Possible semifinal opponents for Rafael Nadal will be taking the court on Monday, when a pair of intriguing matchups can be found in the second quarter of the draw. Juan Martin Del Potro is facing John Isner, while Marin Cilic is going up against Fabio Fognini.
(9) John Isner vs. (5) Juan Martin Del Potro
Del Potro and Isner will be squaring off for the 11th time in their careers and for the first time at a Grand Slam when they clash in round four of the French Open on Monday. Although Del Potro leads the head-to-head series 6-4, Isner is 4-2 in their last six meetings and has won two in a row at the Argentine’s expense dating back to last fall. The 6’10” American prevailed 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the Paris quarterfinals to knock Del Potro out of a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals and he won 6-1, 7-6(2) in the Miami semis on his way to the title.
Neither man had any serious trouble setting up their first-ever clay-court encounter. Del Potro has erased concerns regarding a groin injury sustained in Rome with routine defeats of Nicolas Mahut, Julien Benneteau, and Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The sixth-ranked Argentine is an awesome 26-6 for his 2018 campaign with titles in Acapulco and Indian Wells. Isner has been an all-or-nothing kind of player the past few seasons, with too many early exits but also three titles dating back to last summer to go along with his semifinal run at the Paris Masters. The world No. 10 followed up his Miami triumph with a quarterfinal showing in Madrid, but he had done nothing else in 2018–until now. Recapturing his fine form on a surface that actually suits his game nicely, Isner has beaten Noah Rubin, Horacio Zeballos, and Pierre-Hugues Herbert while dropping only one set. This has also become a favorable matchup for the ninth seed, whose favorite shots (kick serve out wide to the ad court and inside-out forehand) consistently target Del Potro’s backhand.
Pick: Isner in 4
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(3) Marin Cilic vs. (18) Fabio Fognini
Cilic has finished runner-up at two of the last three majors. The fourth-ranked Croat is unlikely to reach another slam final in Rafael Nadal’s section of the draw, but the bottom line is that he quite often rises to the occasion on tennis’ biggest stages. Cilic is doing so once again this fortnight, with mostly routine victories over James Duckworth, Hubert Hurkacz, and Steve Johnson. The 2014 U.S. Open champion is 21-8 this season with a runner-up performance at the Australian Open and a semifinal result in Rome.
Up next for Cilic on Monday is a third career contest against Fognini, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1. Amazingly, the two veterans have not faced each other since 2011–when Cilic cruised 6-2, 6-2 on the red clay of Umag before getting the job done 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-3 in Beijing. Fognini’s lone win came via a 6-2, 6-0 blowout at the 2009 Monte-Carlo Masters. The 18th-ranked Italian is in the midst of a decent clay-court swing that includes a quarterfinal run in Rome (extended Nadal to three sets), a semifinal finish in Geneva, and wins so far at Roland Garros over Pablo Andujar, Elias Ymer, and Kyle Edmund. Clay gives Fognini a real chance, but even on this surface he may get pushed around the court and have his timing taken away by a big-hitting opponent.
Pick: Cilic in 4
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