Roger Federer continues his bid for a second French Open title against unseeded Casper Ruud. Young Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas will also take the court on Friday to fight for a spot in the round of 16 against unseeded Filip Krajinovic.
(3) Roger Federer vs. Casper Ruud
Roger Federer’s last French Open campaign came way back in 2015, when he was ousted by compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. Since 2016, Federer has declined to participate in the clay season. This year he’s back on the dirt and playing well enough to have pocketed a pair of quarterfinal results in Madrid and Rome (he withdrew in Rome citing a leg injury). Considering the lengthy layoff, his return to clay has been somewhat successful.
Norwegian player Casper Ruud has had a couple of good wins already in Paris. He took out Ernests Gulbis in the first round and the in-form Italian Matteo Berrettini in the second. Ruud is currently ranked 63 in the world, a career high for the 20-year-old. He has had an impressive clay court season so far, with a trip to the finals in Houston and the round of 16 in Rome.
Given Ruud’s current form, he might be a bigger test for Federer than his ranking would suggest. The French crowd will undoubtedly back the Swiss legend, but Ruud may just make him work for his spot in the fourth round.
Cheryl pick: Federer in 4
Ricky pick: Federer in 3
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(6) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Filip Krajinovic
Stefanos Tsitsipas comes into Roland Garros off a long clay-court swing. The Greek won the event in Estoril, made the final in Madrid–where he took out Rafael Nadal in the semis–and the semifinals in Rome, losing to Novak Djokovic. The great results will undoubtedly give Tsitsipas confidence, but fatigue may also be a factor. His second-round match against world No. 86 Hugo Dellien wasn’t a straightforward affair. The Bolivian snagged a set, and made Tsitsipas work to wrap things up in four.
Filip Krajinovic has also played a fair amount of tennis this spring. The difference is that the Serb spends half of his time on the Challenger circuit. He had an impressive run in Budapest, where he came up through qualies and made it all the way to the final–where he lost to Matteo Berrettini.
Tsitsipas probably has enough in the tank to handle Krajinovic, but don’t be surprised if the Serb takes a set along the way.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 4
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 3
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Agree w/ Cheryl….Fed in 4, Tpas in 4🇫🇷🎾
straights for both
Agree w/ Ricky
No way, Fed could lose this match and if Krajinovic like he has been, he wins at leasta set also.
“Krajinovic plays like he has been”
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Fed serve at this high of a first serve percentage for three straight matches before. He’s serving 68% first serves so far today, and that’s lower than the last two matches! If he’s landing 70% or more of his first serves, he will always be a tough out. That being said, he really NEEDS land his first serve at a very high percentage to go deep in this tournament.
Its always nice when players play the complete oppoesite to the way theyve been playing and hand the first 2 sets to their opponent simply because its Fed or Nadal at the other end of the court.
What a struggle for Tsitsi! I like how he plays though.
Krajinovic played well!
If he gets to play Fed he will play way better imo!