French Open 2017: Wednesday Schedule and Predictions for Roland Garros Bracket

The second round of the 2017 French Open in the men's and women's singles kicks off on Wednesday with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams all in action.

Nine-time Roland Garros champion Nadal takes on Dutchman Robin Haase on Philippe Chatrier Court with the Spanish fourth seed having seen off Benoit Paire with ease in his Paris opener.

Defending champion and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic faces a clash with Portuguese Joao Sousa, and 10th-seeded Williams is up against Japan's Kurumi Nara.

Elsewhere, Petra Kvitova continues her return to action against Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States, and Milos Raonic faces Rogerio Dutra Silva.

Play will start on all courts from 10 a.m. (BST). For the schedule in full, visit the Roland Garros website.

Nadal vs. Haase

Nadal has a 100 per cent record against Haase. The pair have only met twice, though, and in their first meeting at Wimbledon in 2010, the Dutchman took Nadal to a fifth set.

He knows then that he has the capability to cause the clay-court master some problems but likely not on his favourite surface at Roland Garros.

Neither Haase nor Nadal endured tough opening rounds. The 14-time Grand Slam champion brushed past Frenchman Paire, 6-1, 6-4, 6-1, while Haase downed Alex De Minaur, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.

However, the gulf in ability between Nadal and the world No. 46 is significant, and the Spaniard is in fine form having recently won three straight titles—culminating with the Madrid Open triumph earlier this month.

A fit and firing Nadal is all but unbeatable at Roland Garros, per the tournament's Twitter feed:

Haase is a talented player, but he does not have the firepower to compete with Nadal on clay and is likely to be dumped out of the French Open on Wednesday.

Prediction: Nadal to win in straight sets.

Djokovic vs. Sousa

Second seed Djokovic has not had the best of years so far, and he was still not on top form as he beat Marcel Granollers, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in his first round on Monday.

However, despite the Serb not finding his best tennis, it was still a relatively easy match for him, and he will be well recovered to take on Sousa on Wednesday.

GABRIEL BOUYS/Getty Images

The pair have met three times previously, and Djokovic has won on each occasion, most recently downing Sousa in straight sets at the 2016 Miami Open.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion was similarly efficient when the pair last met at Roland Garros in 2014 as he won 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

However, Djokovic is not currently the unstoppable force he has been in the past, and Sousa will likely fancy he can cause him some trouble on Wednesday after a hard-fought opening win against Janko Tipsarevic.

The world No. 59 could well take a set off Djokovic—it would be the first time he has done so—but his chances of ousting the defending champion are slim.

Prediction: Djokovic to win in four sets.