French Open - Matches to watch out for on Day 8

The second week at the French Open kicks off tomorrow with the fourth round matches getting under way. Among those in the bottom half of the draw, Roger Federer stands out with 17 Grand Slam titles to his name. The other seven players in this half have combined to reach one Slam final. But still it’s no foregone conclusion that Federer will reach the title round. There’s plenty of tennis left to be played before that and here’s our recap of Sunday’s men’s matches.

(2) Roger Federer vs. (15) Gilles Simon H2H – Federer lads 3-2 (1-0 on clay)

On paper, Federer should have too much game and experience for the counter-punching Frenchman. But somehow, Simon seems to trouble Federer most of the time. Federer lost their first two encounters in 2008 in three sets each and needed five sets to win in Melbourne in 2011. His only easy win over the Frenchman was a straight sets victory in Rome on clay earlier this year (his other win came through a Simon retirement early in the first set).

Federer will be vulnerable again when the two meet this Sunday although he will be the fresher of the two. Federer has not dropped a set all week and has spent a little over four hours on the court. On the other hand, Simon has needed five sets to beat Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Querrey and has spent close to nine hours on the court. With the French crowd backing him, Simon could prove to be dangerous for the Swiss. But if it goes to five sets, Federer’s easy path so far should help him overcome the Frenchman.

Prediction – Federer in five sets

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(6) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Viktor Troicki – H2H tied at 3-3 (Tsonga leads 2-0 on clay)

57th ranked Viktor Troicki has been ranked as high as no. 12 in the world a couple of years ago. But his 2013 season has been a poor one, with a 12-14 record coming into Paris. Troicki needed five sets to defeat the unknown Spaniard Gimeno-Traver in the second round but came away with wins over James Blake and 10th seed Marin Cilic in straight sets each. The Serb does not have any major weapons in his arsenal but seems to trouble Tsonga often enough.

Tsonga hasn’t dropped a set yet this week and he has come through some quality opposition – Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen and fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. Tsonga has been working with a new coach, Roger Rasheed, since the end of last season with the sole aim of winning a Grand Slam singles title and at the age of 28, there may not be too many opportunities for him. Tsonga’s all-court power attack should see him through this one unless he has a really bad day.

Prediction – Tsonga wins in four sets

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(4) David Ferrer vs. Kevin Anderson H2H Tied at 1-1 (First meeting on clay)

Not many would have expected the big serving South African Anderson to do well on clay, especially after undergoing elbow surgery in late January. But 6 ft 9 inches Anderson has climbed to a career high ranking of no. 25 with a 22-9 record for the season. This is the second consecutive Slam that Anderson has reached the last 16, having knocked off 14th seed Milos Roanic in the third round.

Ferrer, a semifinalist here last year, has not dropped a set all week. The Spaniard prefers playing on hard courts compared to clay and doesn’t have the belief of a champion to go along with his champion-like work ethic. The Spaniard will likely prove to be too solid from the baseline for the South African, who is the first from his country to make the last 16 in Paris since Wayne Ferreira in 1996.

Prediction – Ferrer in straight sets

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(11) Nicolas Almagro vs. (32) Tommy Robredo – Almagro leads 5-0 (4-0 on clay)

Had it not been for 35-year-old Tommy Haas, 31-year-old Tommy Robredo would have been the sentimental favourite at this year’s French Open. The former world no. 5 was ranked no. 470 at the start of last year’s French Open but has climbed all the way back to no. 34. Robredo has reached the quarters in Paris on four occasions as compared to Almagro who has done the same thrice. They both play a similar game but Almagro has four years younger legs, which could prove to be a telling factor if the match goes the distance (Robredo needed five sets to win his last two rounds), as could their head-to-head which is surprisingly one-sided in Almagro’s favour (Robredo has won only one set against Almagro in their head-to-head meetings).

Prediction – Almagro in four sets