Roland Garros Day 8 preview & pick: Jannik Sinner vs. Alexander Zverev

After surviving a thrilling 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 second round victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Alexander Zverev made quick work of clay court specialist Marco Cecchinato. The recent US Open finalist advanced to his fourth consecutive Grand Slam fourth round, and will now face one the game’s brightest young stars in Jannik Sinner.

The Italian teenager has dominated the competition in his Roland Garros debut, defeating David Goffin, Benjamin Bonzi, and Federico Coria all in straight sets. At one point during his, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3, demolition of 11th-seeded Goffin, Sinner won 11 consecutive games. He’s been nothing short of a red-headed wrecking ball in Paris.

While Zverev doesn’t necessarily embrace the role of favorite, and seems to prefer playing as the underdog, he certainly doesn’t mind teaching his younger peers a lesson from time to time. In his first two encounters against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Zverev delivered a pair of straight set beatdowns, ceding nine games in both matches combined. In his first two clashes against Andrey Rublev, Zverev again dropped just nine total games.

Corinne Dubreuil / FFT

Sinner arguably has more upside than the Russian and Canadian, but his pure power, pedal to the metal game will likely feed into Zverev’s strengths. The German prefers his opponent to provide the pace, while he shrinks the court with his exceptional range and ultra-crisp ball-striking.

Get ready for some beautiful backhand exchanges, as perhaps only Novak Djokovic owns a better two-handed backhand than Sinner and Zverev. If Sinner wants to score a signature upset he would be well served to strike first. Perhaps the biggest advantage Zverev owns over Sinner (aside from his first serve), is his fitness. Physically, Sinner is still a kid, and while he is as talented as they come, his body may not be prepared for a grueling, five-hour best-of-five slugfest.

A Sinner victory would not be that surprising, but historically Roland Garros has been Zverev’s most successful major. Expect the German to hold off the youngster and advance to his third straight quarterfinal in Paris.

The Pick: Alexander Zverev