French Open 2013: Predicting Winners of Semifinal Matches

The final four at the 2013 French Open is set for both the men and women's draw. Aside from the absence of Roger Federer, there are no major surprises.

The next four days of tennis at Roland Garros should be exciting with stars, underdogs and hometown favorites in action.

Here are my predictions for the four matches:

Stat references per  RolandGarros.com

Rafael Nadal Will Prove Too Tough for Novak Djokovic Again

Early on in the tournament it seemed as though Rafa might be vulnerable to an upset, or that he wouldn't have enough to defeat Djokovic in the much-anticipated semifinal clash.

But he has seemingly gotten stronger with each round. On Wednesday, Nadal easily dispatched Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets (6-2, 6-3, 6-1) to reach the men's final four.

Nadal is in fine form to best his greatest rival. He owns a 19-15 career record against Djokovic, but as usual, the win won't come easy. Djokovic won their last meeting earlier this year in Monte Carlo.

It was a clay surface, but it wasn't the red clay of Roland Garros. Nadal is special on this surface in the venue. When he's playing well, not even the No. 1 player in the world can beat him.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Will Best Veteran David Ferrer

The loudest cheers of the day on Friday will come from the Tsonga-Ferrer match. Tsonga will have his home crowd behind him as he tries to reach his first-ever French Open final.

He's my pick to face Nadal as Ferrer almost always seems overmatched deep in Grand Slam tournaments. He had to be relieved to see Federer eliminated since he's 0-14 against him, but he will be running into a buzzsaw with the red hot Tsonga.

Ferrer has blazed his way through the tournament without even being extended to a tiebreaker, but his road to the semifinals has been the easiest of all four men.

He hasn't faced a player seeded higher than 23rd. He again lucked out with Federer being ousted by Tsonga. Were he facing Fed, his chances to win would be even smaller.

As it stands, the 28-year-old Frenchman will use the energy from the crowd to push him past Ferrer.

Victoria Azarenka Will Knock off Maria Sharapova

This will be one of the better matches in the women's draw. Sharapova has seemingly been at her best at the French Open in recent years. She is the defending champion and she reached the semifinals in 2011.

However, Azarenka has steadily improved since the beginning of 2012 when she had her breakout season. She has rebounded from a disappointing fourth-round exit in 2012 to reach the semifinals this year.

The two women have played each other close throughout their careers. Azarenka holds the slight edge with a 7-5 mark, but Sharapova is 2-0 against her on clay. 

In a match that is almost certain to go three sets and likely to feature at least one tiebreaker, Azarenka will advance. 

Serena Williams Will Power Past Sara Errani

Williams has never lost to Errani in five previous matches and there is no reason to think the trend will change. Errani deserves credit for reaching the semifinals. She's also advanced to the semifinals in doubles, yet she's dropped only one set en route to her matchup with Serena. 

Errani is proving her trip to the 2012 finals was no fluke, but she has never been much competition for the world No. 1's power game.

Williams is plugged in mentally and she hasn't even had to depend on her serve as much. The American's 26 aces are still impressive, but her overall game has been tight. 

She'll be facing Azarenka in a Grand Slam final for the second time. Get used to this duel, we may be seeing a repeat at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

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