Tuesday Men's Quarter-Finals Preview - FRENCH OPEN 2015

An explosive and unpredictable French Open is nearing its conclusion. And now the real spectacle unfolds. The men’s draw has gone mostly according to plot; it hasn’t been without its share of surprises and shocks. Out of the Top 8 seeds, only Tomas Berdych missed out on a QF berth after being beaten by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday. Now, the remaining players will face off in star-studded quarterfinals.

(14) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs (5) Kei Nishikori (JPN)

Kei Nishikori of Japan is congratulated on his victory by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2012 Australian Open.

France’s 22 year wait for a home-born Roland Garros Champion continues as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will combat against Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the QFs of the French Open today. The match-up is scheduled to be played on Philippe Chatrier where Jean Gachassin, the FFT president along with the 15000 passionate French fans will be behind the Muhammad Ali look-a-like Frenchman to end their historic wait. Meanwhile, Nishikori has been steadily stepping it up at the majors. He is into his 3rd straight Grand Slam QF (F in US Open, QF in Aus Open) and will be looking to upset the Pro-Tsonga crowd. Former French Open winner Michael Chang who coaches Kei will try to inspire the 25-year old Kei to emulate his 1989 performance in Paris. This has been the 3rd time Tsonga is into the last 8 in Paris (QF in 2012, SF in 2013). Tsonga lost to Novak Djokovic in 2012 (held 4 match points) and beat Roger Federer in 2013 QF in straight sets.

Both players offer some of the most diverse skill sets in the world and can pull any shot out of the bag. Their games, adaptable to any surface in the world, are defined by power and athleticsim. Though Tsonga has a clear height advantage, Nishikori is the more nimble of the two. And his advantage in foot speed neutralizes the Frenchman's power. The potential rallies alone between them should be enough to entice any fan.

This marks the 6th time that the two athletes will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Nishikori – Tsonga head-to-head series poised at 4-1 (all meetings on hard courts). Since this is their 1st meeting on clay, it could perhaps impact their performances.

Prediction: Kei Nishikori in 4 Sets (Expect Tsonga to crumble under pressure).

STATS METER:

1. Kei Nishikori is first Japanese man to reach the quarter-finals since Jiro Satoh, a semi-finalist in 1931 and 1933. He has not dropped a set this week (1R - Paul-Henri Mathieu, 2R - Thomaz Bellucci, 3R - Benjamin Becker (Walkover), 4R - Teymuraz Gabashvili). He has now made the QF of all slams except Wimbledon (best result 4R 2014).

2. Tsonga will be attempting to reach the SF in Roland Garros for the 2nd (SF in 2013, l. to Ferrer). Henri Laconte was the last French to reach the multiple SF in Roland Garros (SF in 1986, F in 1988, SF in 1992). Tsonga has dropped just 1 set in reaching the QF (1R – Lindell, 2R – Sela, 3R – Andujar, 4R – Berdych).

(8) Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) vs (2) Roger Federer (SUI)

Wawrinka(L) shakes hands with compatriot Federer. Federer would go on to win the match

Swiss fans can rub their hands with glee as they are guaranteed to have a man in the SF at Roland Garros. 2009 champion Roger Federer will meet dear friend and Davis Cup team-mate Stan Wawrinka in the 2nd QF to be played on Suzanne Lenglen. Roger got the better of Frenchman Gael Monfils in the 4R match played on Monday (the match was suspended on Sunday with the sets tied 1-1). Meanwhile Wawrinka has been playing good tennis lately highlighted by the victory over Nadal in the QF of the Rome Masters. Stan has typically struggled against Federer but has performed better against his country-man & idol in the last few meetings. Their controversial meeting in the SF of the ATP World Tour Finals last year was one of the top matches of the season (Federer winning in 3 sets; saved 4 match points). They went on win the Davis Cup Final against France after this event.

Both are all-court players and can produce shot-making of the highest quality and precision. Wawrinka‘s offensive single-handed backhand is a treat for any tennis fan but Federer’s backhand has more variety with the slice coming into picture. Federer’s net play could be the difference between the two. This match-up promises to provide exceptional rallies and aggressive tennis. With Federer facing perhaps his last realistic chance to win another French Open, there would be plenty on the line if they face one another.

This marks the 19th time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head-to-head series 16-2. Federer also leads 4-2 on clay winning both their matches in Paris (4R in 2010 & 2011). Federer also won their recent encounter on clay in the SF of the Rome Masters this year enroute to the final. It will be curious to see if Stan will be able to tumble the 17-time Grand Slam champion this time around.

Prediction: Roger Federer in 5 Sets (Since Stan’s favourite surface is clay; he will definitely push Roger to a deciding set).

STATS METER:

1. Stan Wawrinka is through to his second QF at Roland Garros (QF in 2013, l. to Nadal). Wawrinka has dropped only 1 set in reaching the QF (1R – ?lhan, 2R – Lajovi?, 3R – Johnson, 4R – Simon)

2. Federer is through to his 11th QF (7-3 record in QF) in Roland Garros extending his record of maximum QFs at Roland Garros (Nadal is behind him at 10, Vilas/Agassi/Djokovic are tied at 9 QF appearances). Federer has also reached the QF dropping only 1 set (1R – Falla, 2R – Granollers, 3R – Džumhur, 4R – Monfils).