The winner of Thursday’s showdown between Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza will be No. 1 in the world next week. More importantly, one will keep alive her chance for the French Open title. Sloane Stephens and Madinson Keys will contest the other semifinal.
(1) Simona Halep vs. (3) Garbine Muguruza
Halep and Muguruza will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a place in the French Open final on Thursday. Muguruza leads the head-to-head series 3-1 after destroying Halep 6-1, 6-0 in the in the Cincinnati title match last summer. It was the Romanian, however, who won their only previous clay-court encounter 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 three years ago in Stuttgart.
Of the four semifinalists, two have captured at least one Grand Slam title and two are still searching for their first major triumph. Although Halep has spent by far the most weeks at No. 1 in the world of the four, she finds herself in the latter group without a slam. Is her time now? The Romanian is already a two-time runner-up at Roland Garros and she is back in another semifinal following victories over Alison Riske, Taylor Townsend, Andrea Petkovic, Elise Mertens, and Angelique Kerber. Muguruza has advanced by taking out Svetlana Kuznetsova, Fiona Ferro, Samantha Stosur, Lesia Tsurenko, and Maria Sharapova. The third-ranked Spaniard has not dropped a single set this fortnight, while Halep has surrendered just one (to Kerber in a tiebreaker). Muguruza’s best would probably beat Halep’s best, but the world No. 1 was far more consistent on clay heading into Paris and this surface gives her a good chance of withstanding Muguruza’s superior firepower.
Pick: Halep in 3
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(13) Madison Keys vs. (10) Sloane Stephens
It will be a rematch of the 2017 all-American U.S. Open final when Stephens and Keys meet again on Thursday. Stephens improved to 2-0 lifetime in the head-to-head series when she lifted a Grand Slam winner’s trophy for the first time in her career with a 6-3, 6-0 rout at Flushing Meadows. She had previously crushed Keys 6-4, 6-2 at the 2015 Miami event. The world No. 10 has been somewhat of an all-or-nothing performer in recent seasons, frequently either going a long way or losing quite early at tournaments. The good Stephens has been on display this fortnight, with defeats of Arantxa Rus, Magdalena Frech, Camila Giorgi, Anett Kontaveit, and Daria Kasatkina.
Keys earned a spot in the last four thanks to wins at the expense of Sachia Vickery, Caroline Dolehide, Noami Osaka, Mihaela Buzarnescu, and Yulia Putintseva. The 23-year-old did not do much on clay prior to arriving in Roland Garros and she even withdrew from a scheduled Rome showdown against Kerber due to a rib injury. Although the sample size is small, Stephens appears to have her best friend on tour’s number. And the surface also does nothing to help Keys.
Pick: Stephens in 2
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