French Open R4 previews and predictions: Tsitsipas vs. Carreno Busta, Davidovich Fokina vs. Delbonis

Stefanos Tsitsipas, coming off a tough win over John Isner, faces another stern test as he takes on Pablo Carreno Busta for a spot in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina battles Federico Delbonis.

(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (12) Pablo Carreno Busta

Stefanos Tsitsipas watched as many of the other seeds in the bottom half of the draw were knocked out in the first week. For his part, the Greek has taken care of business relatively comfortably. He cruised through rounds one and two with straight-set wins over Jeremy Chardy and Pedro Martinez, respectively. John Isner gave the world No. 5 a bit of a scare by taking the first set in their third-round encounter, but Tsitispas righted the ship to win in four.

Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta has quietly moved into the round of 16. Like Tsitispas, the world No. 12 dropped one set en route to the fourth round. Because Carreno Busta isn’t a typical Spanish clay-courter, he is often left out of the conversation as a serious contender for the French Open–but he’s made the quarterfinals twice and he’s had a good tournament so far.

Along with Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud, Tsitsipas has had one of the best clay seasons on the tour this year. He is the decided favorite, not just to win this match but also to find his way to the final next Sunday. Carreno Busta won’t roll over, but Tsitsipas should find his way through.

Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 4

Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 4

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Federico Delbonis

The French Open has been chock full of surprises so far, but perhaps no pair is a more surprising round of 16 duo than Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Federico Delbonis. Davidovich Fokina had a monster upset win over No. 15 seed Casper Ruud in the third round to set up this fourth-round encounter.

Delbonis had something of a third-round upset of his own with a straight-set win over the No. 27 seed Fabio Fognini. The world No. 51 had a previous best result of the second round at Roland Garros, so even making the fourth round is quite a triumph for the Argentine. This will be his first match against Davidovich Fokina.

Given the skill the Spaniard displayed in taking out Ruud, the slight nod has to go to Davidovich Fokina in this one. The youngster showed impressive grit and some fantastic shot-making.

Cheryl pick: Davidovich Fokina in 4

Ricky pick: Delbonis in 4