Everyone who has the sudden good fortune of being in the top half of the French Open draw will be back on the court on Saturday, including Felix Auger-Aliassime and Moise Kouame. They are going up against Brandon Nakashima and Alejandro Tabilo, respectively.
(4) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (31) Brandon Nakashima
Following Jannik Sinner’s shocking French Open loss, Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked man left in the top half of the draw and probably has to be considered the favorite to reach the final. It is an especially big jump in status for a player who was one tiebreaker from being out of the tournament in round one. That’s right — Auger-Aliassime kicked off his fortnight with a 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(10-7) victory over Daniel Altmaier. The sixth-ranked Canadian also got off to a slow start on Thursday, but he was quicker to recover against a less dangerous opponent and got the job done 4-6, 6-0, 7-5, 6-1.
Standing in Auger-Aliassime’s way of week two is Nakashima, who lost their only previous encounter 6-3, 6-4 on the indoor hard courts of Florence in 2022. The 35th-ranked American also endured a five-setter earlier this week, outlasting Luca Van Assche 6-7(5), 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 in four hours and 34 minutes. Nakashima fortunately conserved some energy by beating Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets to begin his event, but the rest advantage still goes to Auger-Aliassime. Even more importantly, the two-time U.S. Open semifinalist has far more experience at this stage of Grand Slams. Nakashima has advanced out of round three at only two majors and has never made it past the fourth.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3
(WC) Moise Kouame vs. Alejandro Tabilo
Kouame is the last Frenchman remaining in the top half of the bracket, and his electrifying run has a good chance of continuing given all of the upsets — not just involving Sinner — that have taken place. If not for the world No. 1’s loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Thursday, Kouame would be the story of the tournament. The 17-year-old opened with a straight-set beatdown of Marin Cilic and then outlasted Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(8) on Thursday afternoon.
Up next for Kouame is a first meeting with Tabilo, who took a much different path to the last 32. In fact, the 36th-ranked Chilean did not even see the court in round two — benefiting from a walkover given to him by Valentin Vacherot. That was preceded by a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Kamil Majchrzak. Although Tabilo is a solid clay-courter, he has won just four ATP-level matches on dirt this spring and is a modest 2-2 lifetime in the main draw at Roland Garros. With the crowd behind him, Kouame should be able to capitalize on this incredible opportunity.
Pick: Kouame in 4