Day 9 Preview: Roland Garros

Four of the eight players left in the bottom half of the draw were not seeded to make the round of 16, but that just means they're in sizzling form. The same four are gunning to make the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic, watch out.

Chatrier
(24) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) vs. (2) Serena Williams (USA)
Wozniak leads 1-0
The significance of Wozniak's head-to-head advantage shouldn't be overestimated, for Serena retired during their semifinal match at Stanford last summer. But Wozniak certainly deserves credit for making it that far as a qualifier ranked No.85 - and indeed for beating Marion Bartoli for her first Tour title. More importantly, the 21-year-old has since established herself as a firm member of the Top 30, and those results indicate a capacity to make the most of an opportunity. Into the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time, that's what she's got today. The outcome might well hinge on whether Serena has been tenderized by her desperate three set tussles against Klara Zakopalova and María José Martínez Sánchez, or has played herself into perfect second-week form.

Virginie Razzano (FRA) vs. (30) Samantha Stosur (AUS)
Stosur leads 1-0
The host nation could boast three seeds at the start of this French Open, but while Marion Bartoli, Amélie Mauresmo and Alizé Cornet all fell in the first two rounds, Razzano has flown the flag in fine style. With a victim list that includes Daniela Hantuchova as well as Anabel Medina Garrigues and Tathiana Garbin, her all-court style has served her well on the red dirt, and she has channeled her emotions and the support of the partisan crowd to positive effect. Like Razzano, who reached the final at Dubai early in the year, doubles star Stosur has been gaining ground in singles, and was rewarded with her straight-sets defeat of Dementieva on Saturday. Between them they've opened up their section of the draw very nicely, and possess the variety to put on an entertaining show. The braver of the two will advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Lenglen
(7) Svetlana Kuznetsova (SRB) vs. (12) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
Radwanska leads 4-3
Twelve months ago Kuznetsova was a contender for Justine Henin's No.1 crown, but over the course of the summer dropped out of that race and hasn't had too much to celebrate - until recent weeks. Suddenly, at Stuttgart, the 23-year-old beat Elena Dementieva and then Dinara Safina to win her first title since 2007, and the following week in Rome produced two more Top 10 wins - over Jelena Jankovic and Victoria Azarenka - to reach the final (where Safina found revenge). Losing her opening match to Alona Bondarenko in Madrid took some of the focus off Kuznetsova in Paris, but that's the way the 2004 US Open champion likes it. Radwanska is similarly low-key, and although the 20-year-old Pole has had her share of disappointments this season she, like Kuznetsova, hasn't dropped a set this week. In the past Radwanska's smarts have neutralized Kuznetsova's greater firepower, but she'll need to be at her best to stand a chance against the resurgent Russian.

(5) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) vs. Sorana Cirstea (ROU)
First meetingAge-wise Cirstea is a peer of Caroline Wozniacki and Cornet, but while it was an achievement to win her first Tour title at Tashkent and crack the Top 40 at the end of last year, she hasn't kept pace with those illustrious teenagers. That might be about to change, given the 19-year-old Romanian beat the two in succession to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time. On the face of it, this match is classic "nothing to lose" territory, and her confidence must be at a high. However, Cirstea's serve doesn't yet pack the same punch as her groundstrokes. That should allow Jankovic, who has been supremely businesslike over the past week, the breathing space to craft a win.

More to watch…
Defending doubles champions Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual, the No.3 seeds, play 11th-seeded Anna-Lena Groenfeld and Patty Schnyder on Court 2; the other quarterfinals feature Victoria Azarenka and Elena Vesnina, the No.12 seeds, against Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, who are seeded 16th. In the mixed doubles, top seeds Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan face Ai Sugiyama and Andre Sa, the No.5 seeds.