Roland Garros Day 6 preview: Simona Halep vs. Amanda Anisimova

Last year in Paris, Amanda Anisimova may have cost Simona Halep her third career major title. The American played a near flawless match in her 6-2, 6-4, quarterfinal victory. It remains the signature win of her promising young career.

But a lot can happen in a year. Anisimova, 11-7 on the season, hasn’t been playing her best tennis lately, while Halep enters this rematch riding a three-tournament, 16-match win streak. Surely the Romanian is hungry for some revenge.

“I know it's going to be tough because she's hitting the ball strong and flat, so it's going to be tough,” Halep told press. “I remember the match from last year, I remember also that I didn't play what I wanted, so I will do some changes and I will just try to play better and to take my chance.”

Only Halep and coach Darren Cahill know exactly what changes she will make this time around, but raising her aggression level would be a good start. Anisimova can trade groundstrokes with anyone, but Halep owns a tremendous advantage in the movement department. She would be well served to test the American’s legs early and often. If Halep can control the majority of the points from the baseline, it’s unlikely Anisimova will be able to keep up.

But if the 19-year-old serves like she did last year, it won't be easy for Halep to control the points. Anisimova made 74% of her first serves, and didn’t double fault once. She’s unlikely to repeat such a performance, but she can still inflict damage with her depth of shot and uncanny ability to create sharp angles. Below, Anisimova stretched Halep far outside the doubles alley three different times.

In addition to her power and accuracy, Anisimova has phenomenal touch, and will need to use every bit of it to pull off another upset.

In last year's shocker, Anisimova was the aggressor throughout the match. When given a neutral ball on Friday, expect Halep to inflict damage, just like she did in this point.

At (-475), Halep is understandably a sizeable favorite. It’s unwise to underestimate a freakish talent like Anisimova, but defeating Halep at back to back French Opens is probably too much to ask of the teenager.

The Pick: Simona Halep