All eyes are set to descent upon court Philippe-Chatrier when Andy Murray takes on the formidable Juan Martin del Potro. In what will be a repeat of last year’s thrilling final at the Olympic Games, the world No.1 faces a tough test if the Argentine is able to produced his best tennis. Meanwhile in the women’s draw, title favourite Simona Halep will have her work cut out when she faces talented Russian player Daria Kasatkina, who won the Charleston Open earlier this year.
These are the four matches to watch out for on Saturday :-
Andy Murray vs. Juan Martin Del Potro
These men faced off in two of the best matches of 2016, with Murray winning the gold medal match at the Rio Olympics, and Del Potro getting revenge in an over five-hour Davis Cup semifinal matchup. This could be a big-time third round match if Del Potro is healthy. He came into Roland Garros with back and shoulder issues, and proceeded to injure his knee during his second round match with Nicolas Almagro. In a startling turn of events, Almagro was the one to retire from that match due to an ongoing knee injury. This brought us another heart-warming moment in the first week of the French Open, as Del Potro consoled Almagro after he collapsed to the court in a full-on sob. In Murray’s second round match, he was in full cranky mode as he struggled and whined his way through four tough sets against Martin Klizan. Murray’s play has been far from inspiring this year as he’s fought injuries and illnesses, and I’d like Del Potro’s chances if he were healthy. But Del Potro appeared to be far from 100% as he struggled to run down balls against Almagro. Let’s hope Juan Martin is well enough to make this a battle that’s even half as good as their epic matches from last year.
Simona Halep vs. Daria Kasatkina
After injuring her ankle in Rome and having her participation at Roland Garros in doubt, Halep has looked strong in her first two rounds and hasn’t dropped a set. Kasatkina will be a step up in competition. The 20-year-old Russian is on the rise on the WTA tour, and she won the title on the green clay in Charleston earlier this year. But Kasatkina didn’t win a match on the red clay in Stuttgart, Madrid, or Rome. She’s also never been passed the third round at a major. Halep should be favored here, but this will be the first stern test for one of this tournament’s favorites. Simona could be threatened if her ankle slows her down.
Kei Nishikori vs. Hyeon Chung
Asia’s biggest tennis star will meet who many speculate could be the continent’s next big star in this third round match. Nishikori will be the favorite in their first meeting, but don’t count out Chung. The 21-year-old Korean has had a nice clay season, including victories over fellow next-gen player Alexander Zverev as well as Gael Monfils. It will be interesting to see how Chung performs in his first third round appearance at a major, and against a top player like Nishikori.
Stan Wawrinka vs. Fabio Fognini
In an open quarter of the draw, Fognini may be the biggest hurdle in Wawrinka’s path to return to the French Open semifinals. Stan leads their head-to-head 4-1, but Fabio is a dangerous clay court player. All four of his career titles have come on clay, and he reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2011. Stan can also be prone to playing less than his best during the first week at majors. Fabio will need to bring his A-game of big, flat ground strokes, as well as some of his drama that can frustrate opponents, in order to pull off the upset. If both players are on, this should be fun.
