Before each day of play at the French Open, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches. For full coverage of the season's second Slam, go to our tournament page.
This battle of heavy hitters has been looming since the start of the tournament. The 22-year-old Muguruza is the fourth seed and a two-time quarterfinalist here, while the 30-year-old Kuznetsova won the title in 2009, reached the final in 2006 and is 46-12 overall at Roland Garros. Muguruza is the more consistently powerful slugger, and, on a good day, the better player. But Kuznetsova has slowly evolved from a loose cannon in her youth into a wily veteran at 30. She mixes paces and placements well, and never seems to play to a set pattern. All in all, she’s a tough out in Paris, and she seems to be enjoying the game more than ever.
Winner: Kuznetsova
After a Saturday of French devastation, Gasquet finds himself the last hometown hope in either singles draw. That may not be what he wants to hear as he heads into Chatrier on Sunday afternoon. Worse for Gasquet, he’ll be facing fifth-seeded Nishikori, who has beaten him twice in the last month on clay—in Madrid and Rome, both times in straight sets. The good news is that before those two matches, Gasquet had beaten Nishikori in all six of their previous meetings. This one may come down to who can leave behind his history of not rising to the occasion. Last year Nishikori went out to an inspired Frenchman, Tsonga, in Chatrier. Can Gasquet do the same thing to him? Reeshard, who has never been to the fourth round at Roland Garros, always seems to get the home folks’ hopes up before bringing them back to earth again.
Winner: Nishikori
Murray should be ready for the big-man experience. To warm up for the 6’9” Isner, he won three straight sets against 6’10 Ivo Karlovic on Friday. In truth, Murray doesn’t need any practice against monster servers; with his excellent backhand return and counterpuncher's mentality, he has owned them throughout his career, and that includes Isner. Murray is 5-0 versus the American, and his record against him in tiebreakers is 5-2. The last time they played, on a fast hard court in Shanghai in 2015, Isner pushed Murray to a third set. He might make this one difficult as well, but Murray should be feeling good after his two early five-set escapes last week. He won’t want another marathon.
Winner: Murray