The rest of the women’s quarterfinal lineup at Roland Garros will take shape after intriguing fourth-round collisions on Monday.

Simona Halep vs. Sloane Stephens

The second week of Roland Garros is underway, and there are still four berths up for grabs in the quarterfinals of the women’s draw.  Two of the women who will do battle for one of those coveted spots are Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.  Both competitors have looked solid thus far, and both have plenty of reason to feel good about their chances of continuing their run in Paris.

Up to this point, Halep has been by far and away the better player in 2014.  In addition to securing a title in Doha, she has reached the semifinals of Indian Wells and the finals of Madrid, achieving a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the process.  Stephens has not been nearly as fortunate.  Outside of a couple of solid showings at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, she has struggled to string together victories. This makes her trip to the Roland Garros round of 16 for the third consecutive year a very good effort.

However, current form rarely is the only variable that determines the outcome of a match.  Sometimes past history between the two combatants also comes into play. But, in the case of Stephens and Halep, it is difficult to discern how much bearing their three previous encounters might have on their upcoming meeting.  Stephens has won on two of the three occasions that they have met, both coming in straights sets in Hobart and at the Australian Open last year.  Halep’s lone victory came two years ago, but it was on clay in Barcelona.  Still, both players have evolved greatly in the last year, so while Stephens may draw more belief and comfort from her previous victories over Halep, she is hardly going to be in the Romanian’s head.

Arguably the biggest determining factor in this match could be the pressure of the moment and who handles it best.  To her credit, Halep has lived up to her seeding.  Even with the downfalls of so many other top seeds happening all around her, she has remained steadfast in her progress towards the title.  But Stephens has also looked surprisingly consistent throughout the first week.  As the lower seed, she also has the luxury of swinging away a little more freely.  That could prove important in a match featuring two women who have precious little experience going deep at the majors.

With both women possessing similar games and great sets of wheels, it will come down to who can cash in on the big points with the greatest frequency.  The samrt money would be on Halep, who has been in better form of late, to be the most likely candidate to capitalize on more of those moments.  But Stephens will have her chances, and with so many top seeds already out, there is no reason why Stephens cannot add to the carnage to book her own place in the last eight.

Sara Errani vs. Jelena Jankovic

Nothing in sport is an absolute certainty, but there is a good chance that fans who turn out to watch the contest between Sara Errani and Jelena Jankovic had better prepare for the long haul.  This one could be a marathon.  There is little to separate these two feisty competitors in a match that likely will come down to just a handful of crucial points.

Errani and Jankovic share many similarities in their games.  Both are swift of foot and often rely more on their defense than offense.  Jankovic, the taller of the two, should enjoy a slight edge on serve, but Errani, a former No. 1 in doubles, is the surer bet in the forecourt.  Both women will have to probe the other to open the court and create an opportunity to go for a winner.  For Errani, that means looking to control the point with her forehand. For Jankovic, that means using her backhand down the line.

When two players possess such similar strengths and weaknesses, the psychology of the matchup comes into play.  Here, Errani holds the upper hand.  As her higher ranking would suggest, she has enjoyed more success of late than her Serbian opponent, including reaching the final of Rome prior to Roland Garros.  She also leads Jankovic 2-1 in their head-to-head.  Both of the Italian’s victories have come in straight sets, with the most recent outing occurring a few weeks ago in Rome.  Furthermore, unlike Jankovic, she has been to the finals before here at Roland Garros, so this is hardly unchartered territory for her.

Jankovic is far from an easy out, however.  She is a former No. 1 and US Open finalist, who has done well to re-establish herself back in the top 10.  She, too, has enjoyed her share of notable triumphs, winning titles in Indian Wells and Cincinnati, as well as the clay events in Rome and Stuttgart.  Historically, Roland Garros has been her best major. Although she has not been to the final, as Errani has , she still has three semifinal showings under her belt there and a quarterfinal result from last season.

As previously noted, this encounter is apt to come down to a few key points and perhaps even fitness.  If both women bring their A-games, fans can expect a number of long rallies and plenty of drama.  Errani is the slight favorite based on past history, but either woman will make a worthy quarterfinalist.