French Open 2013: Predicting Men's and Women's Semifinals

The 2013 French Open has already started, and the semifinals will provide a few great showdowns in Paris.

The men's side, courtesy of RolandGarros.com, should have the favorites making their way into the semifinals for classic matchups. With star players at the top of their game, there will be plenty of intrigue as to who will best the other top-ranked contenders.

In the women's bracket, the top competitors are all playing well this year. The top seeds should have no problems reaching the semifinals, but there could be a few upsets along the way for their competitors.

The clay playing surface can be the difference between victory and defeat in the semifinals. However, it shouldn't be a factor for most of the favorites in France.

Here are the predictions for this year's French Open semifinals.

Men's Bracket

No. 1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) versus No. 3 Rafael Nadal (ESP)

A rematch of the 2012 finals is expected for the 2013 semifinals. Nadal took home his seventh title last year, so he will be favored to win the tournament again this year.

Neither player should face much of a challenge getting to this point in the tournament. 

If this matchup does happen, it will be one of the best showdowns of the tournament. Djokovic is still the top seed, and he will be looking for revenge. He defeated Nadal at the Monte Carlo Masters in April to slow down his rival.

Nadal is the defending champion, and he has been great in 2013. He is 36-2 this year, and he has reached the final in all eight tournaments that he has appeared in during 2013. He is coming off a win over Roger Federer in the finals of the Rome Masters.

There should be no surprise when these two advance to the semifinals, and it should be a great match as both players are looking to get back to the finals.

No. 2 Roger Federer (SUI) versus No. 4 David Ferrer (ESP)

As predictable as it may seem, the semifinals will feature all of the top seeds. 

Roger Federer is playing very well in 2013. He has reached the semifinals of a tournament three times this year and the quarterfinals two additional times. He has lost to players ranked in the top six four times this year, but he has avoided being upset early in tournaments.

Ferrer is the only one who could face the biggest challenge. He could draw Tomas Berdych (CZE), who beat Federer earlier this year in Dubai, in the quarterfinals. However, Ferrer has owned Berdych as of late. He has won six of the past seven meetings, including both meetings last year.

Federer and Ferrer will meet up in this side of the bracket. The top seeds are playing great right now and have owned their toughest competitors.

It may be predictable, but the favorites should all advance to the semifinals with ease at Roland Garros.

Women's Bracket

No. 1 Serena Williams (USA) versus No. 5 Sara Errani (ITA)

Serena Williams eased through her first match 6-0, 6-1 (recap via RolandGarros.com). Every match won't be as easy as that, but she should have winnable road to the semifinals. She is No. 1 in the world for a reason.

Williams has won the last four tournaments in 2013, and she has knocked off some serious competition. She's beaten Maria Sharapova (twice) and Victoria Azarenka. She will make it to her fifth straight semifinals when she continues her run in the French Open.

History is working against her, however, as she hasn't made it to the semifinals of the French Open since 2003. She has been knocked out in the quarterfinals four times since then and hasn't made it that far since 2010.

Sara Errani also eased through her first match (recap via RolandGarros.com). She will have tough competition to get to the semifinals. There is a chance she could have to face Nadia Petrova (RUS) in the fourth round and No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarterfinals.

Errani has made it to the semifinals in back-to-back tournaments in May. She has lost to Williams and Azarenka in both tournaments, but she has beaten the lower seeds along the way. Currently she is playing the best out of anyone in her part of the bracket, so expect her to reach the semifinals.

No. 2 Maria Sharapova (RUS) versus No. 3 Victoria Azarenka (BLR)

Similar to the men's bracket, there shouldn't be many surprises on the women's side.

Before withdrawing from the quarterfinals in her last tournament, Sharapova was on a roll in 2013. She had made it to four straight tournament finals—and won two of them—and made it to the semifinals in the two other tournaments she has competed in this year.

With a 30-4 record this year, there is nobody in Sharapova's part of the bracket who can stop her from reaching the semifinals. As the defending champion, she will be looking to take home another title. She has reached the semifinals in each of the past two years.

Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka has reached three tournament finals this year and a semifinal in another tournament. She lost to Williams in the finals of the last tournament, so she is currently playing well.

Because she has never reached the semifinals of the French Open, she will need to overcome her past failures in France.

Tennis is a crazy game and can feature upsets at any time, but the favorites should fare well in the French Open in 2013.

*All stats are from ATPWorldTour.com and WTATennis.com