It’s been a pretty tough time for predictions at the French Open 2020, but the men’s quarterfinals are not completely unexpected. Let’s have a look!
If you want to have a look at the French Open 2020 draw, you can go to the official website. It’s been a fascinating French Open 2020 so far. Played in a chilly and rainy October, “the usual suspects” have still pretty much gone through the tournament. Both Djokovic and Nadal have looked close to unbeatable, while Tsitsipas and Rublev have impressed with their resilience (after playing the Hamburg final of the first day of the tournament!). Thiem has looked pretty good as well, but will fatigue catch up with him?
We should also not forget that Diego Schwartzman is in the form of his life and could very well upset Thiem today. If you’re into sports betting, I’d definitely consider my Schwartzman for the win. Thiem had to struggle quite a bit with Hugo Gaston in the fourth round, and although he is physically very strong, at some point some kind of weariness will come into play. And he won’t be getting any easy points from Schwartzman!
My prediction is therefore Schwartzman in five sets.
French Open Quarterfinals 2020 – Sinner vs Nadal
Jannik Sinner has perhaps not surprised as much as he has impressed. Yes, Zverev stated that he had fever and felt sick after the his four-set loss against the young Italian, but no matter what, Sinner was great. He has that effortless power that only real champions of the sport possesses and he should be a contentender for slam titles for years to come.
However, Rafa Nadal has won the French Open 12 times and is the undisputable King of Clay. You don’t beat that kind of confidence easily. Yes, the Spaniard has complained about slower balls and conditions, but once he got a bit more warmed-up he has looked his normal, terrifying self on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
That’s why I pick him as the clear favorite to win the match, although I think two sets will be tight. Rafa in three.
Rublev vs Tsitsipas
They played an amazing match in the Hamburg final, which Rublev won. That might give him a psychological edge. On the other hand, he has played more tennis at the French Open and he might be feeling a little tired. They are both very strong players though and I think we can expect a fight of grand magnitude. This one is the toughest match to predict, but I think Rublev is the mentally stronger player. He embodies the “All I do is win, win, win” attitude that you need to succeed at this stage of the game. It will likely be a grueling five-setter though. So my pick is Rublev in five.
Djokovic vs Carreno Busta
Djokovic has perhaps impressed me the most at this tournament. After his default at the US Open he seems a hundred percent focused on winning the French Open. He is my favorite to win the tournament and although Carreno Busta is a tough cookie on clay, I don’t see him putting a lot of problems towards the world number one.
It was actually Carreno Busta that was on the other side of the net when Djokovic got disqualified and you might wonder if that has any bearing on the outcome of this match. I think not. I think Djokovic just sees this as another necessary step towards the title and my assumption is that he won’t miss much in this match-up.
Carreno Busta is solid and can be annoying to hit through, but Djokovic is seemingly unbeatable to all players except Bautista-Agut and their 3-1 head-to-head includes the DQ from US Open. That’s why I will say Djokovic in straight sets (two tight ones).
Semi-finals
This leaves us with some potentially fascinating semi-finals to look forward to. Thiem vs Nadal and Djokovic vs Rublev. We’re not there yet, so let’s wait a bit with the prediction for those matches.
What are your thoughts on the men’s quarter-finals at the French Open 2020? Do you think my predictions will work out?
