Fifth seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece will face twelfth seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the Round of 16 at the 2021 French Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Sunday June 6th, 2021 at 8:00am EST.
This is a very intriguing matchup between the flashy Tsitsipas and the solid and reliable Spaniard. Tsitsipas is considered by many to be a true contender to win his first Grand Slam title here at the French Open, and has been in fantastic form so far. Pablo Carreno Busta is one of the most consistent players on tour, and is fully capable of winning here. Can he pull off the upset here to advance to the Quarter-Finals for the second consecutive year?
Stefanos Tsitsipas has announced himself as a threat to Rafael Nadal’s crown here at the French Open by winning the title in Monte-Carlo, and has been having an extremely solid and consistent season. Currently ranked at #5 in the world, he has started his campaign here in Paris strongly, and has cruised through the draw for the loss of only one set to this point. After a slow start against John Isner in the Third Round, he recovered well to dominate the rest of the match, and should be considered the favorite here against Pablo Carreno Busta. While he is the favorite, he would be wise to not underestimate his opponent here, as he is truly capable of causing the upset.
Pablo Carreno Busta is currently ranked #12 in the ATP world rankings and is the twelfth seed here at the 2021 French Open. The Spaniard is widely considered to be one of the most consistent players on tour and has had a strong start to the tournament here despite his poor recent form. Like his opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas, he has reached this stage for the loss of only one set, and is in fine form at the moment. With his ultra-consistent game style he is capable of causing the upset here if the Greek star isn’t at his best, and will be backing himself to do well here.
This match is likely to be very close, with both men capable of getting the win. Stefanos Tsitsipas is the favorite and deservedly so, but PCB is a very seasoned campaigner and has been very consistent at the Grand Slams. If Tsitsipas is at 100% and fully focused then he is likely to overpower the Spaniard, and has an extra gear that PCB doesn’t. With that in mind, I am going to back Tsitsipas to get a very hard fought win here, advancing to the Quarter-Finals here at the 2021 French Open in four tough sets.