Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are on a collision course for the semifinals at the French Open. On Friday they will try to earn spots in the fourth round in respective matchups with Denis Shapovalov and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (26) Denis Shapovalov
Alcaraz and Shapovalov will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round three at Roland Garros on Friday. It has been a mostly routine start to the fortnight for Alcaraz, who erased Flabio Cobolli 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 before getting past Taro Daniel 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The top-ranked Spaniard is 32-3 this season with a quartet of titles, including three on clay (Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and Madrid).
Just getting to third round is a big success for Shapovalov. In fact, he had previously never advanced this far at the French Open. The 32nd-ranked Canadian’s 2023 form did not inspire any confidence, either, as his record is just 9-9 following victories over Brandon Nakashima (five sets) and Matteo Arnaldi (four). Shapovalov did well to win those matches, but a big step up in competition will almost certainly be the end for him. It’s an especially bad matchup for the 24-year-old on clay, as he won’t be able to play short points Alcaraz will steadily pound inside-out forehands to Shapovalov’s backhand side.
Pick: Alcaraz in 3
(3) Novak Djokovic vs. (29) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Djokovic has not yet dropped a set at this tournament, but he was tested in the third against Aleksandar Kovacevic and the first against Marton Fucsovics–both of which went to tiebreakers. It will likely get tougher for Djokovic with Davidovich Fokina on the other side of the net. Djokovic dominated their first two meetings, but Davidovich Fokina pulled off a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 upset at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Unlike many opponents when they face the Big 3, Davidovich Fokina won’t lack belief. In addition to his one victory over Djokovic, he is also playing well right now. The 23-year-old Spaniard has won 19 matches in 2023 and is up to No. 34 in the world, good for the 29th seed in Paris. He kicked off his French Open campaign by defeating Frenchmen Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche, dropping just one set to Fils in the process. This should be a high-quality contest, but Djokovic looked very good against Fucsovics and with two matches under his belt he should only be improving as the tournament progresses.
Pick: Djokovic in 4
WWW?
ADF in 5
Sonego looks like he’ll best Rublev also. Few upsets on the cards.
Dimitrov is probably best of the day. That’s worth 100k for a $35k return.
Really weak performance from ADF given the opportunity going into the match. No drive or determination. The difference between winning and losing was simply his attitude.
Carlos in 3;….but I’m picking ADF in an upset 4.
“…Djokovic looked very good against Fucsovics …”
No he didn’t, he looked just good enough to beat Hungarian body builder.
Alcaraz in 5, maybe 4.
Could be the match that breaks the camels back for Alcaraz.
Shaps never fails to disappoint…
Some awful stuff…
“Really weak performance from ADF given the opportunity going into the match. No drive or determination. The difference between winning and losing was simply his attitude.”
You gotta be joking, the man threw the kitchen sink at Nole, the first two sets lasted 3 hours, thanks to “nice” French fans Nole went to beast mode in the third, ADF didn’t stand a chance in the third, better rewatch the match.