French Open 2012 TV Schedule: Thursday Matches You Don't Want to Miss

The French Open has been a lot of fun thus far, with shocking upsets (Serena Williams, Marion Bartoli), scrappy French favorites (Gilles Simon) and a few tournament favorites laboring at times but still advancing.

Day 5 on Thursday promises to be just as much fun.

Of course, if you'll want to be tuned in to ESPN 2 from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET and the Tennis Channel from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Thursday to catch all the Roland Garros action.

Here are a few matches I can't wait to catch tomorrow.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Cedrik-Marcel Stebe

Cedrik-Marcel Stebe	6	4	1
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5)	2	6	1

The match between these two was suspended on Wednesday due to rain, but it's looking like it could be a good one. Although a long shot, Tsonga nonetheless represents France's best chance to see one of its citizens win this year's tournament.

A second-round exit would be very surprising, and a huge blow to the home country's fans. When this match resumes, Tsonga will have a battle in front of him.

Here's hoping he responds.

Na Li Defends Her French Open Title

The seventh seed and last year's champion, Na Li, will defend her title against France's Stephanie Foretz Gacon, so she'll have the home crowd against her on Thursday.

It shouldn't matter—Foretz Gacon is the 88th-ranked player in the WTA, so Li should cruise in this one. Then again, Serena Williams should have cruised as well, so you never know.

America's Best Hope In Action

Andy Roddick may have fallen early and the Williams sisters didn't have much in the tank, but we still have John Isner. Sure, the 10th-seeded Isner isn't exactly a star, but he is the top-ranked American left in this tournament (since Mardy Fish is sidelined with a heart ailment).

Isner gets the Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, ranked 261st in the world, so the American should advance easily. And to the ire of the French crowd, I might add.

Other Top Players in Action

Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will play on Thursday.

I'm getting excited already.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets pack more punch than Junior dos Santos.