By Kamakshi Tandon

Novak Djokovic (SRB)[6] vs. Igor Andreev (RUS) Men’s QF: Court Philippe Chatrier – 12:00 pm

Had the seedings gone according to consensus opinion rather than rankings, Djokovic would have been the third seed instead of Andy Roddick – and Djokovic and Andreev would have been playing in the first round, not the quarterfinals.

The two did in fact meet in the first round of Estoril earlier this spring, with Djokovic edging Andreev in a third-set tiebreak and going on to win the title. It should be an equally tough battle this time around. Both men produce a lot of winners off their forehand, and while Andreev’s is more explosive and seems to be clicking at this event, Djokovic has the more solid all-round game.

That, combined with the self-assured, no-nonsense Serb’s mental toughness, should be enough to see him eventually come out the winner in this one. But if Andreev’s forehand really gets going, he’ll be very dangerous. His real ranking is currently No. 125 (he got in on a protected ranking), so if he pulls off a win, we’ll be dusting off Goran Ivanisevic, Vladimir Voltchkov and Pat Cash stats to see where he stands in the history of low-ranked players making deep runs at a Grand Slam.

Prediction: Djokovic

Carlos Moya (ESP)[23] vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2]Men’s QF: Court Philippe Chatrier – 2nd match

Talk about two opponents with history. The first time Moya saw his fellow Mallorcan play, Nadal wasn’t even in double digits. The first time they played on tour, Moya was a former No. 1 playing a 16-year-old – and he was nervous, losing in straight sets at Hamburg in 2003. Since then, they’ve alternated wins, with Nadal winning their last match in Rome last year in three sets.

Moya is now a veteran at 30 while Nadal, having just turned 21, is approaching his peak career years. All the more remarkable then, that Rafa already has one more French Open title than his mentor/Playstation buddy – and he’s still improving. The long ties mean this will be a very collegial encounter, but it’s tough to see Moya being able to give Nadal much trouble at this point.

Prediction: Nadal