Andy Murray lines up against Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the opening men’s quarter-final on Centre Court today.
It’s the first time Pospisil has made it to the singles last eight at the All England Club and he has already dented British hopes by beating James Ward, although Murray’s brother Jamie and John Peers defeated Pospisil in the doubles.
But No 3 seed Murray has had the upper hand in their three previous meetings and victory today could set up a semi-final clash between the Scot and Roger Federer, his conqueror in the 2012 final.
Novak Djokovic plays for the third consecutive day after his heroic comeback against Kevin Anderson set up a quarter-final clash with Marin Cilic.
The defending champion drew on his vast reserves of mental strength to come from two sets down and show why he is once more favourite to lift the trophy here.
Cilic will take little comfort from their head-to-head record which shows played 12 lost 12 for the Croatian, who at least took Djokovic to five sets here in last year’s quarter-finals.
Roger Federer plays Gilles Simon on Court One and although they have faced each other on seven occasions it is their first grass court meeting.
Seven-times Wimbledon champion Federer is moved from Centre Court for the first time this year and has dropped just one set here so far against the Australian Sam Groth.
But Frenchman Simon lasted five sets when they played each other at the 2013 French Open and the 2011 Australian Open and Federer regards Simon’s return as one of the best in the game.
Stan Wawrinka is the last male singles player yet to drop a set here and the French Open champion’s reward is a tie with Richard Gasquet.
The No 4 seed’s progression to a first Wimbledon semi-final would put him close to supplanting the diminished Rafael Nadal in tennis’s hallowed ‘Top Four’.
But he will face the elegant backhand of Gasquet who kept his cool to put imploding Aussie Nick Kyrgios to bed on Monday and the Frenchman knows he has already beaten Wawrinka once in their previous two meetings.
Image courtesy of Wimbledon via YouTube, with thanks
