By Tony Fairbairn

• Iga Swiatek [1] v Danielle Collins [8]
• Casper Ruud [6] v Francisco Cerundolo
• Qinwen Zheng [6] v Angelique Kerber

PARIS, FRANCE – Iga Swiatek will look to guarantee herself a medal match when she takes on Danielle Collins on day five of the Olympic Games.

Iga Swiatek [1] v Danielle Collins [8] H2H & Match Fundamentals

World number one Iga Swiatek’s gold medal dream continues as she is yet to drop a set on her favourite surface at her favourite venue. However there have been signs that representing her country brings more nerves and more pressure as it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the Pole. Nevertheless, Swiatek hasn’t lost at Roland Garros since 2021 and always finds a way to win and will look to continue that streak as she is one win away from guaranteeing a medal match.

Tougher opposition awaits in the quarter-finals in the form of American Danielle Collins. The eighth seed has had a sensational season so far in what is her final season on the tour and she would love nothing more than to collect an Olympic medal on her way to retirement. So far tough wins over Caroline Wozniacki and Camila Osorio suggest she is more than ready for the challenge and now Collins will aim to cause one more big upset in a once in a lifetime event.

Swiatek will aim to be aggressive on serve as she looks to dictate on the forehand side, using variety to force errors from Collins. Meanwhile the American will aim to get the first strike in on return as she will use depth to pin Swiatek behind the baseline. Swiatek’s nerves may give Collins extra confidence in what could be an interesting match in terms of the Pole’s ability to shrug off a confident opponent. However the Pole should have enough quality to fend off the American’s hopes of an upset.

Prediction: Swiatek in three sets.

Casper Ruud [6] v Francisco Cerundolo H2H & Match Fundamentals

Casper Ruud is one of the favourites to win a medal at Roland Garros having been a two-time finalist here before. However a difficult three set win over doubles specialist Andrea Vavassori suggests that the opportunity at history for his country is affecting his tennis. The Olympics is a big deal for Ruud who will be keen to claim a medal for Norway and with competition being tough at these Olympics, the sixth seed will need to raise his level if he wants to achieve the biggest milestone of his career.

Next up for Ruud is a player that has got the better of him in recent times in the form of Francisco Cerundolo. The Argentinian was very close to beating Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros in what was a five set classic and enters the Olympics in sensational form having won the title in Umag the day before his first round match in Paris. It wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if the Argentinian was to claim a place on the podium but the question remains how much energy does he have left?

Ruud will aim to dictate on the backhand side as he will look to be proactive and aggressive as he will need to rush Cerundolo’s play. The Argentinian will need to be efficient on return but will also look to be resilient on serve as he will aim to neutralize Ruud’s efficiency on return. This will be a highly competitive match with both players fancying their chances of victory and a place in the quarter-finals in Paris.

Prediction: Cerundolo in three sets.

Qinwen Zheng [6] v Angelique Kerber H2H & Match Fundamentals

After reaching her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January, it’s been a frustrating season for Qinwen Zheng as she has had to deal with new expectations. However when Zheng plays her best tennis when representing her country as she has dug deep and found a way to win. Now Zheng is one win away from a medal match as she looks to add to her country’s superior medal tally at the Olympics in Paris.

Standing in Zheng’s way is one of the stories of the tournament in the form of Angelique Kerber. The German is playing her last ever tournament of her career but is determined to make the most of it as the former silver medallist is into the last eight having already knocked out Naomi Osaka and Leylah Fernandez in Paris. Now Kerber is one win away from a medal match and is looking to capture the perfect ending to her career at the one Grand Slam venue where she didn’t win the title.

Zheng will aim to play aggressive tennis and will hope that she can be efficient on return in order to neutralize Kerber’s counter-attacking tennis. Meanwhile Kerber will look to do most of the damage on the forehand side as she will look to remain steady and consistent on serve. This will be a good contest with this being a big opportunity for both players for two completely different reasons. However, Kerber will be given the chance to end her career on the highest note possible as she should come through in a tight three setter.

Prediction: Kerber in three sets.

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