French Open 2018: Wednesday Roland Garros Schedule and Bracket Predictions
Rafael Nadal's quarter-final showdown with Diego Schwartzman headlines Wednesday's action at the French Open.
Nadal has been in imperious form at Roland Garros, as the defending champion chases an 11th title on clay. He'll be taking on a buoyant Schwartzman, though, as the 11th seed recovered from two sets behind to beat Kevin Anderson in five.
Elsewhere, Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro go head-to-head in a battle of the big hitters. In the women's draw there are two more fascinating quarters, as top seed Simona Halep takes on former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber; former champions Garbine Muguruza and Maria Sharapova also juke it out.
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Here's a look at the quarter-final matches to come on Wednesday and a preview of what's set up to be one of the most enjoyable days of the competition so far.
Wednesday Matches
Men's Quarter-Finals
(1) Rafael Nadal* vs. (11) Diego Schwartzman
(3) Marin Cilic* vs. (5) Juan Martin del Potro
Women's Quarter-Finals
(1) Simona Halep* vs. (12) Angelique Kerber
(3) Garbine Muguruza* vs. (28) Maria Sharapova
*Denotes predicted winner
Wednesday Preview
There are times on the Roland Garros clay that Nadal appears to be playing a different sport to everyone else.
In his four matches at the French Open so far the Spaniard has looked completely unflustered. On occasion it's even been a little too easy for the top seed, as he's coasted through all of his matches in straight sets, with gears to go up into seemingly in reserve.
As noted by the Team FA Twitter account, it's been a long time since any player was even able to take a set off the 10-time champion:
You feel a little for Schwartzman as there's a fair chance he'll be jaded after his victory over Anderson.
The latter was two sets up and serving for the match in their encounter, although the Argentinian somehow dug deep to turn it on its head. It would've been a physically and emotionally draining match for Schwartzman and Nadal may not be the ideal opponent with that in mind.
As noted by Jose Morgado, the two men know each other well:
In the women's draw there are some contests that should be enthralling, with Halep seemingly on a mission in France this week.
The Romanian lost out in the final here a year ago and has been playing with a tremendous amount of determination in the early rounds. In Kerber, who has already matched her joint-best performance at the French Open, she has a potentially tricky match here.
Per the WTA Insider Twitter account, it appears as if the German has found her rhythm on clay at last this year:
Meanwhile, Halep has been keeping some illustrious company ahead of the match to offer some possible inspiration:
If that encounter wasn't enough to get pulses racing the other quarter on Wednesday will, as Sharapova and Muguruza are two of the biggest hitters in the women's game.
Sharapova was scheduled to face Serena Williams before the American dropped out from the contest, whereas Muguruza only played two games on Monday before Lesia Tsurenko retired with injury.
Both of these women have a tremendous history at Roland Garros, with Sharapova a two-time champion. Muguruza was the victor here in 2016 and is one of the few players in the game with the dynamism to match the Russian, which should make for a classic encounter.
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