According to ranking and seed, not a single Frenchman was expected to reach the U.S. Open quarters. Instead, three in the top half of the draw alone have advanced that far. They will be back in action on Tuesday along with Novak Djokovic.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (9) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Djokovic and Tsonga will be squaring off for the 22nd time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals on the U.S. Open on Tuesday. The head-to-head series stands at 15-6 in favor of Djokovic, who once trailed Tsonga 5-2 but is 10-1 in their last 11 matches dating back to 2011. They have faced each other once this season, with the top-ranked Serb getting the job done 7-6(2), 7-6(2) in the quarters of the Indian Wells Masters.
Even though Djokovic is No. 1 in the 2016 race to London and the defending champion of this event, he headed into New York as a bit of a question mark. The 29-year-old lost early at Wimbledon to Sam Querrey and right away at the Rio Olympics to Juan Martin Del Potro amidst concerns of a slight wrist injury. But a routine first week may have been just what the doctor ordered for Djokovic, who got a walkover from Jiri Vesely and a retirement from Mikhail Youzhny in addition to wins over Jerzy Janowicz and Kyle Edmund. Tsonga has advanced by taking out Guido Andreozzi, James Duckworth, Kevin Anderson, and Jack Sock. The 11th-ranked Frenchman is now a three-time U.S. Open quarterfinalist, but he has never reached the semis. Djokovic raised his level considerably against Edmund, so there is reason to believe he will continue his recent mastery of this matchup.
Pick: Djokovic in 4
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(10) Gael Monfils vs. (24) Lucas Pouille
What a sport tennis is. On Wednesday of the first week, Pouille was one Marco Chiudinelli service hold from losing in the second round in straight sets to an opponent ranked No. 144 in the world. Four days later, Pouille found himself in the quarterfinals of the season’s final Grand Slam after stunning Rafael Nadal in a five-set thriller. The 22-year-old Frenchman’s 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6) victory marked a third consecutive match in which he went the distance, having previously outlasted Chiudinelli and Roberto Bautista Agut in five (4-6, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-0 and 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1). Through four rounds, Pouille–who opened with a four-set defeat of Mikhail Kukushkin–has contested 19 of 20 possible sets. The world No. 25 now owns 25 of his 40 career ATP-level match wins this season and he is expected to reach 18th in the rankings even if he loses his next match.
Speaking of five-setters, up next for Pouille on Tuesday is an all-French affair with Monfils. Their only previous showdown came in the first round of last year’s Australian Open, won by Monfils 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-4 6-1, 6-4. The world No. 12 has left the five-set drama this fortnight entirely to his younger countryman; in fact, he has not even surrendered a single set through four rounds. Monfils has maintained his awesome, no-nonsense 2016 form by crushing Gilles Muller, Jan Satral, Nicolas Almagro, and Marcos Baghdatis. His 39-11 record for the year includes the biggest title of his career in Washington, D.C. and it has him in serious World Tour Finals contention. A healthy, motivated Monfils may be the last opponent someone coming off three consecutive five-setters wants to play.
Pick: Monfils in 3
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