The remaining quarterfinal spots at Roland Garros will be handed out on Monday, when Novak Djokovic gets right back in action against Francisco Cerundolo. Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz are also part of the schedule.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (23) Francisco Cerundolo
Djokovic was one set away from bowing out of the French Open in the third round on Saturday night–or more like Sunday morning. However, the 37-year-old Serb came up with his best tennis of what has been an otherwise lackluster season to defeat Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in a four-hour and 29-minute match that ended at 3:06 am. Djokovic’s bid for a fourth Roland Garros title also includes much more routine victories over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Roberto Carballes Baena.
Up next for the world No. 1 on Monday afternoon is a first-ever meeting with Cerundolo. The world No. 27 has now reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam twice in his career; unsurprisingly, both have come on the red clay of Paris (also in 2023). Cerundolo’s 2024 campaign has been mediocre at best, but he is turning things around with wins over Yannick Hanfmann, Filip Misolic, and Tommy Paul. Unfortunately for the Argentine, he has to go up against a reinvigorated Djokovic instead of Musetti. Although a 3:00 am finish certainly doesn’t help Djokovic, he should have more than enough in the tank to handle Cerundolo.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
(12) Taylor Fritz vs. (7) Casper Ruud
Surprisingly, Ruud and Fritz will be going head-to-head for just the second time in their careers on Monday. Their only previous encounter did not disappoint; it went the distance at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, with Ruud prevailing 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6). A move from indoor hard courts to clay obviously gives the seventh-ranked Norwegian more of an advantage. He has finished runner-up at Roland Garros on back-to-back occasions and his 2024 clay-court swing features a title in Barcelona and a final appearance in Monte-Carlo. So far this fortnight Ruud has ousted Felipe Meligeni Alves, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (in five sets), and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Fritz is enjoying by far his best-ever spring on the slow stuff. The 12th-ranked American reached the Munich final, the Madrid semis, and the Rome quarters. Now he is through to the last 16 in Paris following defeats of Federico Coria, Dusan Lajovic, and Thanasi Kokkinakis. But it hasn’t been easy. Fritz needed four sets in each of his first two rounds before outlasting Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(4), 5-7, 6-3 late on Saturday night. Fritz’s movement on this surface has been decent but never great; now he has to make a quick turnaround on the heels of a five-setter while facing one of the best clay-courters in the world. It could be too tough of a task.
Pick: Ruud in 4