Milos Raonic is round one away from getting another shot at Novak Djokovic, whom he extended to three sets in Rome. Raonic is facing Marcel Granollers during fourth-round French Open action on Sunday, while Djokovic is going up against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
(13) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. (2) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic and Tsonga will be squaring off for the 17th time in their careers and for the second time at the French Open when they collide in a marquee fourth-rounder on Sunday. The head-to-head series stands at 11-5 overall and just 2-0 on clay, both in Djokovic’s favor. They have not faced each other since last fall, when the Serb prevailed 6-2, 7-5 in the Shanghai semifinals. Their previous Roland Garros showdown came in the 2012 quarterfinals, a thriller that saw Djokovic saved multiple match points in a 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-1 victory.
Tsonga has given his French fans at least some reason to be encouraged so far this fortnight, but this still is not the Tsonga of 2012. He is down at No. 14 in the world and headed into this event with just a 17-10 record on the season. Tsonga is playing relatively well, but his win over a woefully out-of-form Jerzy Janowicz should not be overrated. Djokovic has taken out Joao Sousa, Jeremy Chardy, and Marin Cilic, dropping a set to Cilic in the process. The world No. 2 will force his opponent to hit far more shots than Janowicz and Jurgen Melzer did in the previous two rounds, and the current Tsonga is not likely to be able to do it.
Pick: Djokovic in 3 losing fewer than 13 games
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(8) Milos Raonic vs. Marcel Granollers
Raonic and Granollers will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Sunday. That probably is not good news for Granollers, who would be better-served to have seen the Raonic serve at least on one previous occasion. It also looks like the end of a great draw for the Spaniard, who got a retirement from Ivan Dodig in round one, outlasted a hobbled Alexandr Dolgopolov in five sets, then beat an unseeded Martin Klizan in the last 32.
While Granollers had to finish off Klizan in a fourth set on Saturday, Raonic got the job done against Gilles Simon just before darkness on Friday. The ninth-ranked Canadian survived early deficits before advancing 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Raonic is 18-7 for the year, which is getting better and better with each tournament and saw him extend Djokovic to three sets in the Rome semifinals. Granollers has a crafty all-court game, but Raonic’s serve and power groundstrokes will keep the underdog off balance and away from the net.
Pick: Raonic in 3 with at least 1 tiebreaker
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Unless Tsonga starts competing, I shall switch to Sugarpova/Stosur.
Allez, Jo-Willy! Alleeeez!
I thought Novak would probably win in straight sets, I just didn’t think he’d do it that convincingly. Blowout city.
Novak never had to come out of his comfort zone. It’s as if Jo went into that match with no game plan at all. Novak was firing on all wings, he was taking the ball early like he always does, and he was standing inside the baseline for ROS on second serves. It’s one thing for Jo to not be able to execute a potential winning strategy, it’s another thing to have no strategy at all. Novak meets Raonic next and you can bet that the young Milos will be well prepared, regardless of the reality that he’s unlikely to win.
@jpacnw,
I do believe that Raonic will make more of a match of it. However, it’s a whole different thing to play Novak in a best three out of five set match. Raonic better be prepared fitness wise to hang in there for the duration.
nny7: I don’t give Milos much hope in a best 3 out of 5 against Novak. While Milos’ fitness has improved, he’s not in Novak’s league in that department. His first serve is going to have to be working throughout the match. In Novak’s on court interview after his Rome semi-final against Milos, Novak said that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that frustrated during ROS. He was having a lot of trouble reading Milos’ serve and when he did return them, they lacked the depth of his normal ROS and it allowed Milos to then dictate the point. Milos’ first serve will be crucial in their upcoming match.
I often think of Rafa’s Charlie Rose interview after his US Open win last year against Novak. Rafa said that one of the keys to winning against Novak is “to create him some confusion.” Let’s hope that Milos can do that.
@jpacnw,
I agree. I even said that Tsonga might get a set if he was on his game! Too funny! But my official prediction was three sets. However, I did not expect it to be that easy. Unfortunately, Tsonga has not really done much this year. I think he’s kind of stuck. I don’t see him improving in any areas and maybe even slipping a bit. This was a disappointing effort.
@netrush,
It’s nice to have you here. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. I know that some have questioned how I support Rafa as his fan, but I know that in my heart he is the only one I care about and suffer any time he loses. I am way too emotionally invested in him for my own good, but there’s no help for it. I will continue to support Rafa in my own way always. I believe that you can have a favorite, yet still appreciate other players and their games. I try to use Rafa as my example. He is always so complimentary and respectful to his rivals. I don’t tell anyone else how to be a Rafa fan. That’s not my place. I just prefer to enjoy watching him and cheering him on as hard as possible.
Thanks NNY. I can now feel the warmth of a well knit family.
@jpacnw,
I think you make some excellent points about the difficult task facing Raonic. I also found it quite interesting to hear Novak’s thoughts on returning Raonic’s serve. You rarely see him get that frustrated against another player. To hear him say that he couldn’t get depth on his ROS against Raonic, is saying something. But I do agree that Raonic doesn’t have the fitness level yet to hang with Novak in a best three out of five set match. However, what I do like about him is how calm and poised he seems even in the tough moments of a match. I thought he kept it together well the last time he played Novak. He does have some mental toughness, so maybe he won’t fold when the going gets tough. I still think Novak gets the win, but it would be nice if the match was competitive.
@netrush,
I am glad that you feel that way. We may have our disagreements, but I think there is a love of this sport that comes through loud and clear. We are lucky that Ricky has created another home for all of us after TT bit the dust.
I enjoy reading your comments and look forward to reading more! 🙂
Rafa and Novak have been having an easy time of their matches….. hope it continues in the quarters for Rafa!!…………he he!!
One word to describe Jo-Willi’s game yesterday.
#Tshite