French Open 2022, quarter-finals, Tuesday, 31.05.2022
Who will stop Iga Swiatek? At the French Open 2022, no players are actually seen on a sporting level with the world No. 1 in the women’s competition. All the more exciting to see who will make it to the top.
An American duel has been announced for the quarter-finals on Tuesday. 18 years old meet 29, will youth or experience prevail? That’s exactly what I want to answer in my Gauff Stephens tip!
Will the French Open be her favourite Grand Slam tournament? Cori Gauff has played in ten main draw competitions, and that’s despite the fact that the American only turned 18 a few weeks ago!
After her quarter-final in Paris 2021, she could now be celebrating her best ever performance on the big stage, with a place in the top four just a small step away.
The year 2022 has been solid so far, but without any major ups. When a too strong opponent came along, Gauff usually got the short end of the stick. It is all the more surprising to see how confidently she is serving in the French capital.
She has not lost a single set, twice even winning 6-0. Her journey began with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Rebecca Marino, followed by a 6-1, 7-6 win over Alison van Uytvanck. Her 6-3, 6-4 against Kaia Kanepi was also easily doable.
In the round of 16, Elise Mertens was the supposedly most difficult opponent. But what did Gauff do? She followed it up with a 6-4, 6-0 win and underlined that she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the title.
On average, 70% of her first serve goes over the net, although she does not yet serve consistently in every match. She has only played Sloane Stephens, her compatriot, once.
At the recent US Open, the older player won in two sets in the 2nd round. On clay, however, the clocks tick differently. The German bookmakers know this too, and have found their favourite in Gauff.
1,45 to 2,70, whether Stephens can disprove that they are less confident of her reaching the semi-finals? She has been on the Grand Slam stage for eleven years, yet this is only her seventh appearance in a quarter-final.
She has served in Paris ten times so far, celebrating a great success in 2018. It went into her only final to date, which she unfortunately lost in three sets to Simona Halep. Her debut this year almost brought her a very early exit.
She was able to improve very slowly in her 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 against Jule Niemeier. She also needed some start-up time in the 2nd round against Sorana Cirstea when she won 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Against Diane Parry she saved her strength and went on to win 6-2, 6-3.
Stephens performed just as strongly in her round of 16 match, where she managed a 6-2, 6-0. The fact that she would be so difficult to beat in Paris was not expected in the run-up to the French Open.
In six of the last seven tournaments, she was eliminated right at the start, no matter how high her opponent was ranked. She seems to have saved her best form for the big stage.
My Gauff Stephens Tip
An American will definitely make it to the semifinals, but which one? Cori Gauff is still completely without a set loss, but Sloane Stephens’ results were also convincing at the
The older of the two can start weak but hit back all the more impressively. In Paris, they both celebrated their greatest successes at Grand Slams and, in my eyes, delivered a similarly good tournament. In that respect, I’m also betting:
We’ll see more than 19.5 games!
