This is the first defeat the Pole has suffered on these grounds since 2021 and there would have been considerable disappointment that Swiatek has not been able to add the Gold Medal to the French Open titles she has collected in Paris.
Unlike the vast majority of tournaments that tennis players will play, the loss does not mean the end of the event for Iga Swiatek and the Bronze Medal match will be played on Friday. That means little time to get over the defeat, but she has had several more hours to prepare mentally and physically compared with Anna Schmiedlova who was beaten by Donna Vekic in the last Singles match to be played on Day 6.
The men's Semi Final matches are both scheduled for Friday too and there is still hope for the fans that we will get to see Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday. The two opponents facing these players will have something to say about that on Friday and both Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be playing with the confidence of a strong week behind them.
Once again, the losing players will be in action on Saturday when the Bronze Medal match is played, but the main focus for those men playing on Day 7 will be to earn the right to play for the Gold Medal.
Lorenzo Musetti + 3.5 games v Novak Djokovic: They played in the Wimbledon Semi Final and they also met at the French Open in the Third Round so there will be no issues about familiarity with the tennis expected to be seen by Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti.
It is Novak Djokovic who won the two Grand Slam matches, although Lorenzo Musetti was leading 2-1 in sets in Paris before falling away over the course of four and a half hours. The match was a close one and it is the second time that Musetti has led Novak Djokovic at the French Open by reaching two sets first, although he has not been able to get over the line.
The Semi Final at Wimbledon was a much more routine win for Novak Djokovic, but the clay courts should mean another very tough, competitive match between these players. Lorenzo Musetti played his part in that Semi Final in SW19, but he will feel these courts offer that much more and momentum is with the Italian.
He reached the Final in Umag last week and Lorenzo Musetti has played well in his four wins in this tournament, especially the manner in which he beat Alexander Zverev in the Quarter Final to end the German's hopes of winning consecutive Gold Medals.
While Lorenzo Musetti will expect to be tested by the Novak Djokovic return, he will also be well aware that he has been serving very well in this tournament. It has led to just five breaks of serve given away in four wins in Paris and it is very important for Musetti to make sure he serves well in this one to just stay with the former World Number 1.
Novak Djokovic had also been playing well in the tournament, but there has to be a concern that a prior knee injury has resurfaced having suffered the initial injury here at the French Open. He needed to have the knee checked against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Quarter Final and the Greek player may have missed a trick having led 4-0 in the second set, but somehow losing that 7-6 to fall to yet another defeat to Djokovic.
There is no doubt that the Serb has an aura on the court and that helped him come through a set in which he was second best for much of the time, and that may help him here. No matter how much Lorenzo Musetti has pushed Novak Djokovic, he has mainly ended up on the wrong side of the result and that has to be playing on the mind of the underdog.
However, the Italian should take confidence from the fact he has reached two sets before Novak Djokovic in each of their two previous matches on the Roland Garros grounds. Lorenzo Musetti has also previously beaten Novak Djokovic on a clay court and that will again give him some belief that Tsitsipas was perhaps lacking at the key moments in the Quarter Final.
The potential issue with the Djokovic knee cannot be ignored with little time to rest between the Quarter Final and Semi Final, and Lorenzo Musetti may make use of the games being given to him on the handicap.
MY PICKS: Lorenzo Musetti + 3.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Olympic Games Update: 7-9, - 6.50 Units (32 Units Staked, - 20.31% Yield)
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