'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As we move to the quarter-finals at the French Open, some of the big players have been ousted from the tournament, with those lower-ranked progressing instead – clay really does separate tennis players!
Here’s a list of all the men’s seeds who were upset this past week:
John Isner
Big-serving American John Isner lost in the Round of 32 here, tumbling out in a hard-fought five set loss to Russian sensation Karen Khachanov. Isner, the #21 seed, played the 21-year-old expecting to win, with the Russian winning the first set in a tiebreak before rain interrupted play. Brought back the next day to play, Isner lost the first set relatively cheaply at 3-6, before winning the next set in a tiebreak.
That would be the only set Isner took.
Khachanov took the 4th set in yet another tiebreak, ending the tall American’s French Open hopes and going on to play Andy Murray. The Russian won 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 6-7(7-5), 7-6(7-3).
In what may be a consolation prize for Isner, however, Khachanov lost in straight sets to World No. 1 Murray soon after, with Murray winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Milos Raonic
Considered a fair hope to go deep at the Open, 5th seed Milos Raonic, who had a decent start to his hard-court season this year, lost in five sets to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, the #20 seed.
Raonic took an early lead, winning the first set 6-4, when Carreno Busta battled back to take the next in a tiebreak. The Spaniard played a sustained level of tennis thereafter, and although Raonic edged him out in the next set tiebreak, he took the final set and decider 6-4, 8-6 to set up an all-Spanish quarter-final against Rafael Nadal.
Grigor Dimitrov
This may not have been the most surprising upset considering that Dimitrov has not had much form lately, but the Bulgarian player had an excellent outing at the 2017 Australian Open, which may have given his fans some hope.
That said, the 11th seed took a couple of early wins before his Round of 32 exit to Pablo Carreno Busta, who has progressed to the quarters.
Carreno-Busta won 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(8), 6-4, 8-6.
Alexander Zverev
Although Zverev is only 20 years old, this was one of the biggest upsets at Roland Garros. The German, who recently became the youngest player in the ATP Top 10, was fresh off his first ever home – and clay court title in Bavaria, which he followed up with a straight sets win over World No. 2 Novak Djokovic at the clay-court Italian Open to win the title there; he thus became the youngest player since Djokovic himself to win a Masters level title.
Many expected Zverev to go deep into the tournament and contest against some of the top-ranked players, but he lost to Fernando Verdasco in the Round of 128.
The loss may be surprising for Zverev, but Verdasco’s specialty has been being a giant-killer; he ousts some of the sport’s biggest names from big draws – case in point: the Australian Open of 2016, where Verdasco ousted Rafael Nadal in Round 1, thereby handing him the ignominy of the earliest ever Grand Slam exit he has faced in his career.
Verdasco won this one 6-, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Although he has struggled with a few injuries lately, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a former finalist at the French Open – his home Grand Slam. The former Top-10 player, seeded #12 at Roland Garros, is the country’s top-ranked tennis player and was down two sets to one to Renzo Olivo of Argentina when the pair’s match was halted for bad light. At the time, Olivo, the World No. 91, was leading 5-4 and one game away from ousting Tsonga from the tournament.
Olivo resumed the next day to finish what he had started, defeating Tsonga 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-4.
Jack Sock
No. 21 seed Jack Sock of the USA has never gone beyond the fourth round at a Major in the singles, but this time saw one of his earliest losses in recent years. The 24-year-old lost in straight sets to Czech player Jiri Vesely.
Vesely, the World No. 57, would go on to beat Briton Aljaz Bedene – ranked higher than him at 52 – in four sets, before eventually losing the same way to 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
Bautista Agut in turn lost his Round of 16 match to Rafael Nadal.
Vesely beat Sock 7-5, 7-5, 6-3.
