French Open Quarter-Final Predictions, Day 11: Sharapova-Jankovic, Djokovic-Haas

1. Jelena Jankovic v Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova

I never thought I would see Jelena Jankovic bring her best tennis to a Grand Slam, but she is back in the Roland Garros quarter-finals after she thumped a terribly irratic, Jamie Hampton in fading light, 6-0 6-2.  I think Jankovic's win over Sam Stosur in round three was really huge and she will have absolutely nothing to lose now.  Next up is Maria Sharapova, who defeated Sloane Stephens, 6-4 6-3 for her fourth straight sets win of the week.  The head-to-head is heavily in favour of Sharapova who leads 7-1 with JJ's only win coming on the grass courts of Birmingham.  Their last match was a non-event as Sharapova raced to a 6-2 6-1 win in the Miami semi-finals.  This will be their first match on clay and I have a good feeling that JJ can put up a solid fight.  I must point out I used to be a crazy Jankovic fan, but as the years have passed, I have calmed down.  Still, it would frigging amazing if JJ could beat Sharapova...

Prediction - Sharapova to beat Jankovic in 3 sets

2. Novak Djokovic v Tommy Haas

Novak Djokovic overcame a slow start to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in 4 sets and book a quarter-final showdown with Tommy Haas.  The German player had a fantastic win over Mikhail Youzhny, 6-1 6-1 6-3, which was quite a turn-up for the books having been pushed all the way in the previous round against John Isner in that dramatic five setter where Haas finally converted the win on his 13th match point.  I think Djokovic will be really determined to succeed this week following the sad news that his childhood coach, Jelena Gencic, passed away on Sunday.  Djokovic and Haas last met in Miami, when Haas sprung one of the surprises of 2013 with a straight sets triumph.  Grand Slams are a different kettle of fish and although I think Haas will net a set, Djokovic will grab the win.

Prediction - Djokovic to beat Haas in 4 sets

3. Rafael Nadal v Stanislas Wawrinka

Rafael Nadal

The men's draw had another epic on Monday as Stanislas Wawrinka recovered from a two set deficit to triumph over Richard Gasquet, 6-7(5) 4-6 6-4 7-5 8-6.  When I joined the match in the 4th set, the tennis was fantastic with sooo many winners.  Gasquet gave it his all and was really struggling physically in the 5th set, but it was a testament to his fight that the match went to 8-6 in the decider.  Wawrinka now plays Rafael Nadal, who by contrast had a very comfortable passage past Kei Nishikori, 6-4 6-1 6-3.  Nadal and Wawrinka last met in the Madrid final where Nadal ran out an easy winner.  Unfortunately, there are remarkably similar circumstances as Wawrinka will be hurting after the win over Gasquet.  Another great week for Stan, but Nadal-Djokovic just has to happen ...

Prediction - Nadal to beat Wawrinka in 3 sets

4. Maria Kirilenko v Victoria Azarenka

The third round was a struggle, but the fourth round was a stroll for Victoria Azarenka who brought out her A-game to Chatrier with a 6-3 6-0 victory over the 2010 Roland Garros Champion, Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 6-0.  Azarenka now plays Maria Kirilenko, who will crack the top ten next week by virtue of her quarter-final run.  Kirilenko has come through some tight two setters this week; yesterday she edged past Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 7-5 6-4.  The last time Azarenka and Kirilenko met was in the Bronze medal match at the Olympics where Vika ran out the winner in straight sets.  Kirilenko's consistency has been impressive this year, but I think Azarenka is improving match on match and could be set for an intriguing semi-final with Maria Sharapova...

Prediction - Azarenka to beat Kirilenko in 2 sets (1 tight, 1 easy)