French Open 2013: Under-the-Radar Matches to Watch for on Day 7 at Roland Garros

While tennis heavyweights like Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be the center of attention on Court Philippe Chatrier Saturday at the 2013 French Open, a number of other talented players will be close by, looking to advance themselves on Day 7.

Two perennial contenders on the women's side will go head-to-head when former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur battles 2008 U.S. Open finalist Jelena Jankovic.

But before that, four dark horses in the men's draw will be in action.

Below we'll highlight a trio of under-the-radar matches for tennis fans to look for on Day 7.

Click here to view the entire Day 7 schedule of play courtesy of RolandGarros.com.

Benoit Paire (24) vs. Kei Nishikori (13) - Court Suzanne Lenglen

Both Benoit Paire and Kei Nishikori are making their first ever third-round appearance at the French Open on Saturday, as neither player has ever been this far at Roland Garros.

Ranked 15th in the world, Nishikori is the top-ranked Japanese player in the men's game, impressive considering he's only 23 years old. The Frenchman Paire is a year older, but he's just as new to French Open success.

Both players have been coming on strong on clay recently, however, which means we shouldn't be at all surprised if this match goes the distance.

Nishikori took out Roger Federer in the third round at the Madrid Masters in early May, and Paire upset a less-than-top-form Juan Martin del Potro on his way to a semifinal appearance at the Rome Masters two weeks ago.

If this match is as fun to watch as it is difficult to pick, fans arriving early to Court Suzanne Lenglen on Saturday will be in for a treat. 

Tommy Haas (12) vs. John Isner (19) - Court No. 1

Fresh off a win over American Jack Sock, the ageless Tommy Haas will square off against John Isner in the third round on Saturday in the day's third match on Court No. 1. 

Haas took out Sock in a little over two hours on Friday, while Isner is set to play in back-to-back matches as well, coming off a wild five-set win over Ryan Harrison. Trailing two sets to love in that match, the 6'9" star rallied to win the final three sets.

At age 35, Germany's Haas is defying the odds with his spectacular play (he hasn't dropped a single set through the first two rounds), and with one more win he'll reach the fourth round at the French Open for the third time in his 17-year professional career. But easier said than done for the No. 12 seed.

Isner is seven years younger and seven inches taller than Haas, giving him a huge advantage in terms of freshness and serve strength.

If Isner can keep Haas on his toes during his return games and stretch the match out, he'll have a great chance to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time in his career on Saturday. 

Jelena Jankovic (18) vs. Samantha Stosur (9) - Court Suzanne Lenglen

2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur will continue her journey at Roland Garros on Saturday against three-time French Open semifinalist Jelena Jankovic.

The ninth-seeded Aussie is best known for winning the U.S. Open in 2011, but her clay-court success over the years has been notable as well. Stosur has reached the semis three times in Paris since 2009, finishing runner-up to Francesca Schiavone in the final here three years ago.

Stosur is 24-9 at the French Open for her singles career, having won at Roland Garros more than any of the other three majors. One of those 24 wins came against Jankovic in the French Open semis in 2010.

Oddly enough, Jankovic has lost here exactly nine times as well, boasting a 26-9 career singles record on the red clay of Paris. Jankovic looks to have the edge in this matchup having won her last three meetings with Stosur, including a clay-court battle in Stuttgart in April.

Neither Stosur nor Jankovic have dropped a single set through their first two match wins. But that could change when they face each other.

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