Roger Federer Upset by Felix Auger Aliassime at 2021 Noventi Open Before Wimbledon
Jun 16, 2021
HALLE, GERMANY - JUNE 16: Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a forehand in his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada during day 5 of the Noventi Open at OWL-Arena on June 16, 2021 in Halle, Germany. (Photo by Thomas F. Starke/Getty Images)
Roger Federer's final tuneup event for Wimbledon didn't go as expected.
Felix Auger Aliassime upset Federer in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the round of 16 at the Noventi Open in Halle, Germany on Wednesday.
Big win for Canada's FAA beating Roger Federer in a 3rd set on grass at Halle.
Fed had won this event 10 times and will stumble into Wimbledon beginning June 28. https://t.co/RYszGA5y1u
Federer has played sparingly this season as he tries to decrease the amount of stress on his body after undergoing multiple knee surgeries last year.
After playing just three matches in the first five months, the 39-year-old attempted to win his second French Open and 21st Grand Slam singles title. The Swiss won each of his first three matches at Roland Garros, but a four-set win over Dominik Koepfer that took nearly four hours to complete proved to be more than his body could handle.
Federer announced prior to a fourth-round match against Matteo Berrettini that he was withdrawing from the French Open.
“I’m just realistic and I know I will not win the French, and whoever thought I would or could win it is wrong," Federer said.
The Halle Open in Germany will be Federer's final event before heading to the All England Club at the end of the month. He will be looking to win his ninth career Wimbledon singles title.
The 2021 Wimbledon Championships will start on June 28.
French Open 2021: Wimbledon Predictions After Djokovic vs. Tsitsipas Results
Jun 14, 2021
Serbia's Novak Djokovic slams a forehand to Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during their final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, June 13, 2021 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Novak Djokovic stormed through the 2021 Australian Open bracket and emerged victorious. He staved off elimination numerous times at the 2021 French Open and ended up on top. And now, the 34-year-old is set up to potentially make some history later this summer.
By winning the first two major tournaments of the year, Djokovic is halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, a feat that has only been achieved three times in men's singles play. Don Budge did it in 1938, and Rod Laver accomplished it in both 1962 and 1969.
It's difficult to accomplish, but right now, Djokovic is rolling. He's won seven of the past 11 Grand Slam events, and his victory at the French Open on Sunday marked only the second time he's won the event at the Stade Roland Garros (he had only won it in 2016 before).
Djokovic is only the third men's singles player to complete a career Grand Slam twice (joining Laver and Roy Emerson), and he's now won 19 major tournament titles. That has him one shy of the all-time men's singles record, which is currently held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
If the Serb completes the calendar Grand Slam by winning Wimbledon in July and the U.S. Open in September, then he'll pass Federer and Nadal. And shortly after winning the French Open, Djokovic laid out his plan moving forward.
"Obviously I will enjoy this win and then think about Wimbledon in a few days' time," Djokovic said, per Reuters. "I don't have an issue to say that I'm going for the title in Wimbledon."
In 2020, Wimbledon was the only one of the four Grand Slam events to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the last one held, Djokovic won the tournament for a second year in a row.
So can Djokovic win a third straight Wimbledon title and fifth overall, or can somebody put a halt to his run?
Early Wimbledon Prediction
From 2003-19, Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have combined to win 15 of the 17 Wimbledon titles. The only other men's singles player to win the event at the All England Club is Andy Murray, who won in both 2013 and 2016.
So if anybody is going to beat Djokovic right now, history would favor either Federer, Nadal or Murray doing so. However, there are concerns regarding all three heading into the tournament.
Federer missed three major tournaments following two knee surgeries. He returned at the 2021 French Open, but he withdrew ahead of his fourth-round match to not push his body and get some additional rest before Wimbledon. However, will the 39-year-old be in good enough shape to make a run for his ninth title there?
Nadal may not play Wimbledon, as he is undecided if he'll enter the tournament. He dealt with a back injury earlier in the year and could opt to rest after making a deep run at the French Open. And the two-time Wimbledon champ has come up short in three of his past four Grand Slam appearances. If he plays, can he get back on track?
Murray typically fares well at Wimbledon, but he's played in only four of the past 14 Grand Slam events (the last being the 2020 French Open), and he hasn't made it past the second round at a major tournament since reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2017. How much rust will the Scot have to shake off next month?
Of course, there could always be a first-time Wimbledon winner, such as Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas or Dominic Thiem. They should all be legitimate contenders.
However, Djokovic is just on too much of a roll right now. He beat Nadal in the French Open semifinals, which has been a nearly impossible task, and then he beat Tsitsipas in the final after losing the first two sets. That goes to show how well Djokovic has been playing of late.
While surprises can always happen, the early prediction here is that Djokovic wins his 20th career Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, pulling even with Federer and Nadal and moving a U.S. Open victory away from completing a calendar Grand Slam.
Prediction: Djokovic wins his sixth career Wimbledon title
French Open 2021 Men's Final: Early Predictions for Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon
Jun 13, 2021
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 13: Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates as he holds the trophy after winning his Men's Singles Final match against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during Day Fifteen of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on June 13, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The legend of Novak Djokovic grows.
After becoming the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open on more than one occasion—he was already just one of two opponents ever to beat Nadal at Roland Garros, alongside Robin Soderling—he won his second French Open title Sunday, defeating Stefano Tsitsipas in five sets.
It was the 19th Grand Slam title of Djokovic's career, putting him just one behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal atop the career leaderboard. And it put the rest of the ATP on notice for the upcoming Wimbledon, where Djokovic will be the favorite at the All England Club.
No surprises there. Djokovic is the two-time defending champion and has won the event five times overall. Dating back to 2018, he's also won seven of the past 13 Grand Slam titles.
There's little doubt that Djokovic is the top player in the men's game at the moment. That makes betting against him at Wimbledon a risky proposition.
Of course, there's always the looming threat of Federer. The star withdrew before the fourth round of the French Open, citing health concerns, but is gunning for Wimbledon—a tournament he's won a record eight times.
On Friday, Federer spoke to reporters about his health and his plans for the grass season:
March was still very early days for my comeback but I just felt like it was a good time to come back. I thought that Doha actually went extremely well overall because I know my expectations were close to zero over there. So I'm happy I was able to play two competitive matches over there.
Ever since I've only seen improvement, no setbacks. After I guess the two operations I have to be extremely careful with every move I do. But now it's really go time. This is essentially where the season really hopefully starts for me.
A Djokovic-Federer showdown at Wimbledon would be a delight. And of course, Nadal isn't to be dismissed either, though he didn't commit to playing at Wimbledon when asked about his plans.
"I don't know what I'll do in my future. ... The body after so much struggle usually suffers a slump," he told reporters. "Wimbledon this year is in two weeks. It's different from when I was 25 years old. I am 35 and you have to see how I recover in every way."
Nadal will surely make every effort to play in London. But a compressed schedule offers no such guarantees.
As for the other contenders Djokovic will potentially face, Tsitsipas showed Sunday he'll be a threat after taking the first two sets, even if he couldn't seal the deal. Other players to watch include Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini, among others.
But Djokovic will fairly be viewed as the favorite. He's the best player in the world right now, and it's not up for debate. He'll be the smart money at the All England Club.
French Open 2021 Results: Men's Final Score and Early Wimbledon Predictions
Jun 13, 2021
Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after winning a point against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during their final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, June 13, 2021 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
In a rematch of the 2020 French Open semifinal, Novak Djokoviccame out on top of Stefanos Tsitsipas to earn the 2021 title at Roland Garros on Sunday.
With the win, the Serbian star became one of just three men to win all four Grand Slam tournaments multiple times, earning his second French Open victory 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
For the second year in a row, Djokovic (who fell to Rafael Nadal in last year's final) sent Tsitsipas packing in five sets after battling back from a 2-0 hole. Djokovic also found himself down 2-0 against an up-and-coming player earlier in the tournament, when he overcame Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.
Tsitsipas won the first set in a tiebreaker, putting Djokovic in unfamiliar territory:
Prior to that tiebreak, Djokovic had won his past seven breakers in Grand Slam finals.
The last one he lost was against Federer at Wimbledon in 2015 #RolandGarros
But his second-set victory came more handily. The 22-year-old won 87 percent of first serves in the second set as Djokovic made 10 unforced errors, compared to two from Tsitsipas.
The tide changed in the third set, when Djokovic never trailed en route to what was really his first dominant showing of the afternoon. He calmed down and had just four unforced errors to 11 from Tsitsipas, his match high.
The Greek still managed to best the legend in terms of winners and first serve percentage in the set, but Djokovic had better win percentages on both first and second serves to hold on for his first set victory of the match.
With that momentum, he took the fourth set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead before Tsitsipas got on the board. Tsitsipas, down 5-1, managed to win another to hold Djokovic for a bit longer, but there was no comeback to be had before the decisive fifth set, where the Serbian won 85 percent of his first serves and won six of eight net points.
Overall, he finished winning 78 percent of his first-serve points with five aces and three double-faults in the four-hour, 11-minute match.
Wimbledon Prediction
Roger Federer bowed out of the French Open before his fourth-round match against Matteo Berrettini, citing his recovery from a pair of knee surgeries. But the 39-year-old shouldn't be counted out to earn his ninth title at Wimbledon.
One of the players who could challenge him in that tournament, Russian star Daniil Medvedev, was keenly aware of what the Swiss player is capable of on the grass court in London later this summer.
"Of course, we all know that a Grand Slam is still a goal for him," Medvedev said. "I think Wimbledon is always, even when he will be 50 years old, is a great chance for him."
Another legend who has cited wear and tear as problems that could keep him out of tournaments down the line is Rafael Nadal, who fell in the semifinals to Djokovic at Roland Garros. He was non-committal regarding an appearance at Wimbledon.
With that in mind, the obvious candidate is Djokovic, who has dominated the tennis scene this season. With five titles at Wimbledon (including the last two tournaments), there's no reason to believe he won't repeat this year, especially off of two Grand Slam victories.
DraftKings currently gives Djokovic the best odds to win the title at +125 (bet $100 to win $125), ahead of Medvedev and Tsitsipas (+600).
The Wimbledon Championships will run from June 28 to July 11.
For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.
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French Open 2021: Serena Williams' Shocking Upset Highlights Sunday Results
Jun 6, 2021
United States Serena Williams reacts after missing a shot as she plays against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during their fourth round match on day 8, of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Sunday, June 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
The French Open quarterfinals will be played without two of the tennis world's biggest stars, with Roger Federer and Serena Williams both out of contention.
Federer, who was seeded eighth, was slated to play No. 9 Matteo Berrettini on Monday, but he pulled out of the competition after defeating Dominik Koepfer in the third round Saturday.
The 39-year-old said he wanted to ensure he didn't "push myself too quickly on my road to recovery" after spending more than a year on the sidelines after two knee surgeries.
Williams, on the other hand, appeared on the court Sunday, but the No. 7 seed was defeated in straight sets by No. 21 Elena Rybakina.
Here's a closer look at what went down at Roland Garros on Sunday:
In the most shocking victory of the afternoon, Rybakina cruised past Williams in just one hour, 17 minutes. For Williams, the elimination means that she hasn't played in a French Open quarterfinal bout since she lost in the final in 2016.
Rybakina hasn't conceded a match at Roland Garros thus far.
On Sunday, a pair of break-point wins early gave her the advantage through the first set victory, but Williams fought back in the second set. She led 3-2 and 5-4 but couldn't hold on to the lead to force a third set. She finished with 19 unforced errors, while Rybakina won 69 percent of her first serves and finished with five of seven break points.
Pavlyuchenkova won a whopping 71 percent of her first serves and eight of 15 break points, winning 17 games to overcome Victoria Azarenka.
Elsewhere, Tamara Zidansek made history at Roland Garros on Sunday, becoming the first woman from Slovenia to be among the last eight standing at a Grand Slam. The 23-year-old had never advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam.
"I'm getting a lot of messages that everyone is watching," Zidansek said, per WTATennis.com. "It means a lot to me that I'm able to get across to the message to young people and everyone in Slovenia that we can do it. We're a small country, we don't have that many players, but we have good players."
There's a new Zizou in France 😏
With a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over Cirstea, 🇸🇮 @tamara_zidansek becomes the first woman representing Slovenia to reach the last eight at a major 👏
She'll get Badosa Gibert in the next round, who battled back after dropping the second set to Marketa Vondrousova. The unseeded Spaniard won 69 percent of first serves and five break points in a tight match that saw neither player win more than three games in a row.
🗣 PAULA 🗣 BADOSA 🗣
🇪🇸 @paulabadosa reaches her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal, taking down 2019 finalist Vondrousova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2!
On the men's side of the bracket, the action was largely predictable with the higher-seeded competitors moving on in every match.
In the battle of unseededs, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina played Federico Delbonis to four sets after needing all five in his second- and third-round matches to reach the fourth round. With the win, he reached his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.
He won 70 percent of his first serves with seven break points, though he never quite had a comfortable lead, as he never won more than nine points in a row, matching the total of Delbonis, who had more service point winners.
He'll take on No. 6 Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal after the German upended Kei Nishikori in fourth-round play Sunday.
Zverev dominated the competition, winning 68 percent of first serves and 68 percent of second serves, claiming eight break points while limiting Nishikori to a maximum of three games won in a row. That, of course, came during the first set, since Nishikori only won one game in the second and third sets.
Zverev went on a seven-game streak during the match, winning 50 receiving points.
Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev will battle in the quarterfinals yet again after both won their respective matches. Medvedev, who finished with 14 aces and 46 winners Sunday, holds the 6-1 advantage head-to-head with Tsitsipas and more recently defeated him in straight sets in the Australian Open semifinals.
Tsitsipas upended Pablo Carreno Busta in three sets, though Carreno Busta hung on to force a seven-game victory in the last set. Tsitsipas had five break-point victories in the match.
The rest of the quarterfinal field will be settled Monday.
Roger Federer Withdraws from 2021 French Open to Recover from Injuries
Jun 6, 2021
Switzerland's Roger Federer plays a return to Germany's Dominik Koepfer during their third round match on day 7, of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Saturday, June 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Roger Federer withdrew from the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday after a grueling third-round victory over Dominik Koepfer.
The Roland-Garros tournament organisers have learned that Roger Federer has withdrawn from the fourth round of the tournament. #RolandGarrospic.twitter.com/BncPpTLUzl
Federer was competing in his first Grand Slam event in more than a year after missing time because of multiple knee surgeries. He defeated Koepfer on Saturday in a four-set match that lasted more than three-and-a-half hours and discussed the possibility of pulling out after the win.
"I don't know if I am going to play," Federer told reporters after the match. "I have to decide whether or not to continue. Is it too risky to keep putting pressure on the knee? Is it a good time to rest?"
He continued: "Every match, I have to reassess the situation and see the next morning in what state I wake up and how my knee is doing. It may be even more true after a match as long as the one tonight."
No. 9 seed Matteo Berrettini will now advance to the quarterfinals instead of facing Federer in Round 4.
Federer is looking to extend a career that includes 20 Grand Slam titles, tied with Rafael Nadal for the most in men's tennis history.
Injuries have limited the 39-year-old as of late, however, causing him to miss much of the 2020 season as well as the start of the 2021 campaign. He returned in March but managed just a 1-2 record to start the year, with losses coming in Doha, Qatar, and Geneva, Switzerland.
The veteran looked like his old self early at Roland Garros, defeating Denis Istomin and Marin Cilic in the first two rounds. The third-round battle against Koepfer was more difficult, as each of the first three sets went to a tiebreak, but he still survived with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-5 win.
The match also featured some elite shots from the No. 8 seed:
Fans were salivating about a potential quarterfinal battle against Novak Djokovic and a semifinal match against Rafael Nadal, which are no longer in the cards.
Federer will likely now turn his attention to getting healthy for Wimbledon, which is scheduled to begin June 28.
French Open 2021 Results: Winners, Scores, Stats from Saturday's Singles Bracket
Jun 5, 2021
Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates after defeating Germany's Dominik Koepfer in their third round match on day 7, of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Saturday, June 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Roger Federer survived his toughest test yet at the 2021 French Open on Saturday.
The 39-year-old was pushed to four sets by Dominik Koepfer, who was playing in the first Grand Slam third-round match of his career.
Federer's win completed another good day for the Big Three of men's singles. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal ran away with straight-set wins at Roland Garros.
Over in the women's bracket, three American women moved on to the final 16. Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens will fight for quarterfinal spots in different matches.
Stephens once again turned in the most surprising result of the group, as she pulled off her second straight upset. She has the clearest path to the final eight after No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina was eliminated.
No. 10 Diego Schwartzman def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
No. 18 Jannik Sinner def. Mikael Ymer, 6-1, 7-5, 6-3
Lorenzo Musetti def. Marco Cecchinato, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Jan-Lennard Struff def. Carlos Alcaraz, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-2
Federer was tested in every set by Koepfer.
The unseeded German pushed Federer to three tiebreaks and made it hard for the Swiss to finish off the match in the fourth set.
Federer conceded four break points to Koepfer, and he was not efficient enough on his opponent's serve. Federer won five of the 14 break-point opportunities he forced.
Federer earned the decisive break on the penultimate game of the match. He scored four straight points at 5-5 in the fourth set to earn the chance to win on his own serve.
While Federer struggled at points, Djokovic and Nadal played well enough to ease into the fourth round through straight-set wins.
Djokovic gave Ricardas Berankis no chance of springing an upset, as he held the Lithuanian to six game victories.
Nadal faced a tough test from Cameron Norrie, but the British player could not hold on to advantages he earned through break points.
The reigning men's champion had an answer for everything Norrie threw at him and finished him off in straight sets.
Both Djokovic and Nadal will take on rising Italian stars in the next round. Djokovic daces Lorenzo Musetti, and Nadal takes on Jannik Sinner.
The 18th-seeded Sinner is the more notable star of the two players. He broke out on the major stage with a quarterfinal berth at the 2020 French Open.
The victor of the Nadal-Sinner match will likely face 10th-seeded Diego Schwartzman, who won his third consecutive straight-set match in Paris.
Schwartzman reached the French Open quarterfinals in 2018 and the semifinals in 2020. He should get past Jan-Lennard Struff to book his third spot in the final eight.
No. 25 Ons Jabeur def. Magda Linette, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
Marta Kostyuk def. Varvara Gracheva, 6-1, 6-2
Kenin was pushed to three sets by Jessica Pegula, but she eventually prevailed in her chase to get back to the French Open women's final.
The fourth-seeded American gained momentum in the match by taking the second set 6-1 and earning two service breaks at the start of the third set.
Kenin's path to the final does not get any easier with Maria Sakkari next on the docket. The 17th-seeded Greek won the match of the day in three sets over No. 14 Elise Mertens.
Sakkari fell in the second-set tiebreak but rebounded better than Kenin did in her match by taking out Mertens 6-2 in the final set.
If Kenin gets past Sakkari, she would likely take on Iga Swiatek in a 2020 final rematch. Swiatek was tested for the first time in the tournament, as Anett Kontaveit won five games off her in the first set.
Swiatek was able to close out the first set and then slammed the door shut on the 30th seed with a second-set shutout.
Swiatek will face Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round. Kostyuk was one of three unseeded women to win on Saturday. Stephens was the most notable member of the trio.
The 2018 French Open finalist is on a five-set winning streak in Paris with two-set triumphs over Muchova and Karolina Pliskova.
After Barbora Krejcikova's upset win over Svitolina, Stephens could now be viewed as the favorite to advance to the semifinals from the top two sections of the women's draw.
Coco Gauff got past Jennifer Brady because of an injury retirement, and Ons Jabeur struggled in the first set with Magda Linette before nearly sweeping the next two sets.
If Stephens continues to be consistent on the clay, she may make a surprise run to the championship match.
French Open 2021: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer Wins Highlight Saturday Results
Jun 5, 2021
Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Britain's Cameron Norrie during their third round match on day 7, of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Saturday, June 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all breezed through to Round 4 at the 2021 French Open as play continued Saturday.
None of the three legends had issues moving through, each scoring victories on a day without major upsets in the men's bracket. Barbora Krejcikova upset fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina, and Sloane Stephens continued her stellar run at Roland Garros with a win over Karolina Muchova in the biggest upsets of the women's side.
Saturday French Open Results
Men
(1) Novak Djokovic def. Ricardas Berankis 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 (3) Rafael Nadal def. Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 (8) Roger Federer def. Dominik Koepfer 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-5 (9) Matteo Berrettini def. Soonwoo Kwon 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4 (10) Diego Schwartzman def. Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 (18) Jannik Sinner def. Mikael Ymer 6-1, 7-5, 6-3
Djokovic's breezy three-set victory over Ricardas Berankis allowed him to advance to the fourth round of the French Open for the 12th consecutive year, setting an all-time record. He previously shared the mark with Nadal and Federer. Rising 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti awaits Djokovic in Round 4. Musetti opened his tournament with a shocking upset of David Goffin.
“He is a young player who plays with a lot of spin, speed,” Djokovic told reporters. “He has nothing to lose, so I need to be ready for this challenge.”
Nadal will likewise face a challenge from a rising upstart with 19-year-old Jannik Sinner awaiting. Sinner, who came back from being down two sets to one in his opening match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, seemed to right his ship in a straight-sets romp over Mikael Ymer.
"I need to be solid. I need to be aggressive too, because if not it's very difficult. I need to make him play from tough positions, and I can't make a lot of mistakes," Nadal told reporters of his matchup with Sinner.
Nadal showed no signs of slowing down in his defeat of Cameron Norrie, which moved his record at Roland Garros to an astounding 103-2. The Spaniard hit a series of well-placed returns to give himself 12 break-point chances and only surrendered three such opportunities to Norrie.
Federer had far more difficulty than Djokovic or Nadal, with Dominik Koepfer pushing him in a tough four-set match. The 20-time Grand Slam champion survived thanks in large part due to errors made by Koepfer that opened the door in a close match. Federer had 14 different break point chances, converting five, while only allowing six chances to Koepfer.
The women's side of the bracket was a little more chaotic, with Krejcikova's win over Svitolina ranking among the biggest upsets of the tournament thus far.
Four American women will be moving into Round 4 after Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens all advanced. Kenin overcame an ugly 10 double-faults in her three-set win over Jessica Pegula, as she looks to reach the French finals for a second straight year.
“This whole year hasn’t been so great in terms of my tennis,” Kenin told reporters. “I've had some early round exits. I'm just happy that I'm finally finding my rhythm and playing some good tennis again.”
Gauff advanced over fellow American Jennifer Brady in a walkover, with the 17-year-old moving into Round 4 for the first time at Roland Garros.
Stephens continued her shocking rebound to form as well in an impressive straight-sets win over Muchova. Once viewed as the next great American tennis player, Stephens has struggled in recent seasons and is currently No. 59 in the world.
Stephens, who has dealt with mental health issues, spoke out in favor of more players voicing their mental health concerns following Saturday's match.
"I feel like a lot of players on our tour suffer in silence. I think that is not cool and not fair and we should definitely approach it differently," Stephens told reporters. "The more support, the better. I think not only for us girls supporting each other but for the tour to be able to support us in different ways is super helpful."
The mental health of athletes has been at the forefront of discussion throughout the event, since Naomi Osaka withdrew after Roland Garros fined her $15,000 for refusing to speak with reporters. Osaka said she suffers from "huge waves of anxiety" before media appearances.
Roger Federer Survives Upset Bid From Dominik Koepfer to Advance At 2021 French Open
Jun 5, 2021
Switzerland's Roger Federer plays a return to Germany's Dominik Koepfer during their third round match on day 7, of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Saturday, June 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Roger Federer advanced to the French Open round of 16 Saturday with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-5 win over Dominik Koepfer on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.
The No. 8 seed will try to continue his comeback tour with a fourth-round battle against No. 9 Matteo Berrettini.
After starting his run at Roland Garros with wins over familiar foes in Denis Istomin and Marin Cilic, Federer was facing Koepfer for the first time in his career. It took three hours and 35 minutes with three different tiebreaks, but the veteran advanced thanks in part to his 48-of-67 (72 percent) showing at the net.
Roger Federer, almost 40yo, plays his longest match in the 18 months (and since his double knee surgery) and beats Dominik Koepfer 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 7-5 to reach the last 16 at #RolandGarros. pic.twitter.com/GFHij0k2tr
Koepfer was excited about the possibility of facing an all-time great earlier in the tournament.
"I don't just want to play him; I want to give him a battle and maybe come out with a win somehow," the 27-year-old said of Federer, per ATPWorldTour.com.
It was certainly a battle with every set coming down to the wire.
The first set featured zero breaks, but Federer survived thanks to some incredible shots:
Federer had his issues in the second set with 20 unforced errors and just 11 winners, but the two competitors remained locked in a tight battle with two more tiebreaks over the next two sets.
𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 👀
Dominik Koepfer reverses the first set by edging the second 7-6 to draw level with Roger Federer! 🇩🇪
Koepfer took the second-set tiebreak but Federer responded in the third with a tight win to pull in front.
Im not bothered by the outcome of this match at all. Just seeing Federer at 39 off the back of 2 knee surgeries playing to an empty stadium at 12.30am getting fired up is inspirational to me. Do what you ❤️
The 39-year-old favorite finally closed out the match in the fourth set, getting a key break in the 11th game after it was even 5-5. A hold in the next game was enough to secure the victory.
Despite just a 160-159 advantage in total points, Federer came through in important moments to help him advance.
Federer only has one appearance at Roland Garros since 2015, but he reached the semifinals that time in 2019 and remains on track for a strong showing this time around as well.
French Open 2021: Saturday Schedule and Predictions for Roland Garros Bracket
Jun 4, 2021
United States's Sofia Kenin celebrates after defeating United States's Hailey Baptiste during their second round match on day 5, of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Thursday, June 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
At least two American women are guaranteed to advance to the fourth round of the 2021 French Open on Saturday.
Sofia Kenin and Jessica Pegula play each other and then Coco Gauff and Jennifer Brady face off in two all-American seeded third-round matchups at Roland Garros.
Each of the four players have experienced success at majors in the last two years. Kenin was the only member of the group to win a Grand Slam at the 2020 Australian Open.
Brady was a semifinalist at the 2020 U.S. Open, Pegula was a surprise quarterfinalist in Australia earlier this year, and Gauff broke out on the major stage with a fourth-round berth at the 2020 Australian Open.
Sloane Stephens is the fifth American woman in action on Saturday. She is looking to win her second match in a row over a seeded player. Stephens upset Karolina Pliskova in the second round.
Over in the men's draw, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be in action against unseeded players. Each of the three men are expected to advance in commanding fashion.
The full schedule for Saturday's matches at Roland Garros can be found here on the tournament's official website.
Predictions
Kenin, Brady Win All-American Clashes
Kenin and Brady are the higher seeds in their respective matches, and they should end up in the fourth round. However, their path could come with a bit of trouble since Gauff and Pegula are in solid form.
Pegula owns a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Kenin, but the 2020 Australian Open winner won their last meeting at the beginning of the season.
Kenin looked better in the second round than in her opener, as she breezed past fellow American Hailey Baptiste in straight sets. The No. 4 seed carries plenty of experience on the clay. She advanced to the final last year before falling to Iga Swiatek.
Saturday marks Pegula's first third-round match on the Paris clay. It will be just her third third-round match at a major. She has played well in Paris, but Kenin's experience could be the difference.
Brady and Gauff are two of the rising stars of the women's game, but the former has gotten further at majors in the last two years.
The No. 13 seed reached the semifinals at two of the last three majors and has played better on clay, where she was eliminated in the first round in 2020.
Gauff is headed in the same direction as Brady, but the No. 24 seed might not be there quite yet. Brady's key should be to put pressure on Gauff's serve and grab an early break or two. Gauff was pushed to a tiebreak in each of her first two matches.
If Brady wins, she could be viewed as the best American hope outside of Serena Williams to win the French Open title.
With No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty out of the draw, Brady has a clear path to the quarterfinals. Williams is the highest seed left in the bottom part of the draw.
Men's Big 3 Continues to Thrive
This is not much of a bold prediction, but it is the safest one for the Saturday matches: Djokovic, Federer and Nadal should all push on to the fourth round against unseeded foes.
Federer is the only member of the Big Three to lose a set so far in Paris. He rebounded from that set with two victorious sets against Marin Cilic.
Djokovic has not allowed an opponent to win more than four games off him in a single set, while Nadal has not dropped a set in Paris since the 2019 final.
Out of their three opponents, only Dominik Koepfer, who takes on Federer, has advanced past the third round at any major. His furthest advancement was the fourth round at the 2019 U.S. Open.
Prior to this year, Koepfer, Ricardas Berankis and Cameron Norrie all failed to get out of the second round at Roland Garros.
Unless a significant upset occurs, none of them will add a fourth-round appearance to their resumes, and we will get one step closer to a Djokovic-Federer quarterfinal, with the winner likely facing Nadal in the semifinal.
