The Australian 14th seed has found his feet on clay after runs to the semi-finals in Hamburg and Poertschach, while his Argentine opponent has claimed successive victories only once this year -- albeit thanks to a retirement.

The winner will face a fourth-round clash with double champion Rafael Nadal [ Images ], who plays Italian qualifier Flavio Cipolla.

In the women's draw, Serena Williams [ Images ] will aim to join sister Venus after her second-round match with Milagros Sequera was postponed due to a rain disruption at Roland Garros [ Images ].

The backlog of matches mean Wimbledon [ Images ] champion Amelie Mauresmo [ Images ] and U.S. Open holder Maria Sharapova [ Images ] will have to play for a second day running.

Seeded fifth, Mauresmo should extend her 3-2 win-loss record against fellow Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy [ Images ] while Russia's [ Images ] Sharapova has a first meeting with American Jill Craybas.

Another Russian-American clash sees third seed and 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova [ Images ] facing Meghann Shaughnessy.