French Open 2013: Breaking Down Monday's Most Intriguing 4th-Round Matchups

The 2013 French Open is still in its infancy, but the intrigue heading into Round 4 feels almost nonexistent from a mainstream sense.

Without many major upsets, with rain washing away play and setting up strange scheduling snafus and the whole starting at 5 a.m. on the East Coast thing, the average fan has spent the first few rounds merely checking up on highlight show packages.

That changes starting with the fourth round. Sunday sees names like Roger Federer and Serena Williams adorn the schedule, along with many other contenders for this year's French Open. But everyone has already expunged every last morsel of coverage from those events. We'd rather avoid that. 

Plus, Fed-Ex and Serena are great, but their matchups pale in comparison to what happens 24 hours later. On Sunday, there's action that ramps up the intrigue to proper levels. On Monday, French Open buzz will hit overkill levels. 

Boasting action featuring the world's two best clay-court players facing upset-minded foes and undoubtedly the most intriguing individual matchup of this entire tournament to date, it will be a tennis lover's paradise—except for that whole it being Monday thing and your boss expecting you to show up to work. Luckily, ESPN's live streaming service should be able to keep you company as you toil through the work day. 

With that in mind, here is a quick look at a couple matches that leap out on Monday's intriguing slate. 

Men: (1) Novak Djokovic vs. (16) Philipp Kohlschreiber 

Monday will undoubtedly be a special match in Novak Djokovic's heart. The world's top-ranked player canceled his press conference after defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the third round on Saturday after hearing about the passing of his first coach, Jelena Gencic. 

Roland Garros' official Twitter feed broke the news: 

Djokovic's relationship with Gencic, the woman he called his "tennis mom," was chronicled as part of his 60 Minutes piece that ran last year. The news struck a chord with all involved in the situation, which was expected to be a celebration of Djokovic's 500th career ATP win. 

It's that tragedy that looms over Djokovic, as he'll only have 48 hours to grieve his loss before heading back out on the court. While his thoughts and heart will obviously be elsewhere, Djokovic will still have to contend with 16th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber, who skated to a straight-sets win over Victor Hanescu on Saturday.

The 29-year-old German is one of the freshest players left on the men's draw, which has seen weather delays cause players to play in back-to-back days. Kohlschreiber's second-round opponent, Yen-Hsun Lu, retired from their match before it could even get underway. 

That's been par for the course for Kohlschreiber this year, who has been very good on clay in 2013. Ricky Dimon of TennisTalk.com posed a question on Twitter that noted just how unnoticed Kohlschreiber's fine season has been:

Look for that little streak to end on Monday. The two have only played three times against one another, once on clay at the 2009 French Open. Kohlschreiber won in straight sets. Djokovic undoubtedly knows this, and will come out motivated to atone for that loss.

Pick: Djokovic in straight sets.

Men: (3) Rafael Nadal vs. (13) Kei Nishikori

Though it's ultimately all that matters, winning does not necessarily mean a player is in top form. There are times, much like in team sports, where the shear talent of the favorite simply overwhelms the competition.

Such has been the case for Rafael Nadal's trip to Roland Garros thus far. Through three rounds, Nadal has displayed a surprising mediocrity. It's almost looked like he chose the French Open to finally make his triumphant return to the sport, rather than being the guy who has won six tournaments and has made the finals in each of his eight events this season.

In each of his three matches, Nadal has looked vulnerable. He dropped the first set against opening-round opponent Daniel Brands and then needed a tiebreak in the second en route to winning three sets to one. That pattern continued in the second round versus Martin Klizan, though he didn't need a tiebreak to win the second, and Nadal quite nearly lost a third consecutive opening set against Fabio Fognini in the third. 

Early in matches, it seems like he's a guy still trying to find his footing on clay. It's a strange thing to say about arguably the best clay-court player in the history of the sport. In fact, Nadal has been more interested in spouting his displeasure with the tournament's scheduling than finding his form. 

As noted by The Guardian's Kevin Mitchell, Nadal unleashed a cascade of criticisms at French Open officials for making him play Klizan and Fognini in consecutive days. It's fair to say Nadal is not exactly exuding the confidence of a champion. 

On the other side of the court stands Kei Nishikori, who might be the definition of "just happy to be here." The 23-year-old Nishikori became the first Japanese player to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros since 1938, as tweeted by the Tennis Channel:

It almost smells like the perfect recipe for an upset. Except that it doesn't. We can "aww, shucks" our way into this match and relish in the story of Nishikori making history, but entertaining the thought of him winning is silly.

Talent wins, stories don't—even if Mr. Talentpants might need a couple minutes to cool out in his timeout chair if he keeps acting so petulant.

Pick: Nadal in straight sets. 

Women: (2) Maria Sharapova vs. (17) Sloane Stephens 

The two men's matchups we highlighted are good. They boast the world's two best clay-court players, both somewhat on shaky ground, playing against opponents who have nothing to lose. Should either Djokovic or Nadal lose, it would be the biggest upset of the tournament to date and everything would shift around it.

Sharapova vs. Stephens is still a thousand times better. It's a battle that will pit two of the faces of women's tennis against one another, one who built herself up as a teenager and reclaimed her dominance at age 26 and another whose rise to prominence also came before her 20th birthday.

Sharapova, the former, is the most famous women's tennis player in the world whose last name isn't Williams. She resonates with fans, male and female, and her re-ascent to power over the last year has been a much-needed shot in the arm.

Stephens, the latter, could be the most famous women's tennis player in the world someday. A youth prodigy who made her bones winning doubles Junior Slams, Stephens could win her first real Slam within the next year. Her defeat of Serena Williams, with whom Stephens' relationship soured afterward, sent shockwaves through the crowd Down Under and announced the arrival of a new, young force to be reckoned with.

This is Stephens' second straight fourth-round appearance at the French, and she's looked strong getting there. The only set the 20-year-old has lost came against Marina Erakovic in the third round. And with Sharapova having never played Stephens, the possibility of an upset seems in the air.

One problem: Sharapova has simply played too well for that to happen. The defending champ at Roland Garros has yet to lose a set, only dropping more than two games in a set twice. Once a "cow on ice" on the clay, Sharpaova has morphed into one of the world's best on the surface.

It'll be a thrill ride, but the champ moves on.

Pick: Sharapova in three sets. 

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