French Open 2016: Saturday Roland Garros Schedule and Bracket Predictions

It hasn't always been pretty for Serena Williams, but the world No. 1 will compete in her 27th Grand Slam final Saturday afternoon at Roland Garros when she squares off against Garbine Muguruza for a French Open title. 

Williams clinched her spot in the final Friday with a 7-6(7), 6-4 win over the pesky Kiki Bertens, while Muguruza waltzed into championship play by virtue of her 6-2, 6-4 win over Samantha Stosur.

Title play will get underway at 9 a.m. ET (3 p.m. local time) and can be viewed on NBC. A complete schedule for Saturday's proceedings is available at the tournament's official website. 

On Sunday, No. 1 Novak Djokovic will meet No. 2 Andy Murray for the men's crown. 

Saturday Preview and Prediction

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Williams hasn't look quite right over her last two matches, and the scores prove it. Before she dispatched Bertens after battling through a rough-and-tumble tiebreak in the first set, Williams needed three sets to take care of Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals. 

As it turns out, the prohibitive favorite admitted Friday that she's nursing an adductor injury as she seeks to capture consecutive French Open titles, according to the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg: 

Meanwhile, Muguruza has been cruising ever since she needed three sets to down Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in first-round play. Since then, the 22-year-old has defeated every foe she's faced in straight sets, including No. 13 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 21 Stosur, as WTA Insider on Twitter noted: 

Muguruza also enters the French Open final with something few opponents can boast: a win against Williams on her resume. 

Although Serena owns a 3-1 head-to-head edge all-time, the underdog emerged victorious when they met at Roland Garros in 2014. And not only did Muguruza win, but she did so handily. The up-and-comer notched a 6-2, 6-2 win—which came just over a year after Williams tallied a 6-2, 6-0 win against her at the Australian Open. 

Williams has won both meetings since Muguruza's clay-court triumph two years ago, both in Grand Slam settings. However, Muguruza held her own when she stole a set from the American warrior at the 2015 Australian Open. 

"I think that she and I are players who like dictating the game," Muguruza said, per Sports Illustrated's Jamie Lisanti. "We like dominating the game. If the coaches say that the victory is in the hands of Serena, OK. He's allowed to say that. But I think I'm going to fight for each point."

When they meet this time around, Serena figures to have a strong read on how to move past Muguruza and tie Steffi Graf's mark of 22 Grand Slam titles. 

"I don't think my mindset is any different," Serena said of approaching the record, per Lisanti. "Obviously I want to do well and I would like to win tomorrow. Regardless, I think it will be a good match. I mean, last time we played here in France she was able to win the match. I learned so much from that match."

Muguruza has proved throughout her run at Roland Garros that she's evolving into a force on the women's side, and it would be a surprise to see a gimpy Williams impose her will throughout Saturday's final.

So even if Serena ultimately joins Graf on an elite plane with a win in the French final, it likely won't come without some serious resistance. 

Prediction: Serena Williams defeats Garbine Muguruza in three sets.