French Open 2017 Results: Men's Final Score and Early Wimbledon Predictions
Rafael Nadal won the 2017 French Open after a straight-sets victory over Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros on Sunday. Nadal completed his record 10th French Open win without dropping a set during the tournament, after a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 demolition of Wawrinka.
In the process, Nadal showed his credentials as a potential Wimbledon winner this year. Of course, the Spaniard's dominance on clay hasn't always translated to the grass of Wimbledon, but his performances in Paris have to make him a strong contender.
Nadal was in imperious form from the off against Wawrinka, winning the first two sets with the minimum of fuss. Along the way, Nadal produced some truly memorable shots, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times:
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It was a flawless performance from the player who routinely brings out his best at Roland Garros, per ESPN's Brad Gilbert:
A break of serve at the start of the third set put Nadal on the brink of his 10th title. He then wrapped up a double break to move 4-1 ahead and two games away from the title.
Nadal soon clinched his 10th French Open win, with Eurosport UK confirming his moment of history:
Nadal and Wawrinka to Reach the Last Four at Wimbledon
He was overwhelmed on the day, but Wawrinka made his case as a potential semi-finalist at Wimbledon. The Swiss player has been exceptional in Paris, showcasing the type of all-round game needed to win on grass.
Specifically, the 32-year-old has the power to thrive at the All England Club this summer. However, Wawrinka will struggle to get past the last four where he'll run into one of Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray or possibly Novak Djokovic.
It will be a similar story for Nadal, who will also reach the semi-final stage. The Spaniard will win in style, but unlike Wawrinka, Nadal will have the resources to go one better.
Nadal to Beat Murray in the Final
Nadal has regained his best form at the right time, since many of the top players in the men's bracket have started to struggle. The 31-year-old's excellent tennis is best summed up by how few games he lost at Roland Garros this year, per BBC Sport's Piers Newbery:
Nadal has been this impressive while World No. 1 Murray has been inconsistent. The Scot has dealt with illness and injury but believes reaching the semi-final at Roland Garros has prepared him for the grass-court season, per Eleanor Crooks of the Press Association (h/t MailOnline): "Often when I have done well on the clay, I feel like that's helped me a little bit on the grass. Certainly the matches are not as physical, so going through matches like I did [against Wawrinka] is a good step for me."
Murray will be back to his best for Wimbledon, where he can be expected to make the final, but he will find Nadal waiting.
Like Murray, Djokovic has also been struggling, although quite why is a mystery, according to Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday: "Djokovic was so good so recently that his defeats are still met with stunned surprise. We search for explanations and sometimes word comes back in the form of either innuendo or rumour, but no one has a convincing answer for why the Serb has fallen from the pinnacle and is still tumbling."
Djokovic was humbled by losing in straight sets to Dominic Thiem at Roland Garros, while the experiment to work with Andre Agassi as his coach hasn't worked. As things stand, the Serb will be exceeding expectations if he makes the last four at Wimbledon.
Predicted Men's Champion: Nadal
Women's Bracket
Things will be tougher to predict in the women's bracket, where the uncertain nature of the competition was epitomised by Jelena Ostapenko's win at Roland Garros. The 20-year-old Latvian's hitting power will pose problems for everyone at Wimbledon.
As an Associated Press report (h/t MailOnline) noted, playing on grass will only boost the strongest point of Ostapenko's game: "One thing to keep in mind about Ostapenko: Her favorite surface is not the red clay used at the French Open. It's grass, which adds even more oomph to her already imposing strokes."
With Serena Williams missing the season, Ostapenko has a great chance to add victory in England to her win in Paris. However, beaten French Open finalist Simona Halep is the more complete player.
The Romanian can use the disappointment of losing in Paris to fend off the competition at Wimbledon.
Predicted Women's Champion: Halep
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