Where the match can be won
Schwartzman will be hoping for some of the damp, heavier conditions the pair experienced in their night-time clash in Rome, in which he beat Nadal last month en route to his maiden Masters 1000 final.
After adding US Open champion Dominic Thiem to his list of victims in a five-set quarter-final his confidence has never been higher, but whether he can take more than a set or two off Nadal, now that the Spaniard has had time to acclimatise to the Paris conditions is a different story.
Nadal typically thrives on a hot, dry clay where his forehand can whip off the dirt with more venom, but a later staging of Roland-Garros has not exactly ruffled his feathers as many predicted it would.
While the change in conditions do work more in Schwartzman’s favour, he will need every advantage he can get.
Like in Rome, the Argentinian will seek to hit through the court more with Nadal’s usual heavy topspin forehands playing lower into his hitting zone in these conditions.
While small in stature, don’t be surprised to see him come to net, a tactic which worked particularly well for him against Thiem. Nadal’s superior firepower, variety and vastly greater experience on this stage though makes it a herculean task ahead for the Argentinian. It would be a monumental upset if the No.12 seed were to pull it off.