The 2024 Women’s French Open continues this week as top seed Iga Swiatek faces Marketa Voundorusova while 2022 finalist Coco Gauff goes up against Ons Jabeur in the quarter-finals.
2024 WTA Tour – Grand Slam Tennis
French Open
Stade Roland Garros
Selected Quarter-finals Matches – 3 June 2024
Iga Swiatek 1/16 | Marketa Voundorusova 15/2
I felt like an accomplice to a hate crime watching Swiatek absolutely pulverise Potapova in their round-of-16 clash. The Pole brutally double-bagled the Russian in what turned out to be the quickest match of Swiatek’s career. She now owns 26 tour-level bagels on clay in her career (only Serena- with 35- has more than the tenacious Pole). Swiatek won 48 of 58 total points against Potapova, improving her Roland Garros record to a staggering 32-2.
She has now won 16 consecutive matches and is looking odds on to collect her 4th French Open crown in five years. But she hasn’t had things all her own way in Paris. She needed to produce a stunning comeback against Osaka in her 2nd round match.
The inclement weather meant that the roof was closed and the Pole struggled in the indoor conditions. She will be more pleased than anyone that the weather in Paris seems to be clearing.
Next up for the majestic Pole is reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. The crafty lefty ended qualifier Olga Danilovic’s dreams with a resounding straight-sets win. The Czech star has really enjoyed a pretty humdrum campaign.
Her only semi-final of the season came in Stuttgart but Vondrousova is born for the grind of Grand Slam tennis. She hustles around the court as well as anyone, using a plethora of drop-shots and slices to take players into uncomfortable terrain.
She finished runner-up here back in 2019 in what was the first sign of her obvious Grand Slam potential. The slower conditions this year play right into her wheelhouse, allowing her to grind out points and showcase her brilliant variety.
She doesn’t allow herself to become one-dimensional and that is key when you come up against Swiatek. That being said, Vondrousova has a truly awful record against the Pole.
The Verdict: Swiatek to win in straight sets 24/100
Swiatek leads the head-to-head 3-0, bageling the Czech in their last set in Cancun. The Czech Grand Slam champion has never even taken a set off the Pole and I can’t see that changing here. I think the better value might be backing under 19.5 games at 52/100.
Swiatek has barely been on court in her last two outings and she didn’t even face a deuce against Potapova. Swiatek’s sheer athleticism mitigates Vondrousova’s drop-shot and she should win handily.
Coco Gauff 1/5 | Ons Jabeur 34/10
2022 French Open finalist and reigning US Open champ Coco Gauff powered her way into a 4th French Open quarter-final following a commanding straight-sets win over Italian Cocciaretto.
Gauff has been vocal about the work she is doing in reshaping her serve, looking for that little bit of extra power that could take her closer to the likes of Swiatek and Sabalenka.
It has resulted in some short-term pain and she was posting some astronomical double-fault numbers leading into this year’s event. She has won nearly 80% of her first-serve points in this tournament, double-faulting on 19 occasions (which is acceptable compared to her recent output).
She hasn’t dropped a set this week and is starting to look like a true contender. But she has been known to crumble in the latter stages of slams and Ons Jabeur will be looking to exploit any weaknesses.
I have been surprised at just how impressive Jabeur has been this fortnight. We all know that the wonderfully talented all-court Tunisian has what it takes to compete with anyone. A three-time beaten Grand Slam finalist, Jabeur is a brilliant competitor on all surfaces.
But she has been suffering with extremely painful knee issues this season and you could visibly see the toll it was taking. I honestly thought there was a chance of a shock mid-season retirement. But she has persevered, reaching the quarter-finals in Madrid in the lead-up to this event.
And she has looked really comfortable in the slow conditions this year, using her vast array of tricks to bamboozle opponents. She creates some magnificent crosscourt angles and the slowness of the courts gives her time to generate real whip.
The Verdict: Gauff to win in three at 31/10
Gauff leads the head-to-head 4-2, crushing the American when their previous meeting at the WTA Finals. Gauff also crushed Jabeur in this event back in 2021 and she will be a big favourite to repeat the dose this time around.
Jabeur is a great returner and will look to put pressure on Gauff’s delivery. And I can see her having success in the early stages (particularly if a few nerves creep in for the American). But Gauff has matured a lot and I fully expect her to grow into the match.
