French Open - Quarterfinal (Day 1) Predictions

A couple of mouthwatering clashes await us on Day 1 of the Roland Garros 2024 quarterfinals. Sinner battles a resurgent Dimitrov in a rematch of this year's Miami final, while Tsitsipas tries to snap his losing H2H streak against Alcaraz.

Sinner vs Dimitrov

Jannik Sinner had a mighty - albeit rather short-lived - scare against Corentin Moutet in his Round of 16. The two had never faced off before, and with the roaring energy of the French supporters blowing wind into his sails, Moutet was off to a flying start. He saw three breaks of serve come his way in rapid succession and was even on the verge of closing out the set 6-0. While he did squander two set points and was broken back, he came through his next service game to seal the set 6-2 and produce one of the most stunning scorelines of 2024. Then, in the very first game of the second set, Moutet broke again. The crowd reached a fever pitch. Corentin was pumped up. But the smile was wiped quickly off his face. Sinner slowly but surely found his range and rhythm, and like all great champions, studied, dissected and analysed the Frenchman before pouncing. Rumour has it that in the first set, Sinner was focusing more on Moutet than the ball itself. But as the tides turned, Jannik broke back promptly and the second set was gone in a flash. Much of the same happened in the next two. With his bodacious shotmaking falling awry and his confidence evaporating quickly, Moutet metamorphosed into a petulant child. Following the tragedy of the second set, the Frenchman produced an exhibition of brashness and truculence that reeked of helplessness; he was stranded in the shark-infested waters of Jannik Sinner, and was flapping about in a way that was agonisingly futile to watch. Sinner clinched the final two sets 6-2, 6-1, and with that, the World No. 2's magic trick was complete.

On the other hand, I don't think anybody was expecting Grigor Dimitrov to trump Hurkacz the way that he did. The Pole was enjoying a career-best season on the dirt that included a title in Estoril, and was savouring every bite of his flourishing relationship with this surface. But there were early signs of struggle right from the outset in Paris. After being stretched to five sets against qualifier Mochizuki and dropping the first set against Nakashima, Hurkacz's game was scratchy. He put up a slightly better performance against the enigma that is Denis Shapovalov. But in the fourth round, he hit a wall against the inspired tennis of Dimitrov. This match had everything; from attempted umpire mutiny to delightfully lengthy rallies, it did not fail to entertain. But Dimitrov proves time and time again just why he has the winning formula against Hurkacz. With a hasty straight-sets victory on Monday, the Bulgarian completed the set of quarterfinals reached at all grand slams.

Unfortunately for him, I don't think he can surprise anyone much more this tournament. The last time Jannik and Grigor met, it was merciless demolition from the Italian to capture the Miami title. Dimitrov's aggression simply isn't enough against someone like Sinner, and his backhand slice will be devoured. I am giving the Bulgarian the benefit of snagging a set simply because of how shaky Sinner looked against Moutet. But once Sinner settles into things, expect Dimitrov to succumb to his own vulnerabilities.

Prediction: Sinner in 4

Alcaraz vs Tsitsipas

Just like Sinner, Tsitsipas survived a heart-stopping scare in his fourth round. With Matteo Arnaldi nicking the first set in the pair's first-ever meeting, doubt was already starting to creep into the Greek's mind. But when the Italian broke again in the second set and then conjured up two set points on Tsitsipas's serve at 5-3, panic alarms were starting to blare loud and clear. Arnaldi was no pushover; having already reached the second week of a slam last year, Matteo routed sixth seed Rublev in the third round in three routine sets. Although Arnaldi put up a masterful performance, it was Rublev's uncontainable rage that bubbled, boiled and spilled out - corroding his game and leaving it in tarnished ruin - ultimately sealing his fate. But Tsitsipas did well to come through that game. From there on, Stef's confidence returned; and although Arnaldi had two more set points on his own serve on 5-4, it was all in vain. The ninth seed broke back in the nick of time, prompting a shake of the racket. Even when he was down a mini-break in the tiebreak, Stefanos clawed his way back to eventually take it 7-4 with a clenched fist. And then Arnaldi crumbled. Perhaps the despondency of four wasted set points got to him, or maybe his stamina dwindled. All we know is that after dropping that breaker, he was not the same again. Full credit to the Greek for approaching the net so well and finishing points with urgency - this prevented Arnaldi from neutralising points and was something Rublev was unable to do.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz has been unimpressive so far at the French capital. His forearm injury has prevented him from clocking the ball at astonishing speeds but he has been lucky enough to run into some pretty lacklustre opposition. After navigating past Korda in straight sets - a loss that had more to do with the American's inadequacy than the Spaniard's excellence - he came up against another subpar adversary in Auger-Aliassime. As expected, the Canadian was trounced, and with the roof wide open, Alcaraz ploughed through Felix's error-strewn ground game with ease in happy, sunny conditions.

The first time these two played at the US Open in 2021, boy did it deliver. Alcaraz was outside the Top 100 and triumphed in five compelling sets. But while Alcaraz rose meteorically in the years following, Tsitsipas stagnated. Their 5-0 head-to-head is proof of this, and with each instalment, the Greek seems to drift further and further from any chance of a win. The blueprint remains the same for Carlos: bludgeon the ball to Tsitsipas's backhand, and he will eventually receive either a shank or a weak putaway. With Stefanos perenially on the back foot, the Spaniard can also employ the dropshot when he needs to. And with Tsitispas's backhand slice essentially a nonentity, the Greek will find it almost impossible to neutralise rallies. However, I do think Stef can make this a match. He will be hungrier and more motivated than ever to gain revenge on his nemesis, and with the success he's had this clay season, may just pull a rabbit out of the hat. I do think that one day, Tsitsipas can get a win on this H2H. But I don't think it will be today.

Prediction: Alcaraz in 5