French Open fieldfilled with youth

BY WILL PEMBROKE, Associate Multimedia Editor
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Novak Djokovic is the top seeded men’s player in the 2020 French Open. Djokovic is expected to match up with Rafael Nadal, who’s ranked No. 2. Djokovic would be looking for his second career French Open championship.

The action has been intense heading into the quarter-finals round of the French Open.

No. 1 ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic, has dominated the field with his play, winning in three sets every round prior to his quarter-final matchup. 

Similarly, the No. 2 ranked player, Rafael Nadal, has shown out, winning in an impressive fashion which has landed him in the semi-finals. 

Nadal battled through a long night in his last match, playing all the way until almost 2 a.m. to secure a win in the latest-running  tennis match finish of all time.

On the women’s side of things, stars Serena Williams and Simona Halep saw early exits, opening the field to lesser known players who are making a name for themselves.

Defending French Open champion Ashleigh Barty and U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka did not participate in this year’s tournament, so the field was especially new to viewers.

The outstanding performer so far has been a Polish player ranked No. 54 in the world, Iga Swiatek. Swiatek was extremely impressive in her match against Simon Halep, the title favorite.

She lost only three games the entire match en route to her victory. Swiatek has lauded her improvements in her mental game as the reason for her success this year.

Another relatively unknown name heading into the tournament was the Italian player Martina Trevisan.

Following a lengthy battle with an eating disorder which kept her out of tennis for an extended period of time, Trevisan has absolutely balled out in France, upsetting notable stars Kiki Bertens, Maria Sakkari and Coco Gauff.

On the men’s side, another exciting match between No. 1 and No. 2 ranked Djokovic and Nadal, respectively, will capture lots of attention and undoubtedly lead to a fantastic finish.

On the contrary, the women’s side offers a fascinating look at some of the game’s youngest stars as they battle it out to see who is the new champion to beat and who could become the next face of the sport. 

Two different perspectives coming out of the French Open, and both will be incredible to watch unfold throughout this week.