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, who plays Italian qualifier Flavio Cipolla.
In the women's draw, Serena Williams will aim to join sister Venus after her second-round match with Milagros Sequera was postponed due to a rain disruption at Roland Garros.
The backlog of matches mean Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo and U.S. Open holder Maria Sharapova 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 while Russia's Sharapova has a first meeting with American Jill Craybas.
Another Russian-American clash sees third seed and 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova facing Meghann Shaughnessy.
