French Open 2013: Complete Preview for Wednesday's Singles Quarterfinal Matches

Tuesday's quarterfinal action saw the first major shoe drop at the 2013 French Open, as sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset Roger Federer to advance to the semifinals.

Federer's defeat was a massive shock to many, who saw the Swiss star's side of the bracket as wide open for a finals run. Now, approaching 32 years old, Federer will again face questions about whether his time as a major champion has passed.

But we're not worried about that for now. What Federer's loss signifies is that everyone is now firmly on notice. The action at Roland Garros had been almost overwhelmingly chalk-filled, with the only "upset" victor soon being dispatched of right when folks were starting to get excited. 

With Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all in action on Wednesday, we might see some more chalk falling by the wayside. Though each came in among the favorites to capture a title at Roland Garros, there has been a never-ending stream of bodies sent their way with nothing to lose. As the tournament goes along, the odds for upsets go through the roof—as Federer found out.

As action gets underway Wednesday morning with Victoria Azarenka also in action, one of the world's best players is probably going down. We'll all just have to tune in to see who that unlucky star will be. 

With that in mind, here's a complete last-minute breakdown for Wednesday's quarterfinal action at Roland Garros. 

Women's Bracket

(2) Maria Sharapova vs. (18) Jelena Jankovic

Billed by some—looks in a mirror—as a possible "match of the tournament" contender, Sharapova's fourth-round clash with Sloane Stephens was anything but. Sharapova was in fine form throughout, dominating the young American, who showed why she gets such hype as well.

It was a par-for-the-course match for Sharapova, though. Once her most vexing surface, Sharapova's hard work to become great on clay has paid off. She's yet to lose a set or even face a tiebreak through her first four matches at Roland Garros.

The same cannot be said for Jankovic, though he's been in very good form herself. Save for a first-set loss to Samantha Stosur, the 18th-seeded Jankovic has looked brilliant on clay, arguably her best surface. She was a cyborg of destruction in Round 4 against Jamie Hampton, surrendering just two games in a match that took less than a Sunday brunch to complete.

Neither should expect to have such an easy time against one another. Though Sharapova holds a 7-2 lead in her career series against Jankovic, the duo have never played a proper clay-court match. Sharapova's wins have come on grass and hard courts, not the ones Jankovic so eloquently glides across at Roland Garros. 

Had this been a different time in her career, Sharapova would have been in danger of getting upset. Jankovic, who was once the world's No. 1 player, is good enough and playing so strong that it's hard to blame anyone who picks her.

You won't be seeing me on any limbs—or climbing any trees—in this matchup. Sharapova wins in a three-set thriller.

Prediction: Sharapova in three sets. 

(3) Victoria Azarenka vs. (12) Maria Kirilenko

Only one thing is for certain in this match: Career history will be made for the victor. Neither Azarenka nor Kirilenko have ever been past the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, with this being the first appearance for the latter.

Azarenka is making her third quarterfinals trip of the last five French Opens, a place of frustration for the 23-year-old Belarusian. She's fallen victim of early-round exits against lesser opponents, a strong indicator that she's not quite comfortable on this surface yet.

This year things seem a little different. Azarenka has dropped only one set thus far, and she skipped easily past Francesca Schiavone in Round 4. For the first time, it seems Azarenka is carrying her dominance from the hard-court season, where she won her second straight Australian Open this year, over to the majestic red clay. 

That being said, Azarenka will be taking on a player in Kirilenko who looks to be ascending. The 26-year-old Kirilenko has built herself back up through some major struggles over the past few years, as injuries and ineffective play took their toll. But throughout 2013 she's finally shown signs of putting together her prodigious talent.

Yet to fall in a set heading into the quarterfinals, Kirilenko presents a huge challenge to Azarenka. The duo used to be doubles partners, even making the 2011 final at the Australian Open together. There won't be many surprises for either side when they step on the court. 

For that reason, I'm going out on a limb here and picking Kirilenko. She's playing possibly the best tennis of her entire career, and the familiarity factor could play a major role. Azarenka will have to make some big-time mistakes for this prediction to come to fruition, but let's just say we've seen that a time or two at Roland Garros from the world's third-ranked player. 

Prediction: Kirilenko in three sets

Men's Bracket

(3) Rafael Nadal vs. (9) Stanislas Wawrinka

Unless you're a relative or close personal friend of Richard Gasquet, Stanislas Wawrinka's thrilling five-set win on Monday's fourth-round matchup was nothing short of captivating television.

After dropping the first two sets of the match, the 28-year-old Swiss player looked to be dead in the water. Wawrinka had his chances, most notably in the first set, but continually allowed Gasquet to take advantage of small mistakes. That changed with the third set. Wawrinka mounted a historic comeback, winning the next three sets in thrilling fashion to pull off a jaw-dropping upset.

Apparently the tennis bracket gods were unamused. Wawrinka's repayment for giving fans at Roland Garros the greatest match of this tournament is a matchup versus Nadal, the greatest clay-court player in tennis history. You almost have to feel bad for Wawrinka, who will be looking to pull off a massive upset just 48 hours after exuding every last drop of his energy.

Nadal, meanwhile, finally looked like Rafael Nadal in his fourth-round victory over Kei Nishikori. Winning the match in easy fashion, the defending French Open champion fell to none of the pitfalls which had defined his 2013 tournament. He cruised to a relatively easy 6-4 win in the first set, and then breezed through the final two for his second straight three-set victory.

Wawrinka and Nadal don't have a long and storied history facing one another. But what little history they do have points to Nadal again cruising his way into the semifinals. The 27-year-old Spaniard has defeated Wawrinka each of the nine times they've played against one another, including the Madrid Open final earlier this year.

In fact, Wawrinka has never even taken a set from Nadal. He's only taken him to a tiebreaker thrice. Nadal has made slight work of Wawrinka throughout his career, but it's at least a question mark whether it'll be so easy this time around. Wawrinka is playing some of the best tennis of his career, while Nadal hasn't looked quite right this year—Round of 16 notwithstanding.

Nadal still wins, but let's get frisky here and say Wawrinka wins the second and makes Nadal sweat a bit.

Prediction: Nadal in four sets. 

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (12) Tommy Haas

The French Open has been full of interesting storylines, but perhaps none greater than the resurgence of Tommy Haas. At age 35, tennis players are supposed to be in their "just happy to be here" stage. You know, the one that Haas seemed to be in from 2010-11, as injuries made his sporadic appearances something of a treat for fans.

And then, suddenly, Haas was back among the world's greats last year. He's now battled himself all the way back up to No. 14 in the world, and the ender statesman of this tournament has already made some personal history. This marks the first time Haas has ever made the quarterfinals at the French Open, clay long being the kryptonite in his armor.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of pre-2013 Haas than the current version on Wednesday. Where Nadal's experience this year at Roland Garros has been filled with surprising struggles early in matches, Djokovic has been splattering his competition like gnats on an 18-wheeler's windshield.

Outside of a first-set hiccup against Philipp Kohlschreiber, Djokovic has been nearly flawless. He's pelted lesser competition in his side of the bracket, with perhaps only David Ferrer's performance being more impressive thus far.

In other words, Djokovic has looked exactly how the world's No. 1 player should against the mediocre competition of an early-round Slam field. 

This is just the second time Haas and Djokovic have met on clay—the first being at the 2006 French Open—so it will be interesting to see how the duo reacts to one another. Haas' win over Djokovic in Miami earlier this year was quite the flabbergaster, so don't be surprised if the old fella gives his younger competition a good run.

It won't matter. Djokovic is just too good and in too fine of form to get upset. Nadal and Djokovic have been on a collision course since this tournament began; Tuesday will be merely the final tease before the main event.

Prediction: Djokovic in three sets.

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