French Open 2020: Thursday Roland Garros Schedule and Bracket Predictions

The 2020 French Open women's singles final is guaranteed to feature a Grand Slam champion versus a first-time major finalist. 

Which players filling out that matchup will be determined during Thursday's women's semifinals at Roland Garros. 

The unseeded pair of Iga Swiatek and Nadia Podoroska open the action in the first Grand Slam semifinal match of both player's careers. 

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, who are the only two seeded players left in the draw, square off in the second semifinal. 

Predictions

Iga Swiatek over Nadia Podoroska

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Swiatek has been so dominant on the Paris clay that she is listed as the favorite to win the women's singles title at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The 19-year-old has won each of her five matches in straight sets and took nine of those 10 sets by three games or more. 

Her two most dominant victories were over No. 1 Simona Halep and No. 15 Marketa Vondrousova, both of whom advanced to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2019. 

Since Swiatek has been unflappable over the last week-and-a-half in Paris, it is hard to see her losing Thursday. 

The Poland native has never played Podoroska, but she can utilize the same qualities that have gotten her to the final four to beat the Argentine qualifier. 

In her quarterfinal win over Martina Trevisan, Swiatek won 57 percent of her receiving points and forced 11 break points. She earned six breaks of serve off those opportunities. 

Podoroska has alternated between two-set and three-set victories in her first five matches. Her most recent result was a straight-set triumph over No. 3 Elina Svitolina.

To take down the red-hot Swiatek, Podoroska needs to be as dominant on her opponent's serve as she was versus Svitolina, when she took eight of 13 break points. 

Even though Podoroska is capable of clinching her first Grand Slam final spot, the edge has to go to Swiatek because of how consistent she has been in Paris. 

Sofia Kenin over Petra Kvitova

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

The clash of previous Grand Slam champions has the potential to be the better match because of the quality and experience of both women. 

Kvitova comes into Thursday's second semifinal with a 2-0 edge in head-to-head meetings with Kenin. The No. 7 seed beat the American in three sets in Miami two years ago and in straight sets in Madrid last year. 

The seven-time Grand Slam semifinalist has not lost a set on the clay during the tournament, but she has been forced to work in certain sets, as she had two 7-5 set wins and one 6-4 victory. 

Due to the rash of upsets throughout the women's bracket, Kvitova was not challenged by a seeded player in the first five rounds. All three ranked players in her section of the bracket were eliminated in the first round, and one other ranked woman in her quarter made it past the second round. 

Kenin has followed the same path as Kvitova but has faced more challenges. In the fourth round, she went up against Fiona Ferro with the French crowd behind opponent, and she had to earn her first victory over Danielle Collins in the quarterfinals. 

The No. 4 seed's ability to battle through mistakes may be the difference-maker in the match. She outscored opponents 24-6 in four third sets. 

If the semifinal gets to that stage, Kenin could be more equipped for the fight and advance to her second Grand Slam final of the year. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from RolandGarros.com and WTATennis.com.