French Open 2012 Schedule: Most Exciting Matches to Look Forward To

As the second week of the 2012 French Open progresses, there are some fascinating matches over the next couple days.

The men's draw offers some surefire battles Monday, including a first-time meeting between highly ranked players and a battle between two Spaniards not named Rafael Nadal.

On the women's side, Monday's action might be lopsided, but Tuesday's quarterfinals feature a couple of intriguing encounters.

Here's a preview of the most exciting matches to look forward to at Roland Garros over the next couple days.

(8) Janko Tipsarevic vs. (12) Nicolas Almagro

Janko Tipsarevic and Nicolas Almagro have never faced each other, but the two are nearly identical in age, size and overall tour success, so this match will be intriguing to watch.

The Spanish Tipsarevic is coming off a strong three-set sweep of Julien Benneteau that saw Tipsarevic blast 16 aces and 50 winners.

But Almagro enjoyed third-round success as well, winning the short rallies and dominating Leonardo Mayer at the net.

With such unfamiliarity and room for in-match adjustments, I would be quite surprised if this showdown didn't go to a fifth set.

Richard Gasquet vs. (4) Andy Murray

Andy Murray has dealt Richard Gasquet some heartbreaking losses in Grand Slam events in the past, but Gasquet had recent success with his win over Murray in Rome last month.

Murray struggled with back problems last month and earlier in this tournament, but he seems better now than he was in Rome. He's won nine out of the 10 sets he's played in the tournament, and held 100 percent of his service games in his third-round dismantling of Santiago Giraldo.

Can Gasquet, the hometown Frenchman, prove that his Roman conquest was no fluke? He's never reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, and he has a legitimate chance to do so tomorrow.

(6) David Ferrer vs. (20) Marcos Granollers

In a battle of the Spaniards, underdog Marcos Granollers looks to represent Barcelona as he takes on sixth-ranked David Ferrer of Valencia.

The taller Granollers survived a hard-fought five-setter against Paul-Henri Mathieu, and he'll have to summon even more fortitude to topple David Ferrer.

Ferrer has cruised through the Paris bracket thus far, as he hasn't come close to yielding a set yet. He's reached the French Open quarterfinals a couple times before, and he's primed to do so again.

But when fellow countrymen square off, it tends to be somewhat of an equalizer. Ferrer will win the match, but not without a fight.

Bonus: Tuesday: (16) Dominika Cibulkova vs. (6) Samantha Stosur

The women's quarterfinal round offers a showdown between two pros who have gone deep in Paris in the past without winning it all.

Dominika Cibulkova is riding the momentum from her upset over top-ranked Victoria Azarenka, which included a tiebreaker in the second set. She was able to neutralize Azarenka's serve and also thwart most of her break-point opportunities.

Cibulkova will meet 2010 French Open finalist Sam Stosur, who has grinded out four straight wins at Roland Garros and has been playing well at the net lately.

Let's see if Cibulkova's magic continues against the veteran Aussie.