The French Open’s fourth spherical heats up Monday with prime seeds Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff on the courts, whereas Novak Djokovic chases a historic milestone – his one centesimal win at Roland Garros.
British followers will likely be glued to the evening session, the place Cameron Norrie takes on Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, adopted by Jack Draper, the match’s fifth seed, additionally aiming to make waves.
On the boys’s facet, Djokovic is using excessive after capturing his one centesimal profession title on the Geneva Open.
At Roland Garros, he stands on the cusp of a uncommon feat – changing into solely the second man after 14-time champion Rafael Nadal to notch 100 wins on the Paris clay.
Djokovic’s third-round victory over qualifier Filip Misolic marked his 99th match win on the French Open, equaling his personal document on the Australian Open the place he has lifted the trophy 10 occasions. His grass-court dominance is clear with 97 Wimbledon wins, alongside 90 on the U.S. Open.
“I’m just hoping to carry on,” Djokovic stated. “Every time I step onto this court I’m playing for history.”
But Djokovic’s pursuit of Nadal’s jaw-dropping document of 112 wins will possible prolong nicely into his 40s if he’s to surpass it.
Standing in Djokovic’s manner is Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who surprised the tennis world by upsetting Daniil Medvedev within the opening spherical and is now within the final 16 for the primary time at Roland Garros. “That match with Daniil was so tough, such a big test for me,” Norrie mirrored. “To make the second week for the first time is so, so good, especially coming at a time when I wasn’t stringing a lot of wins together.”
Norrie’s confidence is excessive, however Djokovic stays a formidable opponent. The Serbian star has but to drop a set in Paris, whereas Norrie has misplaced all 5 of their earlier conferences, together with a latest semifinal in Geneva.
Their rivalry grew tense final 12 months in Rome, the place Djokovic criticized Norrie’s sportsmanship after an surprising overhead smash at his again.
On the ladies’s facet, Russian sixth seed Mirra Andreeva is but to drop a set, showcasing dominant kind after sweeping previous Yulia Putintseva by successful 9 of the final 10 video games of their third-round match. Andreeva now faces a well-known foe in Daria Kasatkina, the Russian-born Australian who lately ousted tenth seed Paula Badosa in straight units.
The two apply companions share mutual respect and friendship. “It’s going to be an entertaining match for sure,” Andreeva stated. “We know each other very well, so it might be pretty tight.” Kasatkina recalled their solely earlier encounter final 12 months in Ningbo, an exhilarating three-set duel that led to her favor. “Mirra is an amazing player and a very nice girl. We’re kind of friends. The last match was a big drama. Let’s see what happens here – it’ll be our first meeting on clay.”
Monday’s motion kicks off on Court Philippe-Chatrier with matches that includes twentieth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova versus Coco Gauff, Lois Boisson dealing with Jessica Pegula, Norrie towards Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner taking over Andrey Rublev.
Meanwhile, on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Andreeva battles Kasatkina, Alexander Zverev meets Tallon Griekspoor, Madison Keys clashes with Hailey Baptiste, and Jack Draper challenges Alexander Bublik.
Source: www.dailysabah.com