Three to See, Roland Garros quarterfinals: Coco Gauff is eager for this shot against Iga Swiatek

The Break: Roland Garros quarterfinal previews

Ons Jabeur vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia

With the political drama on the other side of the women’s draw, Jabeur has been left mostly to herself as she has quietly progressed into the second week, and into her first quarterfinal at Roland Garros. On the one hand, that shouldn’t be a surprise: she’s the No. 7 seed, she’s a two-time Grand Slam finalist, and clay is her favorite surface. But Jabeur also came to Paris after an injury-plagued few months, and with little preparation on dirt. She seemed, at the tournament’s start, to be among the most vulnerable Top 10 seeds. But here she is, the favorite to make the semis.

Scheduling has also played a role in Jabeur going under the radar; she’s mostly played early in Chatrier, and that trend will continue on Wednesday when she and Haddad Maia open the proceedings in the stadium at 11 a.m. Paris time. Haddad Maia will make her first appearance there, after a series of close, hard-fought wins—one 6-4 in the third, and two 7-5 in the third. The Tunisian and the Brazilian have played twice before, and Jabeur has won in straight sets both times. When they met on clay two months ago in Stuttgart, Jabeur won 6-3, 6-0.

Jabeur’s finesse and unpredictability should present a compelling contrast with Haddad Maia, who is a hard-hitting left-hander. Jabeur should be motivated by the chance to sneak in and win her first major, while everyone is looking the other way. Winner: Jabeur

Iga Swiatek vs. Coco Gauff

“I’ll rewatch some previous matches to see where I’ve gone wrong,” Gauff said with a laugh, when she described how she’ll prepare for her seventh meeting with the top-ranked Swiatek.

Not much has gone right for the American when she’s faced the Pole. Gauff has lost all 12 sets they’ve played, and been bageled twice. When they played in the final at Roland Garros last year, Swiatek rolled to a pressure-free 6-3, 6-0 victory.

But Gauff says she’s eager for this rematch.

“I’m the type of mentality, if you want to be the best you have to beat the best,” she said on Tuesday. “I think also if you want to improve, you have to play the best.”

Gauff will have her chance to play the best on Wednesday. Can she beat her, too? And how might she go about turning this one-sided rivalry around?

In the past, once the rallies have started, Swiatek’s heavy-topspin ground strokes have kept her in near-total control. Gauff is an excellent defender, but Swiatek doesn’t give her much chance to defend. Gauff did hint at one potential tactical change when she talked about how she has worked on being more aggressive with her second-serve return. That may be effective against Swiatek’s second-ball kick.

But even if Gauff does disrupt Swiatek’s rhythm and take the initiative from her, it’s hard to see her strokes holding up to the top seed’s for long enough to pull the upset. It would be nice, for Gauff and for tennis, if she’s just competitive. Winner: Swiatek

Holger Rune vs. Casper Ruud

The Scantagonists return to the scene of their most heated match. Last year at Roland Garros, Ruud won a contentious four-set quarterfinal against the teenage Ruud, at night in Chatrier. This year they’ll be in the same place, at the same time—but might the roles be reversed?

Back then, Ruud was ranked much higher than Rune, and his quarterfinal win ran the Norwegian’s record to 4-0 against the Dane. Twelve months later, Rune has virtually erased that gap. Ruud is No. 4 in the world, while Rune, after reaching three finals during this clay season, is No. 6. Just as important, Rune recorded his first win over Ruud, three weeks ago on clay in Rome.

But it wasn’t easy. Ruud led by a set and a break in that match, before Rune got under his skin by calling a trainer in the middle of the second set, and started to play better afterward. Rune has the more powerful game, and he has the extra springiness of a 20-year-old. But even he may feel the effect of his four-hour, five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo on Monday. Ruud, a finalist here last year, may also be better at keeping his cool in the fishbowl that is a Chatrier night match. Winner: Ruud