By Kamakshi Tandon

Novak Djokovic (SRB)[6] vs. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)Men’s R16 – Court Philippe Chatrier 12:00 pm

After having a miserable year so far (6-13 coming in) and an even more miserable clay season (0-4), Verdasco has put together a nice little run here, taking out tough claycourter David Ferrer in the previous round. Unlike Ferrer, Verdasco isn’t a typical Spanish grinder – he has a big forehand and is effective on hardcourts.

Djokovic had a real scare in his last match, coming back from two sets to one down to defeat Olivier Patience in a five-set thriller on Saturday. The focus and determination he showed in winning that match – at one point, he pumped his fist just because he had gone up 30-15 on his serve – should stand him in good stead against Verdasco, who can be a little mentally shaky and isn’t as consistent as the Serb.

Verdasco has won both their career meetings, but the last one was last year, and Djokovic is already a very different player.

Prediction: Djokovic

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)[14] vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2]Men’s R16 – Court Philippe Chatrier  2nd match

This is one of the matchups we’ve all been waiting for on the men’s side (two others would be Djokovic-Nadal and Federer-Canas). Hewitt has come to life over the last few weeks, reaching the semifinals of Hamburg, the semifinals of Portschach, and now the fourth round of the French Open. The Hamburg semifinal is the reason this match is so anticipated, a tight battle won by Nadal 7-5 in the third set.

But that was Hamburg, this is Paris. Nadal has never lost a best-of-five match on clay and has cruised up to this point, while Hewitt has had some tough battles, including a comeback from two sets down against Gaston Gaudio in the second round. He shouldn’t be too tired overall, but if this match also goes long as well.

The two have different games but a similar mental approach to matches – get every ball back, wear down opponents if necessary but take the opportunity to end points when possible. At this point, however, Nadal simply does it better – Hewitt will have to take more chances and be more aggressive than usual to give himself a shot at winning. Nadal will also have to be slightly off for the Australian to have a decent shot at producing the upset.

Prediction: Nadal

Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) vs. Carlos Moya (ESP)[23]Men’s R16 – Court Suzanne Lenglen 12:00 pm

Talk about an old-school matchup. The first time these Bjorkman played Moya on tour was in 1996.  They couldn’t have imagined then that they would be meeting in the fourth round of the French Open 11 years later, at 35 and 30 respectively. It’s good to see persistence paying off for these two – Bjorkman could easily have given up on singles to concentrate on doubles, and Moya could have followed Spanish contemporaries like Alex Corretja, Galo Blanco and (effectively) Felix Mantilla into retirement.

After coming back from two sets to love down twice in his first two rounds, Bjorkman finally had a relatively easy four-set match when he played the unbelievably skinny Oscar Hernandez in his last match. Moya has had an easier draw and an easier time.

This should be an enjoyable match to watch – Moya’s silken play against Bjorkman’s crisp, opportunistic game. Let’s go with Moya to take this one, just because he’s playing on his best surface and Bjorkman on his weakest.

Prediction: Moya