Roland Garros 2019: Federer, Nadal and Wawrinka set to light up the Round of 16
Roland Garros 2019 has presented fans with some spectacular tennis already. From comeback victories that displayed endurance and determination, to flawless whitewashes that pinpointed championship material, the tournament has not failed to impress!
The second Sunday at Roland Garros is scheduled to showcase four men’s singles matches. The morning starts off with a fascinating clash between Roger Federer and Leonardo Mayer. Neither Federer nor Mayer are playing their best tennis at the moment. However, it has been sufficiently good to get them through to the round of 16, which will be contested today.
Mayer is a claycourt specialist, while clay is Federer’s least favourite surface. This evens the balance between the two, and should give tennis fans an exciting match to watch. However, I do believe that Federer would have too much firepower for Mayer, even on clay.
Federer’s pinpoint accuracy on his serve and excellent feel on volleys should be enough to see him through. The odds are heavily in favour of Federer, to say the least.
The second match, which will be contested between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka, promises to be the most exciting match of the day. Wawrinka was in red hot form during his win over Grigor Dmitrov in the last round. Trailing four set points in the third set, he halted Dmitrov’s progress and finished the match in straight sets.
On the other hand, Tsitsipas has not been playing to the best of his ability. After beating Rafael Nadal three weeks ago in Madrid, his form seems to have slipped a bit.
A week after his runner-up finish in Madrid, he lost the semifinal in Rome to Nadal in straight sets. And at Roland Garros so far, he has looked a little fatigued and battle-weary. That could give Wawrinka some hope.
Wawrika may be a slight underdog for this match, but count him out at your own peril.
In other matches, Nadal will be in action against Juan Ignacio Londero. The Spaniard should breeze past his opponent and into the quarterfinal.
The fourth match of the day is set to be a thriller, between Kei Nishikori and Benoit Paire. The Japanese star will have the edge, as his retrieving game is much better than Paire's. However, Paire will have the French crowd behind him in full vigour.
It is hard to pick a winner in this clash. A lot will depend on how the players compete in the first set.
All in all, this Sunday promises some great tennis! It is time to sit back, relax and be entertained by the best!