Djokovic and Federer on Tap for Day 6

By Chris Oddo

Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

(May 31, 2012)—The top half of the men's draw will see Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in action tomorrow, while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych will also be looking to gain entry into the round of 16.

Both Federer and Djokovic will face less heralded but widely loved Frenchmen in their third-round tilts. Djokovic will take on qualifier Nicolas Devilder on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Devilder, 32 and currently ranked 286 in the world, is looking to remain undefeated against Djokovic.

You heard me right.

Devilder defeated Djokovic the only time the pair met at a challenger in 2005. If the Frenchman can score the upset, it would be the biggest upset in Grand Slam history, as the lowest-ranked player to ever defeat a world No. 1 in a Grand Slam was 193.

Federer will meet Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in the third match on Court Philippe Chatrier tomorrow. The Swiss Maestro has defeated Mahut all three times they have played.

If Mahut or Devilder can't pull the shocker, the French will turn to their highest-ranked player to keep spirits buoyant. Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will face last year's surprise quarterfinalist Fabio Fognini of Italy in their second career meeting tomorrow. Tsonga won their only previous encounter in straight sets last year in Canada.

Also in action will be No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych. The hard-hitting Czech has been in form in the first two rounds, and he's looking to continue his run against another hard-hitter, Kevin Anderson of South Africa. Berdych has a 16-4 record on clay this season and the former French Open semifinalist has only lost 16 games in her first two wins over Dudi Sela and Michael Llodra respectively.

In another matchup of tool, cool youngsters Juan Martin del Potro will take on a surging Marin Cilic in their ninth career meeting. The Argentine has won six of eight against Cilic, but he did suffer a devastating loss against Cilic at the Australian Open in 2010.

Del Potro has won all three of the pair's previous clay-court encounters, and owns a 14-2 record on clay this season, compared to a 9-5 clay-court record for Cilic.

Gilles Simon and Stan Wawrinka will meet for the third time in what promises to be a thrilling battle on Suzanne Lenglen. Simon, who won his last encounter with the Swiss in Indian Wells this year (they have split two career matches), is looking to reach the fourth-round for the second time in seven French Open appearances. Wawrinka is also looking to match his career-best result with a win. Wawrinka has lost to Roger Federer in the round of 16 in each of his last two trips to Roland Garros.

The other Italian remaining in the draw will be looking to defeat Fernando Verdasco for the first time in seven career battles against the Spaniard. Andreas Seppi has already equaled his best Grand Slam result with the third-round appearance, but if he can manage to get past the world No. 16, he will have made his first round of 16 in his 29th Grand Slam appearance.

Verdasco, one of three lefthanders remaining in the draw, is bidding to reach the fourth round for the fifth time.