French Open 2014: Day 3 Schedule, Matchups Predictions for Roland Garros Bracket
An eventful start to the 2014 French Open has featured rain delays and a couple early upsets, so tennis fans have to be excited for Day 3 of the continuing action from Roland Garros.
With top stars like Li Na on the women’s side and David Ferrer on the men’s side in action on Tuesday, there promises to be some tight matches and exciting play on the court.
Here is the full television schedule for Tuesday and the top matches from the Day 3 schedule for the men’s and women’s tournaments at Roland Garros.
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| May 27 | 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. | 1st | ESPN2 |
| May 27 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 1st | Tennis Channel |
| David Ferrer | vs. | Igor Sijsling | Court Chatrier | Ferrer |
| Gael Monfils | vs. | Victor Hanescu | Court Chatrier | Monfils |
| Richard Gasquet | vs. | Bernard Tomic | Court Lenglen | Tomic |
| Andy Murray | vs. | Andrey Golubev | Court Lenglen | Murray |
| Grigor Dimitrov | vs. | Ivo Karlovic | Court 1 | Dimitrov |
| Fernando Verdasco | vs. | Michael Llodra | Court 1 | Verdasco |
| Simona Halep | vs. | Alisa Kleybanova | Court Chatrier | Halep |
| Ana Ivanovic | vs. | Caroline Garcia | Court Chatrier | Ivanovic |
| Li Na | vs. | Kristina Mladenovic | Court Lenglen | Na |
| Sara Errani | vs. | Madison Keys | Court Lenglen | Errani |
| Sloane Stephens | vs. | Shuai Peng | Court 1 | Stephens |
| Lucie Safarova | vs. | Mandy Minella | Court 1 | Minella |
*For the full schedule, check out RolandGarros.com.
Top Matchups on Day 3
No. 2 Li Na vs. Kristina Mladenovic
While Serena Williams steals most of the headlines as the No. 1 overall seed on the women’s side, Li Na comes into this tournament as the defending Australian Open champion and a former French Open winner.
There is serious depth in the women’s field this year, but with the supreme confidence to finally match her elite talent, Li may have turned the corner on her place amongst the perennial favorites.
She told Paul Newman of The Independent about how the sport has changed and how she is keeping up at 32 years old:
"Tennis has changed a bit. It's not just about technique. You have to stay stronger. And as you get older you get more experienced. When I come to the court now I know exactly what I should do. I take more care of myself away from the court. I know what's good for my recovery, I'm careful with what I eat.
"
Now that Li is brimming with confidence, she will have to use her aggressive approach along the baseline to reach the final and win another Grand Slam title on the clay of Roland Garros.
Using her quick reflexes on her return, a powerful serve and the athleticism to matchup against even the youngest players in the field, Li will thrive. Add in her court I.Q. and there is no doubt she will contend for the title this year.
That starts by beating the unranked Kristina Mladenovic in dominant fashion.
Predicted Score: Li wins, 6-1, 6-3
No. 5 David Ferrer vs. Igor Sijsling
While many fans are talking about the haircut No. 5 seed David Ferrer received on the road to the French Open, which saw his trademark long hair lopped off, the Spanish champion is focused on his first-round matchup against Igor Sijsling.
As Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times shared on Twitter, Ferrer’s road to a championship will be difficult:
Ferrer has never won a major, but he reached the final last year at the French Open for his most successful appearance at a Grand Slam event. A loss to Rafael Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros is no shame, but he will be looking to finally get the Grand Slam monkey off his back.
As a veteran player, Ferrer will do his best to not look past Sijsling, but he must be focused on honing in his game plan before the brutal matchups in his half of the bracket start coming to fruition.
There is little doubt Ferrer will beat Sijsling, but how deep his run will be is up for debate.
Predicted Score: Ferrer wins, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
*Stats via RolandGarros.com.
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