French Open 2018 schedule: Order of play for Day 5 with Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams
THE FRENCH OPEN is well into its first week and two fan favourites - Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams - will be the stars of the schedule on Thursday.
Nadal needed two days to beat Simone Bolelli, with Monday night’s rain intervening during the third set of their first-round clash.
But the Spaniard nevertheless made it through in straight sets and had the privilege of Wednesday off before entering the second round against Guido Pella.
However, the 10-time French Open champion will be on Suzanne Lenglen - not the Philippe Chatrier court he criticised for being a little slippery earlier in the week.
No 3 seed Marin Cilic will instead be main attraction in the men’s singles on Roland Garros’ main court but it is the women’s matches that look like the real draw.
After top seed Simona Halep takes on Taylor Townsend and Juan Martin del Potro has played Julien Benneteau, Serena Williams will face No 17 seed Ashleigh Barty in the lat match of the day.
French Open 2018 Day 5 schedule
Court Philippe-Chatrier
Play starts at 10am
Marin CILIC (CRO) [3] vs Hubert HURKACZ (POL)
Simona HALEP (ROU) [1] vs Taylor TOWNSEND (USA)
Julien BENNETEAU (FRA) vs Juan Martin DEL POTRO (ARG) [5]
Serena WILLIAMS (USA) vs Ashleigh BARTY (AUS) [17]
Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Play starts at 10am
Garbiñe MUGURUZA (ESP) [3] vs Fiona FERRO (FRA)
Malek JAZIRI (TUN) vs Richard GASQUET (FRA) [27]
Rafael NADAL (ESP) [1] vs Guido PELLA (ARG)
Shuai PENG (CHN) vs Caroline GARCIA (FRA) [7]
Rafael Nadal: Roland Garros is the most important tournament
Court 1
Play starts at 10am
Denis SHAPOVALOV (CAN) [24] vs Maximilian MARTERER (GER)
Maria SHARAPOVA (RUS) [28] vs Donna VEKIC (CRO)
Pierre-Hugues HERBERT (FRA) vs Jeremy CHARDY (FRA)
Julia GOERGES (GER) [11] vs Alison VAN UYTVANCK (BEL)
Court 18
Play starts at 10am
Fabio FOGNINI (ITA) [18] vs Elias YMER (SWE)
Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE) vs Karolina PLISKOVA (CZE) [6]
John ISNER (USA)[9] vs Horacio ZEBALLOS (ARG)
Shuai ZHANG (CHN) [27] vs Irina-Camelia BEGU (ROU)
Court 3
Play starts at 10am
Heather WATSON (GBR) vs Elise MERTENS (BEL) [16]
Marton FUCSOVICS (HUN) vs Kyle EDMUND (GBR) [16]
Thomas FABBIANO (ITA) vs Borna CORIC (CRO)
Kristina MLADENOVIC (FRA) & Alexis MUSIALEK (FRA) vs Anabel MEDINA GARRIGUES (ESP) & Marcel GRANOLLERS (ESP)
Court 4
Play starts at 10am
Tessah ANDRIANJAFITRIMO (FRA) & Ugo HUMBERT (FRA) vs Nicole MELICHAR (USA) & Alexander PEYA (AUT)
Raquel ATAWO (USA) & Anna-Lena GROENEFELD (GER) [11] vs Zarina DIYAS (KAZ) & Saisai ZHENG (CHN)
Sara ERRANI (ITA) & Kirsten FLIPKENS (BEL) vs Clara BUREL (FRA) & Diane PARRY (FRA)
Lara ARRUABARRENA (ESP) & Katarina SREBOTNIK (SLO) vs Elise MERTENS (BEL) [12] & Demi SCHUURS (NED)
Sara CAKAREVIC (FRA) & Alexandre MULLER (FRA) vs Vania KING (USA) & Franko SKUGOR (CRO)
Court 5
Play starts at 10am
Samantha STOSUR (AUS) vs Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS) [30]
Irina BARA (ROU) & Mihaela BUZARNESCU (ROU)vs Xenia KNOLL (SUI) & Anna SMITH (GBR)
Viktorija GOLUBIC (SUI) & Nina STOJANOVIC (SRB) vs Amandine HESSE (FRA) & Pauline PARMENTIER (FRA)
Daria GAVRILOVA (AUS) & Daria KASATKINA (RUS)vs Nao HIBINO (JPN) & Oksana KALASHNIKOVA (GEO)
Anna-Lena GROENEFELD (GER) & Robert FARAH (COL) [8] vs Coco VANDEWEGHE (USA) & Rajeev RAM (USA)
Court 6
Play starts at 10am
Ruben BEMELMANS (BEL) vs Jurgen ZOPP (EST)
Lesia TSURENKO (UKR) vs Coco VANDEWEGHE (USA) [15]
Diego SCHWARTZMAN (ARG) [11] vs Adam PAVLASEK (CZE)
Benjamin BONZI (FRA) & Gregoire JACQ (FRA) vs Rohan BOPANNA (IND) & Edouard ROGER-VASSELIN (FRA) [13]
Court 7
Play starts at 10am
Jan-Lennard STRUFF (GER) vs Steve JOHNSON (USA)
Pablo CUEVAS (URU) vs Kevin ANDERSON (RSA) [6]
Angelique KERBER (GER) [12] vs Ana BOGDAN (ROU)
Court 8
Play starts at 10am
Daria GAVRILOVA (AUS) [24] vs Bernarda PERA (USA)
Bethanie MATTEK-SANDS (USA) vs Andrea PETKOVIC (GER)
Albert RAMOS-VINOLAS (ESP) [31] vs Casper RUUD (NOR)
Lyudmyla KICHENOK (UKR) & Lesia TSURENKO (UKR) vs Andrea SESTINI HLAVACKOVA (CZE) & Barbora STRYCOVA (CZE) [2]
Court 9
Play starts at 10am
Magdalena RYBARIKOVA (SVK) [19] vs Belinda BENCIC (SUI)
Sergiy STAKHOVSKY (UKR) vs Mischa ZVEREV (GER)
Aliaksandra SASNOVICH (BLR) vs Kiki BERTENS (NED) [18]
Anna BLINKOVA (RUS) & Lucie HRADECKA (CZE) vs Viktoria KUZMOVA (SVK) & Magdalena RYBARIKOVA (SVK)