The second Grand Slam of the season is pushing on towards crowning another Champion and the Quarter Final lineup is set to be confirmed at the end of Day 9.
There is every chance that the end of this tournament is going to be a lot of fun for the fans with some top names still chugging along nicely and some of the quality of the matches being seen has already begun to pick up.
It is another busy day in Paris, but the four women's Fourth Round matches look tough to call.
Alexander Zverev may be given a significant test by Tallon Griekspoor and Andrey Rublev is underrated by the layers- he is being given plenty of games and could cover in a losing effort against Jannik Sinner.
But the main leans that I would potentially target may feature the matches involving the last British interest in Paris and you can read my thoughts below.
Novak Djokovic - 7.5 games v Cameron Norrie: You have to say that very little form had been shown by Cameron Norrie and Novak Djokovic before both decided to head to Geneva for the final clay preparation ahead of the French Open. It was Novak Djokovic who won the title in Geneva, but Cameron Norrie also enjoyed a strong run and the confidence has seen both ease their way through to the second week in Paris.
This time a Quarter Final place at the French Open is on the line following the Semi Final match played between these players in Geneva.
On that occasion Novak Djokovic came through with a three set win and he went on to lift the title and the World Number 6 has backed that up with three wins at the French Open without dropping a set. Before the title win in Geneva, Novak Djokovic had been really struggling for his best level on the clay, but he has looked pretty comfortable back in Paris where the Serb won the Olympic Gold Medal last summer.
The draw has been a kind one to allow Novak Djokovic to ease his way into the tournament and the veteran will know that his own level will need to be raised if he is going to win another French Open title.
Credit has to be given to Cameron Norrie after coming through a tough opening match in five sets having looked like he was heading out of the tournament when down a break to Daniil Medvedev in the deciding set. He has not dropped a set in the last two Rounds and Norrie is playing with real confidence, although he will have to do the same as the First Round and beat this opponent for the first time.
At least he has won sets from Novak Djokovic previously, unlike against Daniil Medvedev, and that includes Cameron Norrie winning the first set in the 2022 Wimbledon Semi Final before losing in four.
However, Novak Djokovic has dominated the numbers in the previous meetings and that includes in both previous wins on the clay.
Last week he was able to break the Cameron Norrie serve four times and the former World Number 1 was under little pressure when it came to protecting his own serve. This will likely be competitive at times, but Djokovic can exert his qualities over the Fourth Round match and he may eventually pull clear of the British player as he progresses with a cover of the line set.
Jack Draper - 6.5 games v Alexander Bublik: The build up towards Wimbledon will begin this month and there are going to be plenty of expectations shouldered by Jack Draper when playing at his home Grand Slam.
Players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may be leading the headlines on the ATP Tour, but World Number 5 Jack Draper is certainly capable of pushing those two and he has certainly developed well enough to look like a real contender here in Paris. Clay court tennis results over the last several weeks can only have given Jack Draper confidence and he should have enough to move past Alexander Bublik in this Fourth Round match.
Take nothing away from Alexander Bublik having already beaten a top player in Alex De Minaur and from 2-0 down in sets too. That will have given him plenty of confidence and it has only been twelve months since Bublik was right in amongst the top names on the Tour.
He used the momentum to cruise past Henrique Rocha in the Third Round and Alexander Bublik has a dangerous game when at his very best.
In reality that game is much more suited to other surfaces rather than the clay and so this has already been a very positive tournament for a player that had been sliding down the World Rankings. This is a step up compared with some of the players Alexander Bublik has beaten on the clay this year, Alex De Minaur aside, and even that Second Round match looked to have gotten away from him before the Australian's capitulation.
The last two matches between the players have been dominated by Jack Draper, although the Alexander Bublik serve has kept him in the match. However, they were also matches on grass courts and hard courts and those are much more likely to be aid the serve compared with the clay, which likely means Jack Draper can put Bublik under even more pressure.
This is a big line, but Jack Draper's Third Round win was impressive and he can back that up in his bid to reach the French Open Quarter Final for the first time.
MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 7.5 Games
Jack Draper - 6.5 Games
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