French Open Tennis 2015: Tuesday Schedule, Predictions and Preview
Monday saw a crowded, star-studded slate at Roland Garros after rain disrupted Sunday's play at the 2015 French Open.
The shock result of the day came in the women's draw, where No. 13 Lucie Safarova brought down defending champion and second-seeded Maria Sharapova in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Sloane Stephens looked like she might pull off a famous win against No. 1 Serena Williams after winning the first set 6-1, but Williams roared back and captured the next two sets, 7-5, 6-3, to keep her French Open hopes alive.
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The men's singles draw saw every member of the Big Four in action, a rarity in any tournament. No. 2 Roger Federer came into Day 9 knotted up at one set all with No. 13 Gael Monfils but prevailed with ease by winning two straight sets to reach the quarterfinals.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic set up a titanic quarterfinal matchup after their respective wins over Jack Sock and Richard Gasquet, while Andy Murray reached the final eight safely with a win over Jeremy Chardy.
Tuesday promises to be a pressure-packed day in Paris. Here's a look at the schedule, predictions and a preview for the main action on Day 10.
| Round | Court | Time (ET) | Matchup | Prediction |
| Quarterfinal | Philippe-Chatrier Court | 8 a.m. | No. 5 Kei Nishikori vs. No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Nishikori in five |
| Quarterfinal | Suzanne-Lenglen Court | 8 a.m. | No. 8 Stan Wawrinka vs. No. 2 Roger Federer | Wawrinka in four |
| Round | Court | Time (ET) | Matchup | Prediction |
| Quarterfinal | Philippe-Chatrier Court | 8 a.m. | No. 7 Ana Ivanovic vs. No. 19 Elina Svitolina | Ivanovic in two |
| Quarterfinal | Suzanne-Lenglen Court | 8 a.m. | No. 21 Garbine Muguruza vs. No. 13 Lucie Safarova | Safarova in three |
Complete schedule can be found at RolandGarros.com.
Perhaps no player will be feeling greater pressure on Tuesday than Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. With fellow Frenchmen Monfils, Chardy, Gasquet and Gilles Simon all bounced from the tournament in the fourth round, Tsonga represents France's last hope at a home-country men's player winning the French Open. The last time this happened was with Yannick Noah in 1983.
Not only is Tsonga alone without his countrymen in the quarters, he's also alone in his insurgency, as Tennis View Magazine's Chris Skelton notes:
Tsonga's play has been excellent, as evidenced by his four-set win over No. 4 Tomas Berdych.
Attempting to dash Tsonga and France's hopes will be Kei Nishikori, who's been in superb form at the French Open. The first Japanese player to reach the quarterfinals here in 82 years, Nishikori has yet to drop a set in three matches (Nishikori was handed a third-round walkover). Like Tsonga, Nishikori carries the hopes and dreams of his countrymen into this match.
“It’s always a lot to make the new history,” said Nishikori, via the Associated Press (h/t the Seattle Times. “Especially for Japanese, Asian, you know, the clay is not the best surface for us. Now, I’m trying to make a new step.”
Federer, Garbine Muguruza and Safarova all have quick turnarounds after completing their fourth-round matches on Monday. The Swiss legend runs into fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka, who is fresh off a resounding 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Simon.
Federer shouldn't be too tired after quickly dispatching Monfils on Monday. The New York Times' Christopher Clarey likes his final chances in this half of the bracket:
Safarova is yet to drop a set at Roland Garros, although four of those eight sets have gone to tiebreaker. Sharapova was unable to keep her energy levels up against the Czech star, even though ESPN Stats & Info points out the Roland Garros clay has been quite kind to her in recent years:
Muguruza is coming off a short rest as well in her second consecutive appearance at the French Open quarters. With no obvious advantage in terms of fitness, look for Safarova to pull this one out in three grueling sets.
Ana Ivanovic knows a thing or two about high-stakes play in the French Open having won the whole tournament in 2008. However, Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times points out her appearance at this late stage was no foregone conclusion:
"Ivanovic, a 27-year-old from Serbia, finished last year ranked fifth, but a toe injury she sustained in January had derailed her progress. She had won only two of the five matches she had played on clay this year entering this tournament.
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Elena Svitolina might be playing the role of heel in this matchup after dispatching French favorite Alize Cornet, 6-2, 7-6 (9), in Round 4. It was a contentious match, one that turned on a bit of tie-break drama, per the Guardian's Les Roopanarine:
"It all came down to a dramatic tie-break that offered a miniature snapshot of the one hour and 55-minute whole, Cornet clawing her way back from two match points down to hold a set point at 7-6, only for Svitolina to hold her nerve and edge ahead once more. Five match points the Ukrainian held, only to be denied each time by the courageous shot-making of an opponent who refused to accept she was beaten.
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It's tempting to take the 20-year-old Ukrainian and her fiery play in this quarterfinal matchup, but expect Ivanovic's experience to win out.
While the upsets in the women's field make for some compelling play and intriguing matchups, the end of Sharapova's run might have just cleared the path for Williams to storm to yet another Grand Slam victory.
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