Amazingly enough, I picked all eight of these players to be in the quarterfinals. The rounds have been competitive and exciting to watch thus far.

	Mal's Picks
	Washington Former ATP Tour pro MaliVai Washington is providing ESPN.com with in-depth analysis during the French Open. Washington, a tennis analyst for ESPN, reached the 1996 Wimbledon final.

Michael Russell's dream tournament had to come to an end. It almost didn't happen at all. In the first round of qualifying, Russell was down a match point, but he fought his way through and got on a great roll. It was an invaluable experience for him; he made the round of 16 in a major for the first time, and he took the best clay-courter in the world to match point. Russell had the kind of breakthrough tournament every young player looks for, and a lot of people will take notice.

Andre Agassi began the clay court season losing in the first round in Atlanta, then exited Rome and Hamburg early. Just when you thought Agassi was out of clay court form, he fights his way into the quarters at Roland Garos. Agassi is giving the classic example of a great player performing when he most needs to most.

Gustavo Kuerten (1), Brazil, vs. Yevgeny Kafelnikov (7), Russia
Gustavo Kuerten has been a favorite to win his third French Open this year, and thus far, he's been right on track. Yevgeny Kafelnikov is playing very good tennis right now, but smart money still bets on Kuerten. Kafelnikov can challenge Kuerten to the max because he's just cocky enough to believe he can beat anyone. Kafelnikov is obviously playing well enough, but Kuerten is still the best clay-court player in the world. There's also a superstitious twist: both times Kuerten has won the French, he beat Kafelnikov in the quarterfinals.

Edge: Gustavo Kuerten

Juan Carlos Ferrero (4), Spain, vs. Lleyton Hewitt (6), Australia
Lleyton Hewitt, who could play on nails, is in his first ever French Open quarterfinal. Ferrero, a clay-court specialist, is one match away from equaling his best-ever French Open, which came when he reached the semifinals last year. This year, Ferrero has dropped only one set thus far; he might have the best form in Paris right now. Ferrero and Hewitt have similar styles: neither of them are big yet they both play from the baseline. On a clay court, Ferrero plays that baseline game better than Hewitt does, and it will give him the edge in this match.

Edge: Juan Carlos Ferrero

Sebastien Grosjean (10), France vs. Andre Agassi (3), United States
On paper, Andre Agassi is the hands-down favorite in this match. But Sebastian Grosjean is playing good tennis, and he's in the quarterfinals in his home country of France -- all the makings of an upset. How Grosjean handles the pressure of playing Agassi on center court in the quarterfinals of the French -- he's never been to the quarterfinals of the French before -- will be a factor. Grosjean has had a tough time closing the deal before. Up two sets to love, he fell apart playing his countryman Arnaud Clement in the semifinals of the Australian Open earlier this year. It's hard to imagine he'll have the match of his life against a surging Agassi. Agassi gets the edge, but don't expect a rout. Edge: Andre Agassi

Roger Federer, Switzerland, vs. Alex Corretja (13), Spain
Roger Federer has been a player to watch all tournament long, and he's the upset pick for the quarterfinals. It's a bold pick: Alex Corretja is a solid claycourter, while none of Federer's good results have been on clay. But Federer has been playing fantastic tennis this year. He was extremely impressive in the Davis Cup against the United States. It has been clear he was going to have a breakthrough moment this year, and his first appearance in the quarterfinals of the French just might be the time.

Edge: Roger Federer