French Open 2015: Top 5 matches to watch out for on Day 4

After an action packed day 3 that saw the exit of seeded players Eugenie Bouchard and Grigor Dimitrov, we move into day 4 where much of the drama is expected to unfold. Let us take a look at some of the key matches that are lined up on Wednesday.

5. Daria Gavrilova Vs Sabine Lisicki

Daria Gavrilova is improving by the day and she will be a tough opponent for Sabine Lisicki in the second round. Gavrilova reached the semifinals of the Rome Masters (lost to Sharapova), while Lisicki was shown the door in the second round by compatriot Timea Bacsinszky in Rome.

Lisicki will look to equal her best result here in Paris by getting past Gavrilova, but it is easier said than done. The 21-year-old has a good serve and moves well on the court. Lisicki will try to keep points short and make Gavrilova go for them on both wings of the court. This is their first meeting.

It will be a tight match and don’t be surprised if the No. 20 seed doesn’t make it to the next round!

Match Time: 2:30 p.m IST.

4. Alize Cornet Vs Alexandra Dulgheru

Alexandra Dulgheru had a fine run at the Rome Masters where she reached the quarterfinals (lost to compatriot Simona Halep). Her opponent on Wednesday, Alize Cornet came back from a set down against Italian Roberta Vinci in the first round here.

The Frenchwoman is looking rusty and Dulgheru will try to capitalise on it in the early goings of the match. In fact, Dulgheru got the better of Cornet in Doha earlier this year. Cornet lost in the first round of the Rome Masters to Angelique Kerber, but her win against Vinci must have boosted her confidence.

The two women have split their two matches thus far. Cornet will be backed by the French crowd, but fans can expect a tight match.

Match Time: Around 4:30 p.m IST.

3. Tomas Berdych Vs Radek Stepanek

Court 1 will witness a Czech battle as Tomas Berdych takes on Radek Stepanek in the second round. Berdych is having a terrific year having reached the quarterfinal stage or better in every tournament he has played thus far. Stepanek on the other hand lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of Munich Open and has an uphill task ahead of him against his younger compatriot. They are Davis cup teammates and know each other’s game inside out.

Berdych’s serve looked extremely good in his opening match against Yoshihito Nishioka and the 29-year-old will back himself to oust Stepanek without dropping a set. Berdych leads their head-to-head 2-1, but this is their first matchup in a Grand Slam.

Match Time: 6 p.m IST.

2. Kei Nishikori Vs Thomaz Bellucci

   

After defending his title in Barcelona, Kei Nishikori reached the semifinals (lost to Andy Murray) and quarterfinals (lost to Novak Djokovic) in Madrid and Rome respectively. Thomas Bellucci is coming into the French Open on a high after winning the Geneva Open (beat Joao Sousa). The Brazilian was impressive in his straight sets win over Marinko Matosevic in the first round here as well.

Nishikori has the arsenal to negate any tactics that Bellucci tries to adopt to overcome the World No. 5. Bellucci has won their only match so far, but that was eight years ago in Bologna.

It will be an intriguing match and might go to 4 sets with the No. 5 seed coming out on top.

Match Time: Around 4 p.m IST.

1. Dominic Thiem Vs Pablo Cuevas

Dominic Thiem is won the Nice Open in a tight final against Leonardo Mayer and will start as the favorite in his match against Pablo Cuevas. The Uruguayan lost in the finals of Istanbul Open to Roger Federer and lost to the Swiss maestro again in the second round in Rome.

Cuevas likes to stick to the baseline, while Thiem looks to vary it a bit by approaching the net more often than not. There might be a couple of tie breaks in this match, but Thiem will emerge victorious in this contest. This is their first meeting on the ATP tour.

Match Time: Around 4 p.m IST.