Sinner set to face Alcaraz, Djokovic withdraws: 2024 French Open Men’s Singles QF Roundup

The second Grand Slam of 2024, the French Open has been full of surprises. From Rafael Nadal facing Alexander Zverev in the first round to Novak Djokovic withdrawing from the competition in the quarterfinals, tennis enthusiasts are reportedly witnessing an end of the era. 

Meanwhile, the likes of young tennis players such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Casper Ruud have given improved performances in the clay court Grand Slam. The fourth round of the 2024 French Open was also intriguing as Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz suffered shocking eliminations.

However, it’s fair to say that the most deserving stars have found their way into the quarterfinals. Thus, without further ado let’s take a look at the 2024 French Open men’s singles quarter-final matches: 

Grigor Dimitrov vs Jannik Sinner

Bulgarian tennis star Grigor Dimitrov reached the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time since turning professional in 2008. However, in the quarterfinals, he was up against one of the hot favourites to win the 2024 Roland Garros, Jannik Sinner. 

Sinner became the first Italian tennis player ever to reach the top spot in the ATP rankings

Before Roland Garros, Sinner missed the Italian Open and withdrew from the quarter-final of the Madrid Open as he suffered a hip injury. Nevertheless, the Italian didn’t show any signs of an injury during his French Open campaign. Against Dimitrov, the Italian tennis star smashed eight aces and didn’t make any double faults.

Sinner won the first set 6-2 with ease by breaking Dimitrov’s serve thrice. The former World No. 3 tried making a comeback in the second set as he won Sinner’s service game too. However, the new ATP World No. 1 resisted the pressure and won the second set 6-4. 

In a do-or-die situation, Dimitrov managed to force the third set into a tiebreak but it was eventually won by Sinner. Dimitrov had a better first serve percentage than the Italian but he failed to capitalise the lead and break Sinner’s serve. 

The 2024 Australian Open champion has lost only a single set in the whole campaign and he’ll face his arch-rival, Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final of the French Open. 

Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

After Carlos Alcaraz defeated Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime in the fourth round, he stated that he knew the key to beating Stefanos Tsitsipas. Interestingly, the two-time Grand Slam champion managed to stay true to his words. Alcaraz outclassed his quarter-final rival at Court Philippe-Chartrier in only 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

Alcaraz played better shots when he charged down the line, winning 14 of 22 points (64%). Meanwhile, Tsitsipas was successful on the net, winning 34 of 46 points (74%). The Spaniard played as an offensive baseliner and his powerful forehands emerged as a major reason behind Tsitsipas’ troubles. 

Carlos Alcaraz will be playing his second consecutive French Open semi-final

Alcaraz won the first set 6-3 but the Greek tennis player put up a great battle in the second set. Both players were keen to win the set as Tsitsipas was trying to push the game into the nets while Alcaraz was playing volleys. Nevertheless, the set as well as the match was eventually sealed by the 21-year-old. In addition to that, Alcaraz has improved his head-to-head record against Tsitsipas with another victory, making it 6-0. 

Alcaraz has reached his second consecutive semifinal of the French Open. Last year, he lost against the eventual champion Novak Djokovic. However, he’ll face his arch-rival Jannik Sinner in this year’s last four fixtures. Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other eight times on the tour and their head-to-head scores are tied at 4-4. 

The two have faced each other only once on the red dirt. Their only meeting on the clay took place in the 2022 Croatia Open final, where Sinner won the match in three sets. 

Casper Ruud vs Novak Djokovic

24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the quarter-final of the 2024 French Open due to a right knee injury. He earlier revealed that he had been suffering from a minor knee issue for a long time and it flared when he slipped in the second set during his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo. 

Thus, the Serb has undergone a surgical procedure in Paris. Djokovic will be out for at least three months and he’s expected to miss the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. However, Djokovic is keen to make his return for the 2024 Paris Olympics as Serbia’s flag bearer and gold medal hope. 

Due to the withdrawal, Djokovic lost his World No. 1 to Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud got a walkover into the semifinals. The Serb lost 1600 ATP ranking points with his withdrawal from Roland Garros. 

Djokovic is now set to go under the knife for knee surgery to treat a long-standing problem and is expected to miss both the Wimbledon Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics which will be held within the next two months.

Alexander Zverev vs Alex de Minaur

Alexander Zverev defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur in straight sets to reach his fourth consecutive French Open semi-final. Interestingly, Zverev lost his last match in the 2024 Madrid Open against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in April. Since then, the German tennis star has remained unbeaten in the last 11 matches on the tour. 

However, the quarterfinal match wasn’t up to the quality of the players. Alex de Minaur as well as Alexander Zverev, both players made several unforced errors throughout the match. The first set between the two was a close contest, which Zverev eventually won 6-4. A tiebreaker was played to find the result of the second set. 

The victory was sealed by the ATP World No. 4 in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. However, Minaur had a disappointing first-serve percentage of 49%, compared to Zverev’s 69%. Meanwhile, the German made five double faults and 38 unforced errors, scoring only 14 winners. On the other side, the Aussie made four double faults, 37 unforced errors, and scored 18 winners. 

They maintained long rallies throughout the match, but the errors kept increasing from both sides of the net. Nevertheless, Minaur earlier became the first Australian in two decades to reach the quarter-final of the French Open and Zverev will face his last year’s Roland Garros semi-final opponent, Casper Ruud in the pre-final fixture.