2024 French Open Day 8: 4R Begins With Alcaraz v FAA, Sinner, Swiatek, Gauff
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After a wet first seven days, the French Open is miraculously on schedule as far as the singles goes. That means on this middle Sunday the fourth round will get underway with just eight matches.
The forecast does call for much better, drier weather week two but it won’t matter because the rest of the singles event will be played on courts with roofs.
On Chatrier Sunday, it’s four reigning Grand Slam champions with Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff opening play back-to-back. The two stars seem all but headed to a semifinal showdown on Thursday.
Swiatek takes on Russian Anastasia Poptapova while Gauff gets Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Swiatek has won her last 17 matches at the French Open and 15 straight on tour.
On Lenglen, former finalist Marketa Vondrousova the qualifier from Serbia Olga Danilovic and then it’s a first-time meeting between two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur and young Dane Clara Tauson.
“Just reminding everyone that I’m still here,” Jabeur said Friday. “It’s also nice to prove for myself because I’ve been in a bad place for months trying to get back and gain back my confidence. But, again, to be in the second week, it’s really important for me and for the hard work that I did, recognizing that not everything that I was doing just like that.”
The men’s draw will see action from Carlos Alcaraz who collides for a sixth time with Felix Auger Alissiame. The Canadian leads 3-2 in their series.
“It’s the first time we play on clay so that’s obviously different,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I beat him in indoors. He beat me twice in Indian Wells. So very different conditions now.
“All these things together make it different, but obviously it’s as big of a challenge as it gets. You play one of the best players in the world so it’s always a special match against him or Novak or Jannik. We haven’t played in a while, but these guys are, yeah, always a big challenge, but I’m feeling better and better.”
“I feel like I have more and more belief in my game and what I do. I think I have all the reasons to believe that I can win, but obviously we know the challenge, it’s a tough one.”
At night, Jannik Sinner takes on the France’s last men’s hope in Corentin Moutet.
“I feel good,” Sinner said Friday. “The hip at the moment feels good, which I’m very, very proud. Me and my team, we made a very good job to be in the position to play here.
“As I said, the general physical shape is not where I want to be. We try to prepare my body in the best possible way. The weather today was also different. It was very cold, so it’s also different to play. The balls and the court are very heavy.”
Lenglen will see Stefanos Tsitsipas meeting Matteo Arnaldi in a good one and late it will be two guys who finished Saturday, Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz.
“I have been keeping an eye on him,” Tsitsipas said of Arnaldi. “I know exactly what kind of a profile of player he is because I saw him play in Barcelona, I saw him play in Rome, I saw him play here.
“I have been keeping an eye on him the last six months, I would say, when he really started making bigger appearances on the ATP Tour. So he’s definitely someone that gets out on the court and fights repetitively. He doesn’t give up. I’ve noticed that on him.
“He’s a very good fighter. When it comes to the battle, he will fight and he will not give up. This is something for sure that I do expect. He has a strong desire to, like, do well in what he does.”
SUNDAY FRENCH OPEN SCHEDULE
Court Philippe-CHATRIER – Début à 11h00
Iga SWIATEK (POL)[1] contre Anastasia POTAPOVA (—)
Coco GAUFF (USA)[3] contre Elisabetta COCCIARETTO (ITA)
Pas avant 14h00
Felix AUGER-ALIASSIME (CAN)[21] contre Carlos ALCARAZ (ESP)[3]
Pas avant 20h15
Corentin MOUTET (FRA) contre Jannik SINNER (ITA)[2]
Court Suzanne-LENGLEN – Début à 11h00
Olga DANILOVIC (SRB) contre Marketa VONDROUSOVA (CZE)[5]
Matteo ARNALDI (ITA) contre Stefanos TSITSIPAS (GRE)[9]
Clara TAUSON (DEN) contre Ons JABEUR (TUN)[8]
Pas avant 17h00
Hubert HURKACZ (POL)[8] Grigor DIMITROV (BUL)[10]
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