French Open 2018: Saturday Schedule and Predictions for Roland Garros Bracket

Rafael Nadal will encounter his first seeded opponent at the 2018 French Open when he meets No. 28 Richard Gasquet in Saturday's third-round schedule, with the Spaniard hoping to add to his streak of 32 successive sets won at Roland Garros.

The defending champion is looking to win the tournament without dropping a set for the second consecutive year, while Gasquet has failed to beat Nadal in 15 professional meetings, per the official ATP website.

Third seed Marin Cilic has a favourable-looking draw up to the semi-finals and faces Steve Johnson in his third-round outing, while No. 16 seed Kyle Edmund is set to meet No. 18 seed Fabio Fognini in a high-stakes clash.

Serena Williams returns to face German Julia Gorges, who is hoping to make it to the French Open fourth round for the second time in her career against a resurgent opponent.

Top seed Simona Halep and No. 3 seed Garbine Muguruza are also back in action against Andrea Petkovic and Samantha Stosur, respectively. Elsewhere, 28th seed Maria Sharapova is at risk of being ousted by sixth seed Karolina Pliskova.

Read on for a look toward Saturday's schedule and predictions for whom we'll see advance to the fourth round of the 2018 French Open.

Saturday Matchups (Predicted Winner)

Men's Singles

(3) Marin Cilic vs. Steve Johnson (Cilic)

(16) Kyle Edmund vs. (18) Fabio Fognini (Edmund)

(9) John Isner vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Isner)

Maximilian Marterer vs. Jurgen Zopp (Zopp)

(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (27) Richard Gasquet (Nadal)

(5) Juan Martin del Potro vs. (31) Albert Ramos Vinolas (Del Potro)

(11) Diego Schwartzmann vs. Borna Coric (Schwartzmann)

(6) Kevin Anderson vs. Mischa Zverev (Anderson)

Women's Singles

(7) Caroline Garcia vs. Irina-Camelia Begu (Garcia)

(16) Elise Mertens vs. (24) Daria Gavrilova (Mertens)

(11) Julia Gorges vs. Serena Williams (Williams)

(1) Simona Halep vs. Andrea Petkovic (Halep)

(12) Angelique Kerber vs. (18) Kiki Bertens (Kerber)

(3) Garbine Muguruza vs. Samantha Stosur (Muguruza)

(19) Magadalena Rybarikova vs. Lesia Tsurenko (Tsurenko)

(6) Karolina Pliskova vs. (28) Maria Sharapova (Pliskova)

Play is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. BST/5 a.m. ET. 

Nadal's Reign Continues, Gorges Gives Williams a Fright

In 15 matches staged between the pair, Gasquet has won only four of the 38 sets played, the most recent of which came at the ATP Masters Series Canada 10 years ago; Nadal has since won 25 consecutive sets against the Frenchman.

Born just 15 days apart in June 1986—Nadal is the elder (June 3)—it's no surprise this duo hold a storied past in tennis, and Christopher Clarey shared an old photograph of them as kids who would go on to become stars:

But it's Nadal who has gone on to much greater plaudits and is illustrating why at Roland Garros, winning six sets from six thus far. Gasquet has looked good, too, recording wins against Andreas Seppi and Malek Jaziri. 

A decade of frustrations in attempting to win even a set from Nadal point to the Spaniard strolling to victory in what will be their first best-of-five clash since the 2013 U.S. Open.

Gasquet has long been aware of the difference in Nadal's standards and his own, and another straight-sets win lies ahead for the king of clay.

Williams has made a triumphant comeback at Roland Garros after 16 months away from tennis due to pregnancy, and 11th seed Gorges threatens to be a tricky opponent for a star still acclimating in Paris.

After edging Kristyna Pliskova 7-6 (4), 6-4, Williams was forced to come back from a set down against Ashleigh Barty on Thursday—a valuable test of her resolve still early in the competition:

Gorges, 29, has enjoyed good form in 2018 but has cracked when faced with bigger opponents, and even while getting back to her best, Williams is about as intimidating as they come.

That being said, it's foreseeable Williams could lack stamina and drop a middle set to Gorges, but it's difficult to see the German converting twice against her American rival.