French Open R3 previews: Nadal vs. Fognini, Wawrinka vs. Janowicz

Rafael Nadal will look for a more convincing win when he takes the court for third-round action on Saturday at Roland Garros. Fabio Fognini stands in Nadal’s way, while Stanislas Wawrinka and Jerzy Janowicz are also bidding for a place in the second week.

(3) Rafael Nadal vs. (27) Fabio Fognini

Nadal and Fognini will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time  this spring when they collide in round three of the French Open on Saturday afternoon. Their only previous encounter came at the recent Rome Masters, where Nadal cruised 6-1, 6-3.

The fourth-ranked Spaniard will be hoping for a similarly routine result, especially having dropped the opening set in each of his first two matches this week–against Daniel Brands and Martin Klizan. As a whole, however, Nadal remains in outstanding form. He already owns six 2013 titles despite missing the first month of the season and his record stands at 38-2. Fognini is also playing stellar tennis, which has him five spots off his career-high ranking at No. 29 in the world. The Italian, a semifinalist in Monte-Carlo, is 18-14 for the year following Roland Garros wins over Andreas Beck and Lukas Rosol.

A high-quality encounter can be expected not only based on form, but also in part because of past history at this event. Nadal, of course, is a seven-time champion. Fognini, meanwhile, was a quarterfinalist in 2011 and he has now made four consecutive appearances that have resulted in no less than a third-round finish. That being said, belief against the top players has always been a problem for the No. 27 seed. Versus Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer combined, Fognini is 0-8 lifetime.

Pick: Nadal 7-5, 6-3, 6-3

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(9) Stanislas Wawrinka vs. (21) Jerzy Janowicz

One of 2012’s breakout stars will be going up against one of this season’s hottest players when Janowicz and Wawrinka square off for the first time in their careers. Janowicz, a runner-up to David Ferrer last fall at the Paris Masters, registers at a career-high ranking at No. 23 in the world. The towering Pole has not fared as well this year, but he is rounding into form with a quarterfinal performance in Rome and two victories under his belt at the French Open. Janowicz dismissed Albert Ramos in straight sets then got past Robin Haase in four on Friday.

Wawrinka played the match of 2013 up to this point against Djokovic at the Australian Open (a 12-10 in the fifth set loss) and recent clay-court results include a title in Oerias and a runner-up finish to Nadal in Madrid. The 10th-ranked Swiss has improved his season record to 28-9 thanks to wins this fortnight at the expense of Thiemo De Bakker (in four sets) and Horacio Zeballos (in straights). Wawrinka may not be entirely 100 percent due to a leg issue, but the surface advantage he has over Janowicz on clay should be enough to offset any deficiencies. On the red dirt of Roland Garros, the ninth seed will likely be able to withstand Janowicz’s power.

Pick: Wawrinka in 4

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