French Open Schedule 2013: Day 11 Matchups, Predictions and Analysis
After some scintillating action at the 2013 French Open on Tuesday, the rest of the quarterfinals matches will be played on Wednesday at Roland Garros.
On Tuesday, we saw Jo-Wilfried Tsonga shock Roger Federer, while David Ferrer advanced on the men's side.
On the women's side, Sara Errani won a thriller against Agnieszka Radwanska, and world No. 1 Serena Williams advanced.
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As for Wednesday's action on the men's side, Stanislas Wawrinka will battle Rafael Nadal, and Tommy Haas will face Novak Djokovic.
On the women's side, Jelena Jankovic will match up against Maria Sharapova, while Maria Kirilenko will take a crack at Victoria Azarenka.
Schedule for Day 11 (via Tennis.com)
| Wednesday, June 5 | 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET | Quarterfinals | ESPN2 |
| Wednesday, June 5 | 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET | Quarterfinals | Tennis Channel |
Singles Matchups
| Court | Match |
| Philippe Chatrier | Jelena Jankovic (18) vs. Maria Sharapova (2) |
| Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (9) | |
| Suzanne Lenglen | Maria Kirilenko (12) vs. Victoria Azarenka (3) |
| Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Tommy Haas (12) |
Schedule of play and statistics are courtesy of the official Roland Garros website.
Predictions for Wednesday's Matches
Jelena Jankovic (18) vs. Maria Sharapova (2)
Jankovic is not an easy opponent, despite her low seed. She is 21-9 this season with one singles title and has wins over world No. 6 Li Na, No. 9 Samantha Stosur (twice) and No. 11 Nadia Petrova.
That being said, Sharapova—the French Open defending champion—has been rolling. She was 30-4 with two singles titles before heading into Roland Garros and hasn't dropped a set in the French Open.
Sharapova is also 5-1 lifetime against Jankovic. She last defeated the 28-year-old in straight sets at this year's Sony Ericsson Open, and Jankovic hasn't defeated her since 2007.
Sharapova wins in straight sets, just like her father expects, according to SI.com's Beyond the Baseline:
Prediction: Sharapova 6-4, 7-5
Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (9)
Boy oh boy, what a fantastic exhibition of perseverance by Wawrinka against Richard Gasquet in the fourth round. In a five-setter that lasted more than four hours, Wawrinka became just the second player in history to come from two sets down to win three straight Grand Slam matches.
Wawrinka has heart.
That being said, this is Nadal we're talking about—the King of Roland Garros. Nadal has had his fair share of troubles in this year's French Open, but his straight-set victory over Kei Nishikori in the fourth round was needed.
Now, Nadal is rested, while Wawrinka has to be feeling it after such a grueling match against Gasquet.
Not to mention, Nadal came into the French Open 36-2 with six singles titles. Oh yeah, and he's 9-0 lifetime against Wawrinka, including a straight-set victory in the final in Madrid this year.
There's also this, via Tennis View Magazine:
Prediction: Nadal 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Maria Kirilenko (12) vs. Victoria Azarenka (3)
Azarenka is only 3-2 lifetime against Kirilenko, but the 23-year-old has won their last three matchups. That includes a straight-set victory at the 2012 London Olympics.
Beyond that, Azarenka has only lost two matches this season with two singles titles, and she's only dropped one set at Roland Garros.
While Kirilenko has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros, her last two matches against Stefanie Voegele and Bethanie Mattek-Sands were battles.
I don't see anything changing this time around—Azarenka wins in straight sets.
Prediction: Azarenka 6-3, 6-3
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Tommy Haas (12)
Djokovic is not only a so-so 4-3 lifetime against Haas, but Haas has won three of their last five matchups, including a straight-set victory over the Serb in Miami this year.
If it weren't for Tommy Robredo, Haas—at 35 years of age—would be the Cinderella story right now. He was 21-9 with one singles title heading into Roland Garros.
On the other hand, the big thing for me is the surface. In the pair's only matchup on clay at the 2006 French Open, Djokovic won in straight sets.
That's no fluke. The clay naturally deadens Haas' one-handed backhand. Djokovic's splendid two-handed backhand will have the advantage at Roland Garros.
On top of that, Djokovic played the perfect opponent before Haas, Philipp Kohlschreiber. Kohlschreiber plays a very similar style of tennis as Haas. Djokovic figures to use the lessons learned in the four-setter to play batter against Haas.
Prediction: Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
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