But will we be able to see those quarterfinals on Friday? The forecast in Rome looks rather rainy, especially later in the day, so it may be challenging to complete play.
In men’s singles, two of the quarterfinals feature four of the top six players in the world. Only one day after a three-and-a-half-hour epic against Denis Shapovalov, nine-time champion Rafael Nadal must face Madrid champion Sascha Zverev, who defeated him in the quarters just last week. And five-time Novak Djokovic takes on Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has claimed 17 of his last 20 matches on clay.
In women’s singles, two-time champion Elina Svitolina plays a Roland Garros champion for the second consecutive day. On Thursday, Svitolina took out Muguruza in straight sets. On Friday, she’ll do battle with Iga Swiatek, who has won 12 of her last 13 on clay. Another French open champ, Ash Barty, will play 17-year-old Coco Gauff for the first time, as Coco looks to upset a seeded player for the third round in a row.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s two most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play begins at 10:00am local time.
Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Sascha Zverev (6) – Not Before 12:00pm on Center Court
What will Nadal have left after Shapovalov took him to the limit on Thursday? Zverev will certainly be the fresher player, and will walk onto court with plenty of confidence. While Rafa claimed their first five meetings, Sascha has now grabbed their last three, and all in straight sets. That includes his victory just seven days ago in Madrid, which is part of Zverev’s current seven-match win streak. And during that span, he’s dropped only two sets.
In recent years, the quarterfinals of this event have been a stumbling block for Nadal. He’s lost in the quarters four out of the last six years. It’s difficult to ever refer to Rafa as an underdog on clay, even when he’s behind in a match. However, he just might be the underdog on this day.
Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Iga Swiatek (15) – Not Before 6:00pm on Center Court
Svitolina has been solid yet unspectacular in 2021. She’s accumulated a 19-8 record, though she hasn’t reached a final since last September in Strasbourg. As of today, Swiatek has compiled a record of 16-5, which exactly matches her record from 2020. The reigning French Open champ also won the title in Adelaide this past February. This will be their first career meeting, and it will be interesting to see how the defense skills of Svitolina match up with the more offensive style of Swiatek.
Elina won this tournament in 2017 and 2018, so this may be the best venue for her to elevate her season. And despite Iga’s great successes early in her career, this is the farthest she’s ever been at a WTA 1000 event. Notably, this is scheduled to be the last match of the evening session on Center Court. If the match gets onto court, it will likely be played in slow, wet conditions. Even though Swiatek thrived in cooler weather last fall at Roland Garros, those conditions should favor the game of Svitolina. And Elina has a huge edge in experience at this level, as she looks to reach her 12th WTA 1000 semifinal.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) – Djokovic leads their head-to-head 4-2, and 2-0 on clay. That includes their most recent clash last October at Roland Garros, when Tsitsipas came back from two sets down, only to lose in five.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Coco Gauff – Barty is now 27-4 on the year, and is vying for her fifth semifinal. Gauff is yet to reach a semifinal this season, but this week she’s played her best tennis in quite some time, taking out both Maria Sakkari and Aryna Sabalenka.
Karolina Pliskova (9) vs. Jelena Ostapenko – Pliskova has advanced to the championship match in Rome each of the last two years. This is Ostapenko’s second quarterfinal here, and her first in three years. Pliskova is 4-3 against Ostapenko, and prevailed when they met last month on clay in Stuttgart.
Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Lorenzo Sonego – Rublev is already playing for his 30th win of the year. Sonego survived an over-three-hour battle with Dominic Thiem, which ended at 11:00pm local time on Thursday night. Last October in the final of Vienna, Rublev took out Sonego 6-4, 6-4.
Petra Martic vs. Jessica Pegula – Prior to this week, Martic hadn’t won three consecutive matches since last year’s US Open. Pegula continues to take her career to new heights, as she’s set to debut in the top 30 next week. The 27-year-old American upset Naomi Osaka two rounds ago. When they played on clay two years ago in Charleston, the match went to Martic in three sets.
Reilly Opelka vs. Federico Delbonis (Q) – Opelka defeated Aslan Karatsev on Thursday to reach his second Masters 1000 quarterfinal. For 30-year-old Delbonis, this is his first-ever quarterfinal at this level. Opelka and Delbonis have never played before, but whoever wins will make their Masters semifinal debut.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
