Australian Open 2014: Men’s Quarterfinal Predictions

It’s the business end of the tournament, with the ‘best separated from the rest’, ‘the men from the boys’, whichever way you want to put it. Let’s take a look at the quarterfinals :

Novak Djokovic (2) vs Stanislas Wawrinka (8)

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (R) embraces after victory in his men’s singles match against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka on the seventh day of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne early January 21, 2013

The quarterfinal that everyone wanted is here, as we have a rematch of last year’s epic encounter between Djokovic and Wawrinka, this time a round later. Wawrinka will be itching for revenge after suffering close losses to the Serb at both the Australian Open and US Open last year, and must truly believe that he can go a step further this time.

Form: Both Djokovic and Wawrinka have breezed through the first few rounds, especially the former. Djokovic has carried on where he left off at the end of last season, scoring comfortable straight set victories over Lukas Lacko, Leonardo Mayer, Denis Istomin and Fabio Fognini, the last of those performances being the most dominating, aided by the fact that Fabio seemed to be out there more to have a good time than to try and win the match. Wawrinka has probably not had as much playing time as he’d have liked, with Golubev retiring midway through their first round match, and Pospisil granting him a walkover in the third round. However, he did manage to grind out a tough four set win over Alejandro Falla in the second round along with a strong performance against Spanish veteran Tommy Robredo in the round of 16.

What’s in store for them: Djokovic definitely has the edge coming into this match. He is playing better, knows what it takes to win this tournament, and has more big match experience. Wawrinka will have to bring out his A-game to beat the champion, though, as he knows from last year, even that may not be enough. It’s important for Wawrinka to remain mentally strong against Djokovic, who will not give him an inch.

Prediction: Djokovic to win in four sets

David Ferrer (8) vs Tomas Berdych (7)

7th seed Tomas Berdych (L) will take on 3rd seed David Ferrer

David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych have also held up their ends of the deal as they both find themselves in yet another Grand Slam quarterfinal, eager for that step up which will make them Grand Slam champions. First though, they will have to get past one another, and an intriguing battle awaits.

Form: Ferrer finds himself in his ninth straight Grand Slam quarterfinal, a remarkable stat for a man who is still not seen as a major threat to any of the Grand Slam titles, perhaps through his own doing. Ferrer has had two straight set victories over Alejandro Gonzalez in the first round and Jeremy Chardy in the third round, with Adrian Mannarino and Florian Mayer briefly testing the Spaniard in the second and fourth rounds respectively, before he came through in four sets in those matches. Berdych, on the other hand, has had a rather comfortable path through to the quarterfinals, dispatching Nedovyesov, de Schepper, Dzumhur and his bunny Anderson in straight sets along the way.

What’s in store for them: Both Berdych and Ferrer have always been part of a group of players who have been touted as being able to stop the dominance of the big four at the Slams. With time running out for them, perhaps this is the stage where they will finally be able to make their mark. Ferrer leads Berdych 7-4 in the head-to-head, with Berdych winning their most recent encounter at the World Tour Finals last year. The Czech is serving great, being unbroken throughout the tournament, and will need his serve working on all cylinders against the man Roger Federer rates as the best returner on tour. After three straight quarterfinal defeats, Berdych would be keen to enter the semifinals for the first time and stop Ferrer from reaching his third semifinal at the venue.

Prediction: Ferrer to beat Berdych in five sets

Rafael Nadal (1) vs Grigor Dimitrov (22)

Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning a point during his men’s singles match against Japan’s Kei Nishikori on day eight of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2014

Grigor Dimitrov has played spoilsport to the pre-tournament predictions as he makes a surprise, but long overdue, appearance in the quarterfinals, much to his relief I would imagine. There are no easy matches at this level though, and Dimitrov gets a first taste of that when he plays World No.1 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.

Form: Nadal has been his usual dominating self through the early rounds of a Slam on his return to Melbourne Park after missing the tournament through injury last year. He started off by ruining the dreams of two young Aussies, as Bernard Tomic retired after a set in the opening round, and Thanasi Kokkinakis put up a good fight before succumbing to the Spaniard’s might in the second round. A ruthless display against Gael Monfils in the third round was followed by a tough and testing three-setter against Kei Nishikori in today’s fourth round encounter. Dimitrov has Roberto Bautista Agut to thank, the Spaniard having knocked out the Bulgarian’s main competitor, Juan Martin Del Potro, in the second round. However, take nothing away from Dimitrov, who has shown tremendous resolve along with some scintillating play to finally reach the second week of a Grand Slam. After defeating Bradley Klahn in four sets in the opening round followed by a straight sets win over Yu Hsen Lu in the second round, Dimitrov scored a morale-boosting four-set win over fellow youngster Milos Raonic, in what was one of the best matches of the first week. He then showed calm and patience in seeing off Del Potro’s conqueror, Bautista Agut, in today’s fourth round match.

What’s in store for them: Nadal is a man on a mission, knowing that he is within reach of Federer’s Grand Slam record, and of course, being the first man since Rod Laver to win all four Grand Slams twice. While he may keep denying that that is not on his mind, it surely must be in the back of his mind as he seeks to create history. Dimitrov must relish being on the big stage and will have nothing to lose, something Nadal must be wary about. There is also a fear that Dimitrov may find the occasion too much to handle, and may fritter away against his more illustrious opponent. If he manages to keep his head, we could have a very interesting encounter on our hands.

Prediction: Nadal to beat Dimitrov in straight sets

Roger Federer (6) vs Andy Murray (4)

A repeat of last year’s semi-final

And last, but by no means least, we have Roger Federer vs Andy Murray. The two have dropped in the rankings, the former due to poor form and the latter due to injury, and thus find themselves meeting in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, almost criminally too early.

Form: Is this the same Roger Federer we saw through the whole of last year? The Swiss maestro has been in vintage form, rolling back the years through his superb performances in the first few rounds. James Duckworth, Blaz Kavcic and Teymuraz Gabashvili all found him too much to handle in the first few rounds, and so did Jo-Wilfried Tsonga today, the man who many had picked to upset the Swiss, and who had also managed to take him to five sets in their quarterfinal last year. Murray, on the other hand, has also performed admirably given his lack of match practice, calmly seeing off the challenge of Go Soeda, Vincent Millot and Feliciano Lopez (perhaps to the disappointment of Judy Murray) in the opening three rounds before overcoming the spirited challenge of lucky loser Stephane Robert in today’s fourth round clash.

What’s in store for them: Both Federer and Murray are playing some incredible tennis going into this quarterfinal. Federer has answered critics who accused him of dominating only lower-ranked opponents with his display against Tsonga today, and the ‘Fedberg’ combination seems to be paying off huge dividends for him. Murray could be accused of having an easy path to the quarterfinals, but you can only deal with what is presented in front of you, and an easy draw is perhaps what he needed, to ease himself back into five-set tennis. The two went five sets in last year’s semifinal and I would be very surprised if it doesn’t go all the way again.

Prediction: Murray to beat Federer in 5 sets