The 2022 French Open enters the Round of 16 and the team at SportsTips.com are previewing the best six games. Read below to check out our picks for the three best men’s and three best women’s games for Round of 16 for the 2022 French Open!
Well, it’s been an interesting first week here at the French Open, and we are just about to see who will make an even deeper run at this Grand Slam. We are excited to see what the Round of 16 will bring and if there are any more major upsets! Who will make it through to the next round and all the way to the championship game?
Enjoy our free tennis picks and predictions for each round of the 2022 French Open tournament.
Round of 16 Tennis Picks For The French Open: Men’s Draw
Novak Djokovic (1) vs Diego Schwartzman (15)
World #1 is currently on a tear (and on a collision course to meet Nadal in the quarterfinals), but before he can think about the quarters, he has to get past Argentine, Diego Schwartzman. Djokovic is yet to drop a set in his first three matches in the French Open. No such luck for the 15th seed, he needed four sets in the first round, five sets in the second round, but got though Dimitrov in the third round, in straight sets.
Jeffery Thomas
Novak Djokovic continues to roll through the French Open without much resistance as he has made it through here to the fourth round without dropping a set. It appears he could be in for his first challenge of the tournament here though against the always tough Diego Schwartzman who nearly beat him here back in 2017. Schwartzman has had an impressive run to the fourth round, making a two set comeback on Jaume Munar before dispatching the in-form Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.
It hasn’t been the most convincing clay season for Diego though and he hasn’t fared well in this head-to-head against Djoker, losing all six matchups. Novak is in peak form and knows how to get up for these tough battles, so I’m expecting him to flip a switch and take care of business in this match in dominant fashion. I like Novak to win in straight sets yet again and set us up for a possible Nadal matchup in the next round!
Jeffery’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Djokovic 3-0 (-150)
Marko Nadin
Novak Djokovic has started the French Open very well, not dropping a single set in the first three rounds of the tournament. The world no. 1 defeated Yohishito Nishioka, Alex Molcan and Aljaz Bedene who are not even close to his level. The first serious opponent who may cause some trouble is Diego Schwartzman in the Round of 16. Djokovic has won all of the 6 previous matches against the Argentinian but needed five sets and a come back from 1-2 sets down at the 2017 French Open. Djokovic has previously won twice at the French Open and is going after his 21st Grand Slam title.
Diego Scwartzman is currently 16th at the ATP rankings with his best rank being at no. 8. The 29-year-old is 24-11 for the season and 19-7 on clay which is his favorite surface. Schwartzman is coming off an easy 3-0 win in the third round against Grigor Dimitrov but needed 5 sets in the previous round defeating Jaume Munar after being 0-2 down. In the opening round, the Argentinian defeated Alex Kuznetson 3-1. Schwartzman has made it to the French Open quarterfinal 4 times, with his best result being the semifinal in 2020 where he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
Marko’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Djokovic 3-0 (-150)
Jack Hartman
Here is where Novak Djokovic’s tournament starts. He knows that potentially standing in his way of reaching another French Open Final are the potential trio of Diego Schwartzman, Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic will be delighted that up to this point in the tournament he is yet to drop a set and arrives in this match with plenty in the tank. He holds an impressive 6-0 head to head record over the Argentine and hasn’t dropped a set in any of their previous three encounters. This will be a stern test for the world number one but a test he should come through.
Schwartzman certainly won’t be a pushover, a former semifinalist at the French Open, Schwartzman is on his preferred surface and will make life as difficult as he can for the Serbian. Schwartzman easily put in his best performance of the tournament so far with an impressive straight set victory against Grigor Dimitrov. That would have given him a bundle of confidence as Schwartzman arguably looks for the biggest win of his career here.
Jack’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Djokovic 3-1 (+260)
Felix Auger Aliassime (9) vs Rafael Nadal (5)
We get a cracker of a fourth round when Canadian, Felix Auger Aliassime, goes toe-to-toe with the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. The ninth seed faced a big scare in the first round, as he needed to come back from two sets down to win the match, it was smooth sailing in the next two rounds, winning both in straight sets. Nadal is cruising so far in the French Open and he is yet to drop a set.
Jeffery Thomas
Rafael Nadal has so far put to bed any injury concerns there were leading into the French Open and has looked like his regular dominant self through the first three rounds. He hasn’t lost more than 4 games in any set and his latest victim was the up-and-coming Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp, who was taken care of with relative ease. Now the 13-time French Open winner will face his biggest test yet, in the young Canadien star Felix Auger-Aliassime. The 21-year old is in the second week at Roland Garros for the first time which is a testament to his hard work and improved game because clay is not his best surface. It was a slow start for Felix in the first round, getting down two sets to love against Juan Pablo Varillas before coming back to win in five.
He bounced back from that to beat Ugo Carabelli in dominant fashion, only losing seven games total before eliminating Filip Krajinovic in the last round. He’s now set to take on Nadal and interestingly enough Auger-Aliassime is being coached by Toni Nadal who is Rafa’s uncle and the man who helped the Spainiard reach the heights he has. I don’t think that coaching edge will be enough to get him close to winning this match but it could get tough at times. In the end though, if Rafa is fit he will win and anybody in the business of betting anything opposing Nadal at the French Open is making a losing proposition. I don’t think he drops a set here as he will be fully focused on his first true test of the 2022 French Open.
Jeffery’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Nadal 3-0 (-105)
Marko Nadin
Rafael Nadal is having another amazing season which was not expected at all since he missed the second part of the last season with a foot injury, which caused him trouble to even walk. He started the season winning his second Australian Open title which put him on top of the all-time list with 21 Grand Slam titles. The Spaniard, who is currently fifth in the ATP rankings, has won 13 French Open tournaments so far and is always the top contender to win again. Nadal made it to the Round of 16 defeating Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet and Botic Van De Zandschulp in straight sets. He has won the only previous match against Felix Auger-Aliassime by 6-3, 6-3 at the 2019 ATP Masters tournament in Madrid.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is currently 9th in the ATP rankings which is his career-high. He is 26-12 for the season including 11-6 on clay. The 21-year-old Canadian had a tough start to the tournament and needed to come back from 0-2 sets down in the opening round against Juan Pablo Varillas. In the second round, Felix defeated Ugo Carabelli Camilo in straight sets just like he did with Filip Krajinovic in the third round. This is the best result for Auger-Aliassime so far at the French Open, as he has not made it past the first round in his three previous appearances.
Marko’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Nadal 3-0 (-105)
Jack Hartman
Rafa Nadal heads into this last 16 encounter against the talented Canadien Felix Auger-Aliassime fresh off the back of three easy straight set wins, however like Djokovic, Nadal easily faces his sternest test of the tournament so far. This will be a family occasion as Auger-Aliassime is coached by Nadal’s uncle Toni who trained Nadal from a boy into a multiple Grand Slam champion. The troublesome foot injury which was a concern for the Spaniard doesn’t seem to have flared up during the tournament, and Nadal seems to be moving freely and without pain. Nadal was on hand to witness his beloved Real Madrid capture a 14th Champions League title, so he will be hoping he can replicate the feats of his heroes and capture a 14th French Open title.
Felix Auger-Aliassime had a tough start to this year’s Championships needing five sets to beat Juan Pablo Virillas. Staring a shock defeat in the face, Auger-Aliassime produced some of his best tennis to turn the match around and continue his quest for a first Grand Slam. Auger-Aliassime looks like a future Grand Slam champion in waiting but a win here seems unlikely. There is no doubt that he has the talent, mindset and physical strength to win this match but Nadal will be looking to get one over his Uncle and set up a potentially mouthwatering clash against Novak Djokovic in the next round.
Jack’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Nadal 3-1 (+240)
Marin Čilić (20) vs Daniil Medvedev (2)
Marin Čilić will experience his toughest test to date in the French Open when he clashes with Daniil Medvedev. So far in the French Open Čilić has only dropped one set, but this will be the first time he will be up against a seeded player. Like a number of the other top seeds in the men’s draw, Medvedev has had a pretty easy path to the Round of 16, and he is yet to drop a set.
Jeffery Thomas
Daniil Medvedev came into the 2022 French Open with everyone knowing he’s not too fond of playing on clay but that hasn’t stopped him from cruising to the fourth round. He has yet to lose a set and in the third round dominated a very solid Miomir Kecmanovic. Daniil hit 42 winners and only dropped 13 points on his first serve the whole match so he was in a dangerous zone. He now looks ahead to another great opponent in Marin Cilic who took out Frenchmen Giles Simon in the third round.
Cilic’s performance against Simon wasn’t perfect but he did win it in straight sets and actually had only dropped one set through three rounds. He loves to hit, be aggressive from the baseline and hit winners, but against a defender as good as Medvedev it’s going to be tough. Medvedev has won each of their three meetings with the most memorable one coming at last year’s Wimbledon when Daniil rallied back from down 2 sets. I don’t think this one will be nearly as close and with the level we’ve seen from him, I just don’t think Cilic can take a set off him right now.
Jeffery’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Medvedev 3-0 (+180)
Marko Nadin
Daniil Medvedev is not very fond of playing on clay but he is holding very well so far at the French Open. The 25-year-old Russian has fallen from the top of the rankings this year and will give his best to try to get back there. Medvedev has not lost more than 4 games in a set this year at the French Open defeating Facundo Bagnis, Laslo Djere and Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets in the first three rounds of the tournament. Last year, Medvedev made it to the quarterfinal at the French Open which was the first time he has made it past the opening round.
Marin Cilic has seen his form going down in the past couple of seasons, but the former US Open Champion is playing great lately. Cilic is currently 23rd in the ATP Rankings with his best result being no. 3. The Croat is 16-11 for the season and 7-4 on clay. He dropped only one set so far in the tournament, against Marton Fucsovics in the second round and won in straight sets against Atila Balacz and Gilles SImon. Cilic has never won against Daniil Medvedev in their previous three matches. Cilic has been a regular at the French Open since 2006 and his best result is the quarterfinal in 2017 and 2018.
Marko’s French Open Pick: Total Games – Over 37.5 (-120)
Jack Hartman
Daniil Medvedev has shown little signs of being troubled by the Hernia injury which ruled him out of the majority of the clay court season leading up to this year’s French Open. Medvedev has made it no secret of how much he despises the red surface, but even he may be pleasantly surprised with how well he has played so far. The Russian is yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament and has looked sublime as he has eased past Facundo Bagnis and the Serbian combination of Laslo Djere and Filip Krajinovic. A matchup against the veteran Croat Marin Cilic should allow for Medvedev to continue his progress to the quarterfinals.
At one point during the COVID pandemic, it looked like Cilic’s time at the top of the game might be over as he tumbled out of the world’s top 50. However over the last nine months, Cilic has found something in his game and has seen his ranking rise all the way back to 23 in the world. Cilic has been impressive in this year’s tournament, only dropping one set en route to this stage. With Medvedev not on his preferred surface, this could be a match that the Croat believes he can win.
Jack’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Medvedev 3-2 (+420)
Round of 16 Tennis Picks For The French Open: Women’s Draw
Elise Mertens (31) vs Coco Gauff (18)
Elise Mertens is into the Round of 16, and standing in her way is none other than young hotshot, Coco Gauff. Mertens has actually only played two games so far in the French Open, as her second round match was a walkover, and the two games she did play, she won in straight sets. Gauff will be looking to match her best French Open result with a win in this game and so far in this Grand Slam, she is yet to drop a set.
Jeffery Thomas
American Coco Gauff through to the fourth round and is now just one win away from matching her 2021 French Open result where she made the quarterfinals. The 18-year-old had a pretty stress free 6-3, 6-4 win over Kaia Kanepi in the previous round and has yet to drop a set so far. She’ll hope to keep that going as she comes up against Elise Mertens of Belgium. Mertens is through to the fourth round for just her second time here at Roland Garros thanks to a couple straight set victories and a walkover in the second round.
She is a very defensive player who will be able to get to all the drop shots and variety Gauff throws at her but I just don’t see her being able to generate enough offense and free points to pull this one off. The entire match will be on Coco’s racket and while I do think it will be a tight match, it’s hard for me to see a scenario where the in-form Gauff loses this one.
Jeffery’s French Open Pick: Moneyline – Gauff (-235)
Marko Nadin
Cori Gauff is one of the top stories in the women’s side of the draw this year as the 18-year-old has made it to the Round of 16 without losing a set in the opening three rounds. The world no. 23 is coming off a 6-4, 6-3 win over veteran Kaia Kanepi in the third round after defeating Rebecca Marino and Alison Van Uytvanck in the first two rounds. Gauff made it to the quarterfinal last year in Paris and will have a chance to do that again in the match against Elise Mertens who she has defeated in their only previous match.
Elise Mertens is currently 32nd on the WTA rankings with her best result being at no. 12. The 26-year-old from Belgium has made it to the third round in the previous three years and now has made a step forward, but will probably stop there. She is 13-9 for the season and 4-2 on clay. Mertens, on her way to the Round 16, defeated Elena Gabriela Ruse and Varvara Gratcheva while Marie Bouzkova withdrew in the second round.
Marko’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Gauff 2-0 (+110)
Jack Hartman
Coco Gauff is looking to reach the quarterfinals of the French Open for a second successive season and has so far looked excellent in her three victories. Yet to drop a set, Gauff looks to be stringing all parts of her game together and the slower surface is enabling the talented American to use her excellent shotmaking skills and fantastic athleticism to their full effect. The draw has opened up for Gauff and she could be on the verge of something special. She has only played Mertens once before but emerged victorious in three sets, albeit with that match being played on grass.
This will be a sterner test with the Belgian playing on her favorite surface. Elise Mertens has had an up and down year which has seen her pick up one or two niggly injuries. Mertens was forced to miss both Madrid and Rome but will be delighted to have made the third round once again. Mertens’ game is based on consistency and if Gauff’s radar is slightly off, the Belgian can take full advantage. However, if Gauff can bring her best game, this is a match the American should win.
Jack’s French Open Pick: Set Getting – Gauff 2-0 (+110)
Iga Świątek (1) vs Qinwen Zheng
The world #1, Iga Świątek is looking to book her spot in the quarterfinals, but first she will need to get past unseeded Qinwen Zheng. Świątek is yet to drop a set so far in the Grand Slam, but did face a tough opponent in her last round, with the Pole being pushed in the second set. Unseeded Zheng has successfully navigated her way to the Round of 16, and she defeated 19th seed, Halep, in the process.
Jeffery Thomas
World number one Iga Swiatek faced her first bit of adversity in the third round against Danka Kovinic but prevailed once again and is now the only top 10 woman through to the second week. Iga was up 4-1 double break in the second set before dropping her serve twice and going down 4-5. She then turned the switch and won the final three games to seal the victory and get through her first true test of the tournament.
Now she is set to square off with another young talented player in Qinwen Zheng who has shown no fear through three rounds. Zheng took out former French Open champion Simona Halep before getting up 6-0, 3-0 on Alize Cornet before she retired. I see this as the biggest test for Iga so far but not nearly enough for her to lose. I do think she will be pushed though, and we will likely see a couple tight sets, but Zheng just isn’t at the point where she is ready to pull off something like this.
Jeffery’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Swiatek 2-0 (-550)
Marko Nadin
Iga Swiatek is having an unbelievable season as she is 40-3 for the season and still undefeated on clay after 12 matches so far this season. The last time the world no. 1 lost a set was more than a month ago and the last time she lost a match was in February in Dubai. Currently, Swiatek is on a 31-match winning streak. In the first three rounds at the French Open she went past Lesya Tsurenko, Alison Riske and Danka Kovinic. Swiatek won the French Open in 2020 and has won 5 titles so far this year. Anything but winning the trophy in Paris will be a huge surprise but anything is possible in tennis.
Qinwen Zheng is currently ranked at no. 74 with her best career-ranking being four spots higher. Zheng is only 19-years-old and this is the first time for her to make it to the fourth round in any Grand Slam tournament. She is 20-8 for the season and 4-2 on clay. Zheng was very good so far in the tournament defeating Maryna Zanevska in the opening round, then coming back from a set down to win against the former no. 1 Simona Halep and Alize Cornet in straight sets in the third round (with Cornet retiring midway through the second set).
Marko’s French Open Pick: Game Spread – Swiatek -6.5 (-158)
Jack Hartman
Iga Swiatek’s march to a sixth successive title is starting to have an inevitable look. In her first three matches, the number one seed is playing like the best player in the world and has crushed her three opponents with a minimal amount of fuss. Swiatek has dropped just 12 games on her way to the last 16 and it looks like nothing can stop her. Swiatek is at home on the clay and during her second round victory over Alison Riske, the big hitting Pole was hitting her forehand harder than Rafa Nadal. With so much power, another comfortable victory looks on the cards.
Qinwen Zheng is a surprise name in this year’s last 16, with the 19 year old enjoying her best ever Grand Slam run. Destined for a big career in the game, Zheng’s run here will see her current ranking catapult and she will be a name that we will continue to see more of. Zheng has had a tiny bit of fortune on her side. She outlasted Simona Halep in Round 2 but the Romanian was suffering from panic attacks during the match, she also benefited from her third round opponent Alize Cornet having to withdraw after just one and a half sets. Nobody expects Zheng to win here, but she will be intent on creating the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
Jack’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Swiatek 2-1 (+460)
Jessica Pegula (11) vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Jessica Pegula is the top ranked American left in the draw, and with a win here, she can move into the quarterfinals at the French Open, but she will have to get through Irina-Camelia Begu first. Pegula has only dropped one set so far in this tournament, and has defeated 24th seed, Zidanšek, in the process. Begu has spent a lot more time on the court with two of her matches going the distance, but she did manage to knock out 30th seed, Alexandrova, on her way to the Round of 16.
Jeffery Thomas
Jessica Pegula has been on a tear in the clay season and moved her record to 10-3 on the surface with her third round win over Tamara Zidansek. Jessie broke Zidansek’s serve four times in the first set, cruising 6-1 before being taken to a tiebreak in the second set. Pegula was able to triumph there as well, securing her second straight sets victory of this run to the fourth round. She now gets Irina Begu who is into the Round of 16 here for the first time in six years.
Begu took out Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean in the third round, saving eleven of twelve breakpoints in the 6-1, 6-4 victory. With the carnage in the WTA top 10, Pegula is set to break into the top 10 for the first time in her career. It’s a longshot, but a win here at the French Open would jump her all the way up to #2 in the world, so I’m expecting a very focused Jessie from here on out. That starts with this match, where she should have no problems dealing with Begu who is over 50 ranking spots below her.
Jeffery’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Pegula 2-0 (-115)
Marko Nadin
Irina-Camelia Begu is past her prime but is still competitive at Grand Slam tournaments. The 31-year-old is currently 63rd in the WTA rankings with her career-best being at no. 22. She is 15-10 for the season and 7-2 on clay. This is the second time in her career that she has made it to the Round of 16 at the French Open, after she reached the same phase back in 2016. Begu defeated Jasmine Paolini in the decisive tie-break in the opening round and then went past Ekaterina Alexandrova and Leolia Jeanjean in the next two rounds. Begu has won the previous two matches against Jessica Pegula both times by 2-0.
Jessica Pegula is currently at her career-high 11th place in the WTA rankings. The 28-year-old American is 22-11 for the season and 10-3 on clay. This is the first time she has made it through to the Round of 16 in the seventh appearance at the French Open. In the previous three rounds, Pegula defeated Qiang Wang, Anhelina Kalinina and Tamara Zidansek.
Marko’s French Open Pick: Moneyline – Begu (+195)
Jack Hartman
Jessica Pegula is looking to make her second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year following her good run in Australia and she will start this contest as the favorite against the tricky Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu. Despite being a veteran of the WTA Tour, Begu is arguably playing some of the best tennis of her career and a win here will see her make her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Pegula was impressive in her last match against last year’s losing semi finalist Tamara Zidansek. Zidansek, who is a clay court specialist, couldn’t lay a glove on Pegula who ended up winning 6-1, 7-6. Pegula is enjoying her best season on clay and looks to have recaptured the form that took her all the way to the final in Madrid earlier in the season. She is one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour and should cause Begu a whole host of problems here.
Jack’s French Open Pick: Set Betting – Pegula 2-0 (-115)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
