French Open 2016 Schedule: Replay TV Coverage, Live Stream for Saturday's Draw

Friday’s French Open third round was overshadowed by the news that nine-time champion Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw from this year’s competition through injury.

The Spaniard was set to play countryman Marcel Granollers-Pujol early on Saturday in the last 32, but Nadal couldn’t shake off a wrist niggle and Granollers-Pujol was handed a bye into the fourth round.

Nadal’s exit opens it up for the two remaining big guns, and Andy Murray looked in top form in his victory over Ivo Karlovic on Friday.

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Murray needed just three sets to see off the big-serving Croatian, and he now faces American John Isner for a spot in the quarter-finals.

You can watch a replay of Murray and Isner’s respective third-round triumphs on Eurosport or Tennis Channel Everywhere (U.S. only).

But the man licking his chops over Nadal’s exit is Novak Djokovic.

The world No. 1 is desperate to win at Roland Garros to complete the Grand Slam of Grand Slams, and without Nadal or Roger Federer in the draw, he’ll fancy his chances this time around.

Djokovic is back in action on Saturday against Brit Aljaz Bedene at 10 a.m. ET, when he’ll be looking to make light work of the world No. 66.

You can watch a live stream of the Serbian’s third-round clash on the ITV Hub (UK only) or Tennis Channel Everywhere (U.S. only).

This year’s French Open is looking very much like a two-horse race. With Murray and Djokovic on opposite sides of the draw, a final showdown seems likely.

It hasn’t been an easy ride for the Scot so far, though, having been forced to dig deep in his opening two matches.

Even so, his performance against Karlovic was very encouraging, and he told ITV Sport that he’s feeling good about his game. Murray also spoke about the open side of the draw after Nadal’s retirement:

Yet Murray will have to be at his best to see off Isner, who is looking more and more impressive.

He needed five sets to see off Teymuraz Gabashvili on Friday, but the way he dug deep and demonstrated all his grit and determination was exceptional.

Isner summed up his driven attitude on Twitter after the match:

The victor of Murray and Isner’s showdown will take on Kei Nishikori or Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals, and the latter looked in excellent form in the third round.

Gasquet saw off the talented enigma that is Nick Kyrgios in straight sets on Friday, as the Australian couldn’t cope with his accurate groundstrokes.

All eyes will be on Djokovic as he surges towards the final, though, with every neutral fan gunning for the Serbian to finally get his hands on the French Open crown.

Djokovic hasn’t encountered many problems at Roland Garros so far, and seeing off Bedene on Saturday will just be the start of his title assault.