Preview ATP Roland Garros 2025 Day Eleven: Jannik Sinner aims for semifinals as Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev renew rivalry

This Wednesday marks the conclusion of the Roland Garros quarterfinals with the last two men's matches, which will determine who joins Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner leads the action, facing the surprise of the tournament so far: Alexander Bublik, who eliminated world No. 5 Jack Draper in one of the best matches of his life.

However, the stellar match of the night will feature 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who continues to advance without dropping a set and will face a more than familiar opponent in world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, last year's finalist. This will be their 14th career meeting.

The world No. 1 has had a remarkable tournament, showing no mercy to any of his opponents. While he was still adjusting details in the first round against Arthur Rinderknech (6-4, 6-3, 7-5), he has been unstoppable since, against Richard Gasquet (6-3, 6-0, 6-4), Jiří Lehečka (6-0, 6-1, 6-2), and Andrey Rublev (6-1, 6-3, 6-4). In his last three matches, he conceded an average of just 6 games per match, and he didn't lose his serve in any of them.

The Italian needed no time to adapt upon his return to the Tour, despite his best results not typically coming on clay courts. He holds a 9-1 record since his return to the courts and it seems improbable that an outsider can stop him. He has 64 consecutive wins against players outside the top 20, and he will face a Bublik who entered the tournament as world No. 62.

The Kazakh has been a player characterized equally by his talent and his inconsistency. He has delivered incredible matches and points but has never quite found consistency. Just a year ago, he was at his career-high ranking of world No. 17, but he couldn't maintain those top positions. A player who has always expressed his dislike for clay courts, he has found his best Grand Slam performance to date at the French Open, reaching his first quarterfinals and eliminating two top-10 players along the way: Alex de Minaur and Jack Draper.

With four previous encounters, Sinner leads the head-to-head 3-1, although the last meeting was in Bublik's favor at Halle Open 2023 (grass courts). The Kazakh had an outstanding performance against Draper in the fourth round and will need a similar level if he wants to compete with the world No. 1. He has already delivered several surprises, and he's certainly not lacking in talent... will it be enough to give Sinner a scare?

Until a few weeks ago, both Djokovic and Zverev were in a slump, lacking confidence. However, they have shown their usual class in major tournaments and are set for their 14th encounter, vying for a spot in the French Open semifinals. Djokovic comes in with an 8-match winning streak on clay courts, after winning his 100th title at the Geneva Open two weeks ago, and his 100th main draw victory at Roland Garros when he overcame Cameron Norrie in the fourth round.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion – amidst criticism, inconsistent results, and injuries – has managed to once again be in direct contention for the title, and with a level that justifies it. He hasn't dropped a set in the tournament so far and appears to have put a last year of adverse results behind him. He will face his first major challenge of the tournament against 'Sascha' Zverev, world No. 3 and the 2024 finalist, who always finds extra motivation at Roland Garros.

They know each other well, with an 8-5 head-to-head record in favor of Nole. Their last encounter was in the Australian Open semifinals earlier this year, where Djokovic retired due to injury after the first set (7-6 in favor of Zverev). In terms of clay encounters, the head-to-head is 1-1, with Zverev winning the Rome 2017 final and Djokovic winning their Roland Garros 2019 quarterfinal.