Rafael Nadal’s routine trek through the top section of the French Open draw is expected to continue when he meets unseeded Maximilian Marterer on Monday. Kevin Anderson and Diego Schwartzman are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Maximilian Marterer
While there has been plenty of intrigue throughout a packed bottom half of the French Open draw, where contenders like Alexander Zverev and David Goffin have been slogging through five-setters left and right, Nadal is making expectedly routine work on the other side. The 10-time Roland Garros champion had to fight off a stern test from Simone Bolelli in his opener with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(9) victory, but he dropped a grand total of 11 games against Guido Pella and Richard Gasquet. Nadal is now 82-2 lifetime at this tournament and 107-2 in best-of-five matches on clay during his illustrious career.
A much different left-hander will be on the other side of the net on Monday. Marterer is 10 years younger than Nadal (who turned 32 on Sunday) and had never won an ATP-level match prior to this season. But it is all coming together for the up-and-coming German, who is 14-9 in 2018 with a third-round performance at the Australian Open, a semifinal run in Munich, and French Open victories over Ryan Harrison, Denis Shapovalov, and Jurgen Zopp. It goes without saying, though, that Marterer has never played on this kind of stage and he has also never faced an opponent of this caliber. Marterer owns a decent amount of firepower, but nowhere near enough to prevent his Roland Garros run from ending in swift fashion at Nadal’s hands.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games
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(11) Diego Schwartzman vs. (6) Kevin Anderson
Who is the only player left in the tournament who has lost fewer games than Nadal? That would be none other than Schwartzman, who did not drop a set and surrendered a total of 21 games while disposing of Calvin Hemery, Adam Pavlasek, and Borna Coric on his way to the second week. The 12th-ranked Argentine thrashed both Hemery and Pavlasek 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 before making surprisingly quick 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 work of Coric. Schwartzman is now an outstanding 10-2 in his last 12 Grand Slam matches, a stretch that also features a quarterfinal finish at the U.S. Open and a fourth-round appearance in Melbourne.
Up next for the 11th seed on Monday is a third career showdown against Anderson, who leads the head-to-head series 2-0. The seventh-ranked South African prevailed 7-6(5), 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 at the 2015 Australian Open and 7-6(4), 6-3 one season later on the red clay of Nice. Anderson has also improved greatly since those meetings, most notably enjoying a string of 2017 majors in which he reached fourth rounds at the French Open and Wimbledon to go along with a runner-up showing at the U.S. Open. The No. 6 seed earned his spot in the last 16 this time around by taking out Paolo Lorenzi, Pablo Cuevas, and Mischa Zverev. Anderson has not impressed as much as his opponent through three rounds and this surface should help Schwartzman withstand some huge hitting and play his way into extended baseline rallies.
Pick: Schwartzman in 5
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Watching Rafa playing like this is rather stressful. I feel he’s giving Marterer too much space to work with in the third set. He had so many chances in Marterer’s first service game in the third set but couldn’t break, and then that erratic FH that flew well over every line! to give Marterer the break!
Rafa playing and serving like this would have plenty of problems in his next match(es). I’m just thankful he didn’t need a fourth set here. Marterer was hitting hard, serving well and playing well, credit to him. This may be a wake up call for Rafa, can’t afford to have lapses or let down his guard playing in slam matches, he’s lucky Marterer is an inexperienced player in slams; Schwartzman won’t give him such luxury.
I guess all Rafans will be tense for that match. Dont understand why he is such a bundle of nerves and playing so erratically.
I was at RG when he beat Federer in the SF on his 19th birthday. Unforgettable moment. Been in love with him ever since 😉
so nny, amy, lucky..was he bad all 3 sets or just 3rd..
I am super nervous for Deigo match..tremors about how he pushed rafa for 4 hours in AO 4th round..i so wanted Anderson to win as rafa can handle anderson (fanboy)
Excuse me Sanju, you think Rafa can’t handle Schwartzman on clay?
Schwartzman played for close to four hours today, and he’s really fortunate Anderson choked when serving for the match in the third and then in the fourth set.
Schwartzman will as usual try to get every ball back so Rafa has to play aggressive tennis so as not to let the match drag on. If Rafa plays like set two and three of that Pella match, he should win the match without letting in drag on. But, knowing Rafa, he will have his nerves and his brain freeze moments during the match and so I expect a long match, maybe three hours or so. It won’t be good for his SF match should he beat Schwartzman.
I hope Cilic and Co in the other quarter will also have long matches before arriving at the SF. In Rafa’s half of the draw, there are still good players left at this stage of the tournament – Cilic, Foggy, Delpo, Isner and Schwartzman, it turns out to be the tougher half of the draw imo.
I would understand your negativity if Rafa lost a set and had to battle to save the match! But he wins all matches in straights and yet people say he will lose playing like this! Where is the belief in King of Clay? He played five settlers here in the past yet was able to win the title! He is older now, can’t hit winners all the time and is allowed to make more errors when playing someone for the first time whie that someone was hitting the ball as hard as he could in the third set when realized he had nothing to lose! Every game counts if won against King so no wonder why they all play like it’s their last!
I say well done Rafa for wining in straights!
Vamos Champ!
did not see match natashao…how much would you rate him..any trouble you see for diego?
Sanju, Rafa is definitely not at his highest level but we will have to get accustomed to Rafa playing less focused in the matches like this where he was clearly in control leading two sets down. In the third set Marterer was also more relaxed and went for his shots with hard hitting while Rafa I think was more worried about the weather forecast and lost focus. His serve does need improvement but I also know by now that Rafa has never been too much reliant on his first serve, and was winning more % on his second serve.
I personally would have liked if Rafa’s opponent was to be Anderson as that match would have been less demanding on Rafa in terms of rallies. With Diego we can expect some long rallies and longer points!
nats,
I think you make some great points. Well said! The standard is set so high for Rafa that if he doesn’t blow his opponents off the court in five games or less it is considered a disaster.
Rafa did what he had to do – win the early rounds, without dropping a set. Now hopefully he will be ready to raise his level of play for the quarterfinals.
this was a 3 set match and took 2.5 hours..im sure 3rd set was an hour plus
Rafa was taking a minute between serves which attributed to a long third set.
gosh that is not acceptable…if he was so worried about thunderstorms..why was he taking 1 minute 🙂
As moya said, he is nervous this time more tan last year..
It was just the third sanju!
He pulled his tennis back together for the tie tiebreak so that is very positive. I wouldn’t worry too much about diego!!
thanks amy..i just saw the stats ..they are not that bad..close to 70% first serves..winners to ue ratio is positive and has difference of 6..
we just cannot expect he will play like 2008, 2010, 2017 where he steamrolled everyone in his way..that does not happen all the time..
are you guys reading moyas take on atpworldtour.com after every match? Moya upfront said rafa is nervous and dont expect him to play till 2017 and we should compare this more with uso 2017 where he built momentum with every match..however there he played just okay first 3 rounds but peaked from 4th round..here its yet to happen..
Diego Schwartzman is a gritty player and he might pose a challenge here even though he beat Anderson in a tightfive setter.
I am not liking what I am seeing of Rafa . Playing too short and taking too long between points. If it is Theim vs Rafa I am tilting towards Theim who might have a bit too much firepower on serve and groundstrokes. I am just hoping Zverev or Djoker takes him out before Sunday.
But fedexal do you see djoko or zverev beating rafa? I am somehow okay about thiem and zverev but worried more about djoko..
what is your take on diego?
I ofcourse want Rafa to win 11th but if he has to lose, I rather it be against Thiem who is a great clay player and very affable and humble and a workhorse and should win a slam
Wilander keeps saying players should copy what Federer and Djokovic do to beat Rafa.
a) It can’t be that easy to just copy these 2 greats, if they could play like them they would already be doing so.
b) What good would Federer’s advice be to anyone on how to beat Rafa at RG? Even Djoko has only managed it once in 7 matches.
Wow, I got it right in my bracket and for real hehehe
SCHWARTZMAN in 5
Congrats Rafa too
Daria won rc!!
She is the real deal!
And Angelique!!
Bravo angy!!
🤗 Angie and Daria
So,congrats to u for got it right about Schwartzy in your Bracket rc!..& topping our group atm…
hehe “atm” is right because I pick Zverev not Thiem or Novak.
But as you see, my WTA picks suck, but I’m so happy that Kasatkina made it!
And Angie!
Bah Screamapova gets a w/o dang it.
Hehehehe….”ATM”!…Yaeh!…Coz i think Thiem is gonna win!….He’s soooo crazy good “ATM” too!Hehe…And full of confidence…I don’t know what kiki gave him…But,he’s a different Thiem nowadays!….Brrrr!…Scary!!
Oh!btw….if Sascha somehow be able to got out from the match with win…I will be suspicious of him!Maybe he’s juicing???Hehe..
Careful MA, that kind of talk could get you into trouble with the moderators……….
Oh!Really ed?Hehe…Okay!
I had Angie,that was a tough pick over Bertens!
I had Anderson in five.Didnt see the match but sounds like he choked big time!
Anderson choked while serving for the match, not once but twice in two different sets!
Ah well.I picked Anderson in my Bracket to reach QF,seemed a tough section for him,but I was nearly right!
Diego is such a great fighter…. But let’s be honest here. Diego is just way too diminutive to take on the strength and power of Rafa. Diego has NOTHING that can even remotely hurt Rafa. He can only try to be a human wall, and that has never ever worked against Rafa. Maybe a set or two could go to 6-4 or maybe even a 7-5 set, but that’s it. I can’t imagine Diego even getting a sniff at a set… If he does get a sniff, it will be shocking to me!
Absolutely, Kevin. I think this is part of the reason Rafa fans like Diego so much. He’s easy to respect and look forward to playing, because he really has no chance to win against Nadal, even though he may give him a good match.
Anderson, on the other hand, has the game to take out Nadal (or anyone, if he plays like he did in the first two sets). But he massively choked, not just once but twice serving for the match. When you have a serve like he does, that’s just not acceptable. He didn’t deserve to win the match.
Kevin Chokerson
I have the feeling Rafa is worrying more about getting injured again than anything else and is allowing this to prey on his mind. For the whole of his life he has played, and won matches in crippling pain.
Thiem could won the whole thing now…
Thiem could won the whole thing now…
No he couldn’t! Thiem is too one dimensional, just hitting as hard as possible. He may beat Sasha on this surface at RG, may beat a subpar Djoko but when it comes to the final, he won’t be able to beat Rafa. Rafa in a FO final is very hard to beat!
Anderson beating Rafa on clay? If he can’t beat Schwartzman on clay, how’s he going to beat Rafa on clay? More like wishful thinking!
In fact I was hoping it’s Anderson who got through to meet Rafa, because Schwartzman is the better clay court player than Anderson, and would grind and drag on in his match vs Rafa and that’s something I hate when Rafa meets Schwartzman (never forget that AO R4 meeting). Anderson OTOH is so beatable on clay when Rafa won’t have problem returning his serve ( Rafa returns big serves very well on clay vs anyone!).
I’d be very surprised, Al. Unless Djokovic regains his world-beating form, I think the tournament winner is coming from Rafa’s half, still most likely Nadal himself, of course. He looks beatable but he’s still the clear favourite.
Yeah still favourite,but the gap is getting smaller.Just going by reports of Nadals nervousness,and Thiems form improving.And Zverev must be getting tired…Nole isn’t quite there yet.
Even when Rafa gets nervous, he’s still beating anyone in straight sets! Whilst all the other players lost a set here or there!
Rafa is not that nervous that he becomes so bad and ended up losing a set; just look at how he beat Bolelli in the TB! Even against Marterer in the third set TB, he managed to do what he usually does/did, ie calmed his nerve and digged in to win when it mattered. There’s just too many dimensions to his game especially when it comes to playing on clay.
That’s true up to now, but he’s going to lose sometime, just as Federer will at Wimby . Unexpected things do happen , maybe this year we might get a surprise.Could be wrong,but it would certainly spice things up .Thiem has a better shot to beat Nadal than Marterer , though.
Fed will lose first at Wimbledon before Rafa loses at RG!
Fed’s four years older,yeah.
Rafa spent all day yesterday eating cake and celebrating his birthday. Everyone wanted to celebrate with him. He then went out to dinner with his family so he most probably spent very little time on the practice court between his match on Saturday and today, given that his match was scheduled second after a ladies’ match which normally takes about 50 minutes.
I think people expect Rafa to beat everyone 61 62 61 and how dare him win a set 75 let alone in a TB? He is not a machine, he does make mistakes, even when he is on his ‘A’ game and his opponent is not a dummy. They play to win as well so he can’t win all the games or hold his serve 100% of the time. It would be nice, but life is not like that.
Yes, he will lose at one point. I just don’t think it’s happening against Diego. If Anderson had served that match out in 3 as he should have, I would have given him a decent shot at the upset in the QF. But I just don’t see Schartzman as having a real shot. Maybe the most likely thing is that he will tire Nadal out a bit for the SF, which could be grueling, probably against Delpo.
It’s typical of Anderson, what do you expect? He couldn’t serve out matches so often, and you expect him having a decent chance to beat Rafa on clay at RG? More like your own wishful thinking. He won’t even have a chance to serve for the match against Rafa on clay elsewhere, don’t talk about at RG!
It’s typical of you too Joe, that you keep saying this or that player having a decent chance to beat Rafa at RG, so far you’ve been proven wrong all the time! Maybe you should say that about Bolelli, though he still couldn’t even get a set off Rafa. The same goes for Sasha Zverev; Sasha needed the weather change to help him get a chance against Rafa, and yet Rafa still beat him rain or shine.
Lots of players have a chance against Nadal, Lucky. But Anderson and a few other big hitters have a very good chance if they can play their best. Had Anderson played at the level he displayed yesterday in the first two sets again Schwartzman, he would have won both of those sets against Nadal. Just my opinion. But if you watched, he was just about unplayable on serve and from the ground. His level was higher than Nadal has yet displayed in this tournament.
I don’t think you can say Anderson would’ve won those sets against Nadal. Schwartzman wasn’t playing well in those sets anyway, which allowed Anderson more rhythm on serve. Nadal probably would’ve got a lot more balls back across the court, which would put pressure on Anderson. Even in top gear, I doubt Anderson would win more than one set against Rafa, he’s just not that suited to clay imo.
Cilic and Delpo aren’t known for their clay prowess either, but I think, playing well, they are better odds than in-form Anderson. Still, the winner of those two will probably struggle to win a set.
👍Well said thinwhiteduke!
Schwarzman is no Rafa where returning of serves is concerned, furthermore its clay we’re talking about. Anderson couldnt gain any advantage at the USO against Rafa and that’s on the HCs; Joe here talked as if Rafa is so poor in his ROS on clay!
Come on Joe, havent you watched Rafa on clay on these years, and how he neutralized the big serves and big hittings of his opponents? Anderson wasn’t any better than all these opponents Rafa had met and beaten all along.
In 5 matches, Anderson has only ever taken one set off Rafa on indoor hardcourt (Rafa’s worst surface) in Paris in 2015 when Rafa lacked confidence and was losing to everyone. Joe, on what grounds do you think Anderson would have any chance against Rafa at RG.
Exactly, nadline.
Anderson has no chance against Rafa on clay. Deigo is a significantly tougher opponent for Rafa than Andreson.
What about Pablo Cuevas? Can he beat Nadal on clay?
Nny!…This is for u!…
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/moya-takeaways-r4-roland-garros-2018-monday
MA,
Thanks for that! I really like hearing Moya’s thoughts. I love what he said when he was asked about Rafa losing to Thiem in Madrid. He said – Rafa is human.
We need to remember that as some have criticized his firm in the first week of RG. Rsfa has just come back from an injury that kept him out for several months. He had to skip I/W and Miami. He came into MC with only two DC matches played.
Rafa has been amazing so far on the clay court season. He deserves a lot of credit.
Criticized his FORM! *