where he will come up against his fellow countryman and idol.

“It [will be] a special match,” said Federer. “It is not a traditional match. There aren’t too many Swiss players in the draw… It’s always special to play each other. There will be a Swiss guy in the semi-final. That’s positive. I hope I will reach the semifinal of a tournament. I will pull out all the stops to advance to the next round. If I will not make it, I will be very happy for Stan.”

This marks the 19th time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head-to-head series 16-2. Federer won their most recent encounter en route to the final in Rome this season but also lost another clay court encounter at last year’s Monte Carlo final. It will be interesting to see if Stan will be able to topple the 17-time Grand Slam champ this time around.
 

An intriguing quarter-final match-up is scheduled to take place on Tuesday afternoon in Paris, as the only remaining Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, will face Japanese No. 1 Kei Nishikori to determine who will advance to the final four at Roland Garros. This marks the sixth time that the two athletes will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Nishikori – Tsonga head-to-head series poised at 4-1.

Although it was a turbulent finish to the match, Tsonga was able to eventually close out a solid showing against Tomas Berdych to secure his spot in the quarter-final stage of the Grand Slam event. After leading over the first two sets, Tsonga failed to serve out the match in the third set and was forced to contest a competitive fourth set before closing out the win 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3.

“It was not easy because I played really well during (the first) three sets,” added Tsonga. “And when it was time to finish I played a little bit differently and because he’s a good player, he came back in the match. Then I started to miss a little bit more. But I had a good reaction in the fourth and finally I won it. So it’s good for me. I’m happy to beat a guy like this, one of the best at the moment.”

In a historic contest on Sunday, Kei Nishikori became just the second Japanese player to ever reach the quarter-final stage of the French Open. He struck 40 winners to defeat Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in two minutes short of two hours. He will now go on to face the last remaining Frenchman in the draw.

“We haven’t played a long time,” said Nishikori, looking ahead to the Tsonga match. “He’s coming back very strong. He has a big serve [and] big forehand. He’s always a dangerous player… So it’s going to be fun match.”

This is set to be the sixth time that Tsonga and Nishikori will meet on the professional circuit. Nishikori leads the head-to-head series 4-1, including a win in their most recent encounter last season at the Paris Masters. However, this is going to be their first career meeting on clay, which could impact their performances.
 

A seventh encounter between Ana Ivanovic vs Elina Svitolina is scheduled to take place in the quarter-final round of the French Open on Thursday afternoon. Ivanovic leads the head-to-head series with an undefeated 6-0 record and will be looking to extend that streak against the Ukrainian.

2008 champion Ana Ivanovic needed three sets to get past Ekaterina Makarova and earn her place in the final four of the tournament. The 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 win marked her first advancement to the quarter-finals since the Aussie Open in 2014 and she will now come up against Elina Svitolina to determine if she can make it even further into the draw.

“I honestly haven’t watched her throughout this tournament, and obviously she’s been improving her form each match,” Ivanovic said. “We played in Madrid just a few weeks ago. She’s a young player and I have been speaking about her for a long time. I think we are going to see plenty of her in the future.

The youngest player remaining in the women’s draw completed a big upset on Sunday afternoon when she ousted French darling Alize Cornet in straight sets. It was a battle on court and Svitolina was forced to play six match points before she was finally able to bring an end to the proceedings at 6-2, 7-6(9).

“I was trying to stay calm and just play my game. Of course, it was tough with the wind against me, the crowd and against a player like Cornet. She was fighting. I think she gave her best, and, yeah, I’m really happy that I could do it, and that the last point was on my side.”

Ivanovic leads the head-to-head series 6-0, including a recent win in Madrid this year. Only two of those six meetings took place on clay: their first French Open meeting last season in the second round of the tournament and the Mutua Madrid Open this season, both of which Ivanovic won in straight sets. Given her confidence this past week and her success on this surface, it is likely that Ivanovic will find her way into the semi-final stage in Paris.

The top seed at this year’s French Open will come across a player seeded 19 places below him in the draw when Novak Djokovic steps out on court to face Richard Gasquet for a spot in the quarter-final round of the tournament. Novak leads the overall head-to-head 10-1 and has won eight consecutive matches against Gasquet, dating back to 2010.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic stepped out on court on Saturday to challenge one of the tour’s rising star in Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, who gave the Serb a tough, competitive fight for the entire duration of their match. While Djokovic won the match in straight sets, it was a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline and he was not shy to congratulate Kokkinakis on his efforts thereafter.

“I think that tennis needs players like Thanasi, who is a teenager, but still able to come out on centre court and play with courage and play with power and believe in himself,” said Djokovic following a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kokkinakis. “He’s one of this group of three, four young players that are starting to be more and more consistent and make a couple of big wins in their careers and that are obviously expected to do very well from the tennis world.”

In a slightly more difficult meeting earlier in the day, Richard Gasquet was forced to rally from a set down to beat Kevin Anderson 4-6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-4. He withstood 22 aces, struck 44 winners and converted two break points to earn the win.

Djokovic leads the head-to-head with Gasquet 10-1 and has not lost to the Frenchman in eight consecutive matches spanning over four years. Gasquet has not taken a set off the Serbian no. 1 since his last win over him in 2007, when the Tour Finals was hosted in Shanghai. It is hard to imagine Richard having much luck against Djokovic,. In all cases, this should be a quick straight sets victory for Djokovic but it is not impossible for Gasquet to stretch it a fourth set.
 

Following three solid matches at Roland Garros this season, nine-time champion Rafael Nadal will be faced with his first legitimate obstacle in the draw when he comes up against America’s Jack Sock in the fourth round of the tournament. This will serve as the first meeting between the two competitors and will certainly be an entertaining affair on Monday.

In a surprisingly quick rise in form, Nadal managed to secure entry into the fourth round of the French Open following yet another straight sets win against Andrey Kuznetsov. Seeded sixth at this year’s tournament, Nadal struck 33 winners and converted eight break points to secure the 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 win.

“It will be not fair if I say that I am not happy about what happened this first week, being fourth round without losing a set,” said Nadal. “I think playing solid, consistent. That’s what I need to. Then I arrive the second week and you know that you have to go that extra step to have chances. So I hope to have a good practice tomorrow and be ready to play a great match on Monday, because I will need it.”

Nadal will come up against Jack Sock, who earned his place in his first Grand Slam fourth round when he defeated 18-year-old Borna Coric in straight sets. He struck six aces and 31 winners to close out the match 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

“It was a good day for me,” Sock said. “I was fortunate enough to play great tennis. And once again, things I was looking to do I was able to do that very well today. In general, I think he plays pretty far behind the baseline and kind of lets the opponent maneuver the ball a little bit. He’s a great defender, makes a lot of balls, and is very quick. I usually feel pretty good when I’m hitting a lot of forehands, especially from the left side of the court, and able to move the ball around and dictate play. I was able to do that today fortunately.”

This marks the first time that Nadal and Sock will cross paths on the professional tour and could be considered a mild litmus test for Nadal to determine whether he is indeed on a rapid return to form, or if he simply has not met the correct level of competition yet.
 

For the third time so far this season, world No. 1 Serena Williams and American youngster Sloane Stephens will meet again on the WTA tour to rekindle their rivalry. Stephens’ ascended to notoriety with her upset victory over Williams at the Australian Open two years ago but still trails her American counterpart 1-4 in the head-to-head series. She also lost her only clay court encounter against Williams, which took place a few weeks ago in Madrid.

In a bizarre third round encounter on Saturday, Serena Williams found herself down a set and a break to Victoria Azarenka before she reeled off four consecutive games to secure the second set and force a decider. From there, Williams rallied to victory to secure her run to the fourth round of the tournament.

“I was really disappointed with my last match, and I knew I couldn’t play like that against someone like Vika. It would be impossible to win,” Williams said. “Even though I lost the first set, I told myself, ‘Well at least you’re playing better than in your second round match.’ I would have lost so easily if I played that same way. It was definitely better today – it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

In a far simpler match, Sloane Stephens dispatched Tsvetana Pironkova in straight sets to earn her place in the fourth round. She won the match 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 15 minutes of court time.

This marks the sixth time that Williams and Stephens will cross paths on the professional tour and the third time so far this season. Williams leads the head-to-head series 4-1. Apart from their most recent meetings at Indian Wells and Madrid over the past few months, the two had not crossed paths in over two years, which certainly added to the flair. In the end, however, Williams should still have little trouble closing out this match. She won their most recent encounter – a clay court match – in straight sets and will likely duplicate that effort in Paris on Monday.

2009 Roland Garros champion Roger Federer cruised into the fourth round of the tournament, the major championship that he has only lifted once in his illustrious career so far. There, he will encounter Gael Monfils, whom he has faced on 12 previous occasions and leads 8-4 in the series. Monfils won their most recent encounter last month in Monte Carlo and will look to extend that streak further this week in Paris.

The tournament’s second seed advanced to the fourth round of the French Open with a straight sets win against Damir Dzumhur. He struck 38 winners an 22 unforced errors to close out the win 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 28 minutes of court time.

Seeded 13th at this year’s event, Gael Monfils completed the Friday of action in Paris with a five set win against Pablo Cuevas. He defeated the 21st seed 4-6, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to secure entry into the final 16 at Roland Garros. Given his success against Federer in the past, this is certainly one of the matches to

“Paris is different; [it] is magic,” said Monfils. “I don’t know how, but I’m here… I think I can show some new emotion, I can show some tennis and I can show some side of me I don’t even know. I think the crowd just brings me something, something else, and I think it just showed a bit more today.”

This marks the 13th meeting between Federer and Monfils and the second encounter of the season. They most recently met on the clay courts in Monte Carlo, which was a meeting that Monfils won in dominant fashipon. While he has been competitive against Federer in their recent meetings, it will be interesting to see if Federer can avenge the losses where it matters most.