Chasing a dream. Today, Italian tennis is looking at Jasmine Paolini, who has the opportunity to reach the quarter-finals in a Slam for the first time in his career. The Tuscan tennis player will open the program on Suzanne Lenglen (11.00 am), facing the Russian Elina Avanesyan, number 70 in the world rankings, who already managed to reach the round of 16 last year as a lucky loser.
An excellent Roland Garros so far for Paolini, who conceded only one set in the tournament and in the previous round against the Canadian Bianca Andreescu. A match, however, that could easily have ended in two sets, given that the Italian wasted numerous break points in the second set before a missed pass in the eighth game. On the other hand, Avanesyan emerged victorious in the third round from an almost three-hour battle with the Chinese Qinwen Zheng, with the Russian prevailing in the tie-break of the third set, putting the Asian in great difficulty with a very defensive and doesn’t put the opponent into rhythm at all.
After staying up late against Lorenzo Musetti, this time Novak Djokovic will not play in the evening. The match with the Italian was truly intense, with the Serbian exceptional in the last two sets. In those circumstances the real Djokovic was seen again and also for this reason the challenge with the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo will be a decidedly important test for the world number one.
The evening program of the Philippe Chatrier will be occupied by probably the most anticipated challenge of the day, the one between Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune. The German is coming off an incredible victory against the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, recovering from a double break deficit, while the Dane had come close to being eliminated in the second round against a wonderful Flavio Cobolli. This match is very significant for both of them, an exam that is worth a lot in the season of one or the other: Zverev must once and for all know how to manage the pressure of being among the main favorites in a Slam, while Rune is called to do that a leap in quality that he has never yet managed to make in the Majors.
The other two men’s round of 16 matches are definitely interesting. Almost on the sidelines and away from the main spotlight there is a Daniil Medvedev who wants to find the quarter-finals in Paris after the last and only time in 2021. The Russian will face Alex De Minaur, who is at the best result of his career on the Parisian red clay. Finishing off Suzanne Lenglen will be the Norwegian Casper Ruud and the American Taylor Fritz, both chasing a place in the quarterfinals where Novak Djokovic could find himself.
Two complicated challenges await Iga Swiatek’s main rivals in the women’s Roland Garros. Indeed Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka they will face the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and the American Emma Navarro respectively. To complete the round of 16, the match between the young Russian Mirra Andreeva and the last French hope of the tournament Varvara Gracheva.
