Wimbledon: Fourth Round Preview (Men’s)

[1] Roger Federer v [20] Lleyton Hewitt

Hewitt is the last man to win Wimbledon since the Federer domination began in 2003, but he is unlikely to be hoisting the winner’s trophy this year. Federer holds a 13-7 record against his Australian opponent, who has not scored a win against him since their respective countries met in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup in 2003. Since then, they have met 11 times, including twice at Wimbledon (2004 and 2005). Federer has been in impressive form during the tournament so far, whereas Hewitt was struggling with injuries in the early rounds and had to fight his way past unseeded Robin Haase in a tough opening round match, but things were more comfortable after that. Unless Federer comes off his level in dramatic fashion in this match though, it looks set to be another victory for the world number one.

Federer in three sets

[8] Richard Gasquet v [12] Andy Murray

Gasquet has won both of their previous meetings on the hard courts in 2006 and 2007, but they have never met on grass. The Frenchman looked good in his first round match against Mardy Fish, but struggled to finish off compatriot Gilles Simon in four sets in his last match. He can’t afford to ne flaky against Murray, who has been able to play himself deep into the tournament without being severely tested after facing three unseeded opponents in a row.

Gasquet in four sets

[2] Rafael Nadal v [18] Mikhail Youzhny

Youzhny overcame Radek Stepanek in a marathon five set match that lasted over four hours - hardly the best preparation for facing Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has overcame some potentially tricky opponents in the shape of Ernests Gulbis and Nicolas Kiefer, and will pounce on any sign of fatigue from Youzhny. Nadal leads the head-to-head series 6-4 with wins on clay, grass and hard. Youzhny won their last meeting with some ease in Chennai at the start of this year, but it’s fair to say that Nadal was exhausted after a marathon match with friend and compatriot Carlos Moya in the previous round, and literally ran out of steam. Nadal won their only meeting on grass at Wimbledon last year, although it was a five-set affair in which he had to come back from two sets to love down.

Nadal in four sets

[13] Stanislas Wawrinka v Marat Safin

Wawrinka leads the head-to-head series 2-0 with wins in Rome and at the US Open. They have never met on grass. Safin is having a great run this year, especially considering his vocal dislike of the surface in past years. Back in 2001, he did make the quarter-finals though, so he does have some calibre on grass. His win over Novak Djokovic in the second round raised a few eyebrows and he followed that up with a win over Andreas Seppi. This is Wawrinka’s best showing at Wimbledon and he will be keen to reach the quarters to cement his position in the top 10.

Wawrinka in four sets

Janko Tipsarevic v Rainer Schuettler

Both of these unseeded players have had wins over top 10 players en route; Tipsarevic stunned Andy Roddick in four sets, while Schuettler had to work harder to oust James Blake. Schuettler used to be number 5 in the world (back in 2004) but is now clinging on in the top 100 at 94, and has been in the doldrums for years as far as Grand Slams go. Tipsarevic will probably be the favourite to progress through to the quarters, but Schuettler shouldn’t be counted out.

 Tipsarevic in three sets

[22] Fernando Verdasco v Mario Ancic

Verdasco was in fine form against Tomas Berdych in the third round, whereas Ancic struggled to put away David Ferrer, who threatened to launch a spirited fightback from two sets down until Ancic found something extra. Verdasco is prone to lapses in concentration, as was evident in his match with Olivier Rochus. He can’t afford this if Ancic is serving well, as a break would pretty much seal the set.

Ancic in three sets

Marin Cilic v Arnaud Clement

Cilic is the youngest player left in the men’s singles draw after the Croatian teenager dispatched Paul-Henri Mathieu in four sets. Clement has surprised a few people by reaching the fourth round here after an iffy 2008 season so far. Cilic was a semi-finalist at Nottingham just before Wimbledon. I’ve not seen either of them play so far, so I’m not going to judge their form any more than that. If any readers have done, feel free to leave a comment.

Cilic in four sets

[10] Marcos Baghdatis v Feliciano Lopez

Lopez has got to the fourth round without making too much impacts with wins over Brian Dabul, Roko Karanusic and Bobby Reynolds, so Baghdatis will be his first real test of the tournament. Baghdatis reached the semi-finals last year, which is why his seeding is a lot higher than his current ranking. I’m not sure that he’s in the same kind of form this year, but he should have enough to see off Lopez and move into the quarters.

Baghdatis in four sets