A trio of Top 10 seeds, a former champion and Japan's finest lead a blockbuster Day 8 at Roland Garros. ATPWorldTour.com previews Sunday's fourth-round action in Paris...
[7] Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs. [19] Kei Nishikori (JPN)
Nishikori leads FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0
It's the popcorn match of the fourth round. Two of the most in-form players on the ATP World Tour are set to light up Court Philippe Chatrier, as Nishikori and Thiem battle for the first time in two years.
Both players are coming off final appearances at clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, with Nishikori finishing runner-up in Monte-Carlo and Thiem doing so in Madrid. And they have each dropped just two sets en route to the second week at Roland Garros.
Moreover, the match-up features two of the game's most feared backhands going head-to-head. While Nishikori hopes to extend his run of form against the Austrian, having not lost a set in two encounters, Thiem will take great confidence from back-to-back semi-final finishes on the terre battue. Fireworks will be flying on Sunday.
[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. Karen Khachanov (RUS)
Zverev leads FedEx ATP Head2Head series 1-0
World No. 3 Zverev will have the chance to do something for the first time on Sunday: reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam. The three-time Masters 1000 champion is eyeing a major breakthrough when he squares off against Russia's Khachanov to open play on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Zverev has been made to work at Roland Garros, battling back from a pair of 2-1 set deficits against Dusan Lajovic and Damir Dzumhur to reach the fourth round. Champion in Munich and Madrid, the 21-year-old German will take great confidence as he looks to enter uncharted waters against 22-year-old Khachanov, who is also bidding to reach the last eight of a slam for the first time. The Russian has sprinted into the Round of 16 for the second year in a row, dropping just one set.
The winner of Sunday's match will become the youngest Roland Garros quarter-finalist since a 20-year-old Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.
[20] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. [30] Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Djokovic leads FedEx ATP Head2Head series 10-4
Beware of the 20th seed. Djokovic is on a roll at Roland Garros and the Serbian is peaking at the perfect time.
Two weeks after reaching the semi-finals at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, he is beginning to look a lot like the gladiator that lifted the trophy in Paris two years ago. The 31-year-old is on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the ninth straight year, having dropped just one set so far.
Against Verdasco, the former World No. 1 will face a third Spaniard in a row, having defeated Jaume Munar and Roberto Bautista Agut earlier in the week. While Djokovic is riding a five-match win streak in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, the pair have not met since the Australian Open in 2017 and Verdasco owns a 3-2 edge on clay.
Moreover, a slice of history will be at stake when the stars take to Court Philippe Chatrier. Djokovic is bidding to record his 200th clay-court match win and reach a 40th Grand Slam quarter-final - good for third place in the Open Era behind Roger Federer (52) and Jimmy Connors (41). Verdasco, however, is hoping to reach the last eight in Paris for the first time in his 15th appearance, which would move him to the top of the list for most attempts before reaching the quarter-finals.
[8] David Goffin (BEL) vs. Marco Cecchinato (ITA)
Goffin leads FedEx ATP Head2Head series 1-0
Goffin and Cecchinato will square off for the second time in three weeks, with a coveted spot in the Roland Garros quarter-finals on the line. The Belgian rallied from a set down in their lone previous encounter at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome.
Both players are finding their footing on the dirt and enter the fourth round after battling through five-set wins. The Italian, who lifted his maiden ATP World Tour trophy in Budapest in April, rallied from two sets down to stun Marius Copil 10-8 in a decider in his Paris opener. Goffin has pulled off two magical comebacks of his own, storming back to oust Robin Haase in the first round before overcoming Gael Monfils, after facing four match points, in the third round.
Goffin is seeking to reach a third Grand Slam quarter-final and second at Roland Garros (2016), while Cecchinato looks to continue his fairy tale run, having never won a match at the major level entering the week. Battle tested and poised for a breakthrough, both players will look to light up Court Suzanne Lenglen on Sunday.