In Depth Analysis On The 2017 Roland Garros Men’s Quarterfinals Predictions
Can anyone stop World No. 4 Rafael Nadal from winning his record, 10th title at Roland Garros? Can World No. 1 Andy Murray, both, stop Rafa, while winning the first French Open title of his fairly illustrious career? Can World No. 2 and 2016 French Open winner Novak Djokovic get back to looking like the game’s most dominant player after largely struggling ever since he won here last year? Will World No. 3 and 2015 French Open champion Stan Wawrinka go all ‘Stanimal’ on everyone to upset the entire field? Last but not least, can one of the remaining surprise players pull off the huge tourney upset to the chagrin of millions? As usual, if you’ve got questions, I’ve got answers, at least when it comes to Rafa and Nole and their respective quarterfinal matchups.Quarterfinals
Pablo Carreno-Busta +1678 Rafael Nadal -2828
The incomparable Rafael Nadal laid an impressive 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 smackdown on Roberto Bautista Agut to advance to the quarterfinals and take another step toward winning an unprecedented 10th title at Roland Garros. The 31-year-old Spaniard has rolled to the final eight while not dropping a set. His run marked the 11th time he has reached the quarterfinals at the French Open – a record he shares with Roger Federer. Nadal has lost just 20 games in four matches en route to the quarters. “I played against a very good player, and I was able to win in straight sets with very positive result,” Nadal shrugged. “So happy for that. Probably I didn’t play as well as I did the other day, but I still played well, no? I played some very good shots.” Nadal will face countryman and World No. 21, Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarters on Tuesday. The 25-year-old reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by stopping fifth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 8-6 on Sunday. The 20th seeded Spaniard failed to convert six match points in the deciding set before eventually regaining his composure to go on and get the win. The win also marked Carreno Busta’s first career victory over a top-10 player. “Rafa is maybe the best player on this surface in history, and he’s playing really good, but I will try. I’m playing good. I’m playing with a lot of confidence. Maybe I’m a little tired, but I have one day off. So on Tuesday, we’ll see what happens,” Carreno Busta said. “These quarter-finals are a great opportunity to continue and create my own history. Nadal owns a 3-0 record against Carreno Busta with two of those wins coming on clay including last year’s 6-1, 6-4 win in Rio de Janeiro. While I am going to encourage you to back Rafael Nadal to get the win, I’m also thinking it will take at least four sets for Rafa to finish off his countryman, which makes the Over 27.5 games an attractive pick to me. I’m also going to advise you to back Carreno Busta at +9.5 games as I expect this match to be surprisingly closer than expected. Nadal gets the win in four sets to improve on his insane 76-2 career mark at Roland Garros. Pick: Rafael Nadal in 4 Sets