Joe Champion's tips for the French Open men’s semi-finals include a ding-dong battle between world No.1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Four top-class players have stood their ground as the French Open reaches the semi-final stage and, for three of them, this is familiar territory.
Defending Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz is the hot favourite for his clash with Lorenzo Musetti, while the headline act comes from the top half of the draw where Jannik Sinner faces Novak Djokovic.
French Open semi-final best bets
King Carlos set for back-to-back finals
Carlos Alcaraz has dominated on European clay this season, claiming titles in Monte Carlo and Rome, and the odds suggest he will book a spot in a second consecutive French Open final with a win over Lorenzo Musetti.
When fit, the Spaniard has dominated on European clay this year, beating Musetti in the Monte Carlo Masters final, losing in the Barcelona final – only when hampered by an injury which ruled him out of Madrid – then roaring back again to win in Rome.
Musetti is up to seventh in the world and is playing better than ever, but he’s still struggling to match Alcaraz, who earned a fifth straight win over the Italian in the Rome semi-finals.
It hasn’t been perfect in Paris for Alcaraz, who dropped sets in round two, three, and four. However, he was far too strong for quarter-final opponent Tommy Paul, and another dominant performance can be expected on Friday.
The Spaniard has won 11 of his last 12 sets against Musetti – 10 of them for a loss of no more than three games – and the value could lie in backing him to win by a 3-0 correct score.
Carlos Alcaraz to win 3-0 vs Lorenzo Musetti @ 19/20
Djokovic should go down fighting
While Alcaraz vs Musetti serves as a tempting hors d’oeuvres, Jannik Sinner’s meeting with Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly the main course in the French capital.
A three-time French Open champion, Djokovic won four of the first five meetings with the Italian, but Sinner has turned the rivalry around in recent seasons, winning their last three matches, including the 2024 Australian Open semi-final.
The Italian is now the ATP Tour’s top dog, but Djokovic demonstrated he is still capable of producing tennis of the very highest class by beating Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, and he’ll be desperate to show he can still compete with the world No.1.
Sinner hasn’t put a foot wrong at Roland Garros so far, demolishing inferior rivals without dropping a set, but a clash with the 24-time Grand Slam champion represents a bigger test, with evening conditions likely to encourage Djokovic.
After being broken in his opening game, the Serb served superbly in his 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 win against Zverev, allowing the German just two break points from the second set onwards.
A meeting with a confident Sinner is tougher, but Djokovic is clearly in fine form, and it should not be forgotten that he won the Olympic title on these courts just 10 months ago.
He can at least push this to a fourth set, although Sinner’s younger body should be better equipped to cope with the demands of a long match.
Jannik Sinner to win & over 34.5 games @ 6/5
