French Open 2015: Most Intriguing Matchups to Watch on Day 7
The 2015 French Open has gotten off to an exciting start, featuring upsets and signature performances from some of tennis' brightest stars.
The slate of third-round matchups for Saturday will showcase some interesting pairings, headlined by a few of the biggest names on the men's and women's sides such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams.
Let's take a look at a few of the most exciting matches that will take place on Day 7.
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No.6 Rafael Nadal vs. Andrey Kuznetsov
Despite his recent struggles through injury, the King of Clay has looked right at home through the first few rounds at Roland Garros. In pursuit of an unprecedented 10th French Open title, Nadal will square off with Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia.
As ESPN's Howard Bryant noted, it's been Nadal's defense that has been so sharp early on.
Ranked 120th in the world, Kuznetsov isn't expected to be much danger to Nadal, who has yet to drop a set in his first two matches.
However, it will be interesting to see if Nadal continues to play with the same precision and accuracy he has shown in the early going. A win for Nadal will bring him one match away from a potential quarterfinal showdown with top-seeded Novak Djokovic.
No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 27 Victoria Azarenka
In her Round 2 matchup, Williams struggled early on, dropping the first set to Anna-Lena Friedsam. In rallying in straight sets to defeat Friedsam, Williams sets up the contest with longtime foe Victoria Azarenka.
Despite her low seeding, the two-time Australian Open champion will be a tough test in the early going for the top-seeded Williams, who will have to clean up her sloppy play from the second round to avoid an early exit from Roland Garros.
The New York Times' Ben Rothenberg also expressed excitement over an early matchup of this magnitude.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic will take on 19-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis in a matchup that features one of the current faces in tennis and perhaps one of the sport's future stars.
Djokovic has looked in control in his early matches. However, in his second-round victory over Gilles Muller, Djokovic appeared to sustain a groin injury before securing the victory.
The injury doesn't appear serious, according to Djokovic, who told Sky Sports, "The groin is nothing major. It wasn't pleasant as the conditions changed. The court was slippy and I jammed my hip a little bit."
Still, it will interesting to see if the injury limits Djokovic's mobility at all. If so, it will be up to the young Kokkinakis to take advantage.
No. 3 Andy Murray vs. No. 29 Nick Kyrgios
Much like the Djokovic-Kokkinakis matchup, Murray-Kyrgios will pit an established veteran against a young up-and-comer as Murray takes on the 20-year-old Australian in this Round 3 match.
Murray will look to improve to 13-0 on clay in 2015 against 29th-seeded Kyrgios, who should be fresh after a second-round victory by walkover against Kyle Edmund.
This will be a rematch between Kyrgios and Murray, who previously met in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Australian Open, when Murray won in straight sets.
The second meeting, should be more intruiging than the first as Kyrgios should provide a legitimate test for Murray, who will have to bring his A-game to avoid an early-round scare.
It would take an excellent performance from Kyrgios, but this match is one to watch for the first major upset of the tournament in the men's bracket.
All statistics via TennisExplorer.com
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