French Open 2015: Wednesday Roland Garros Schedule and Bracket Predictions
The top seeds on both sides of the draw will take the court on Wednesday, but one will have a tougher assignment on paper than the other. No. 1 Novak Djokovic is set to take on what may be the toughest No. 6 seed in the history of the French Open.
Djokovic will renew his long-standing rivalry with Rafael Nadal as the two men meet a little earlier than usual at Roland Garros. Nadal has struggled during the 2015 clay court season and thus he came to Roland Garros seeded well below the stature you'd expect from a nine-time French Open champion.
Djokovic won't be lulled to sleep by Nadal's struggles leading up to the tournament. Per Piers Newbery of BBC Sport, Djokovic has called Wednesday's tilt "the toughest quarterfinal match of my career."
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Nadal still holds a 22-20 edge in the career series vs. Djokovic. However, Djokovic has won five of the last six meetings between the two. Djokovic rolls into the match on a 26-match win streak, and I expect him to take that run to 27.
The tide will officially switch in what will go down as the match that effectively ends Nadal's dominance at Roland Garros. For the next few years, the road to the title will likely go through Djokovic.
No. 1 Serena Williams takes on No. 17 Sara Errani for the ninth time in their careers. Williams has won the previous eight meetings. She has struggled early in several of her matches this tournament, but per ESPN Stats and Info, dropping the first set hasn't been much of an issue for the future Hall of Famer:
It's hard to fathom Errani finding a way to beat Williams.
The former has only managed to win two sets in those eight previous matches. Expect Williams to win again on Wednesday with relative ease.
Here's a look at the rest of Wednesday's schedule.
| Tuesday's Match Results | Winners and Semifinal Matchups |
| No. 7 Ana Ivanovic (6-3, 6-2) over No. 19 Elina Svitolina | Ivanovic |
| No. 13 Lucie Safarova (7-6 (7-3), 6-3) over No. 21 Garbine Muguruza | Safarova |
| Wednesday's Matches | Predicted Winners |
| No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 17 Sara Errani | Williams |
| No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky vs. Alison van Uytvanck | Bacsinszky |
| Tuesday's Match Results | Winners and Semifinal Matchups |
| No. 8 Stan Wawrinka (6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) over No. 2 Roger Federer | Wawrinka |
| No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga over No. 5 Kei Nishikori | Tsonga |
| Wednesday's Matches | Predicted Winners |
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 6 Rafael Nadal | Djokovic |
| No. 3 Andy Murray vs. No. 7 David Ferrer | Murray |
Murray Will Best Ferrer
No. 3 Andy Murray faces No. 7 David Ferrer with a trip to the semifinals on the line. The series has been relatively close with Murray winning eight of the 13 meetings. However, Ferrer has won three of the four matches between the two played on clay.
It's easy to go with Ferrer in this situation, but Murray looks to be flourishing while Djokovic, Nadal, the ousted Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka have been getting most of the attention in the men's draw.
Murray has quietly been playing very well and he should defeat Ferrer to set up a semifinal battle with Djokovic.
Bacsinszky Will Continue Her Roll
No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky takes on Alison Van Uytvanck and the former should continue her improbable rise at Roland Garros. In the fourth round, Bacsinszky blistered No. 4 Petra Kvitova en route to one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Van Uytvanck has only faced one seeded player in her route to this point of the tournament. Bacsinszky dismissed No. 16 Madison Keys in straight sets prior to beating Kvitova. The 25-year-old from Switzerland advanced to the second round five times since 2007 while Van Uytvanck's only previous appearance was a first-round exit in 2014.
On the strength of experience and more impressive play at this tournament, Bacsinszky should advance.
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