Roland Garros Day 11 Preview: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Andrey Rublev

In a matchup of the recent Hamburg final, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev will face off for the fourth time in their career on Wednesday, but this time with higher stakes than ever before. Both players were a set from defeat in their opening rounds, but have since turned on the jets, setting up a marquee quarterfinal between the two best 22-year-olds in the game.

There are no secrets on the court between the two. Their matches always seem to deliver. While Rublev owns the head-to-head advantage, 2-1, he now has the difficult task of defeating Tsitsipas twice in three weeks. In Hamburg, Tsitsipas led 5-3 in the final set before inexplicably crumbling. The Greek lost 16 of the final 19 points to gift Rublev his third ATP title of the year.

“He’s a tough cookie,” Tsitsipas told press. “He's a very challenging player to play against. I think he for sure brings the best out of me when I step out on the court to play against him. It is very important for me to take this opportunity and fight harder this time.”

This matchup will largely depend on how well Tsitsipas strikes his backhand. You can be sure that Rublev will use his gargantuan forehand to pin the Greek in his backhand corner, which will leave his own line open.

If Tsitsipas chooses not to go down the line, and doesn't create a sharp enough cross court angle, Rublev will run around his forehand and crack it inside in, just like he did in Hamburg.

Although Rublev’s backhand down the line will be wide open all match, he won’t hit it there as much as you think. There’s really no reason; he is content to sit in the ad corner and wait until the Tsitsipas backhand inevitably coughs up a short ball.

Here Rublev chose to hit his backhand down the line to the Tsitsipas forehand and ultimately paid the price.

Tsitsipas says that Rublev has a complete solid game from all departments. If that is true, his transition/net game is his most scarcely stocked department. Whether he likes it or not, Tsitsipas will need to bring Rublev forward, if nothing else but to change up the pattern and take away the Russian’s rhythm.

According to the oddsmakers, Tsitsipas is a slight (-155) favorite. While your guess is as good as mine, revenge matches are a real thing. It’s hard to sweep a team in baseball, just like it’s hard to sweep a series in basketball, especially if the teams are as evenly matched as Rublev and Tsitsipas. For that reason alone, we’re going with the Greek to prevail and advance to his second career Grand Slam semifinal.

The Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas