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Previewing the men's quarterfinals at Wimbledon

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Updated Jun 30, 2009 6:30 PM ET
     
 
Roger Federer remains on track to win his sixth Wimbledon crown, but he could face some stiff competition, principally from Novak Djokovic and Britain's favorite son, Andy Murray. Here's a breakdown of each quarterfinal match.

Roger Federer vs. Ivo Karlovic

Federer carries an 8-1 advantage over Karlovic coming into this match and is likely to leave at 9-1. Karlovic's lone win against the Swiss magician came last summer in Cincinnati, when Federer was playing far below his normal standard. Federer will obviously have trouble breaking the 6-foot-10 Croat's serve. But Dr. Ivo is unlikely to make much of an impression on Federer's serve, unless the Swiss plays extremely poorly. Federer certainly has a good chance to break once per set. And even if he doesn't, the world No. 2 holds a huge advantage in tiebreaks against Karlovic, ranked No. 36, because of his far superior all-around game and ability to handle pressure. Pick: Federer in three sets.

Novak Djokovic vs. Tommy Haas

Djokovic, ranked No. 4, just lost to No. 34 Haas three weeks ago in the final of Halle. But Halle isn't Wimbledon. Djokovic doesn't have the game to dominate anyone, but neither does Haas. Djokovic can do everything that Haas does and do it better. And Djokovic is clearly the better mover of the two. Probably the Serb's biggest advantage is that he is a better big-time player. At 22, the Djoker already has won one major (the Australian Open, 2008) and reached the final in another (the U.S. Open, 2007). At 31, Haas has never advanced beyond the semifinals of a Slam. Pick: Djokovic in four sets.

Andy Roddick vs. Lleyton Hewitt

This matchup of former world No. 1s is the most appealing of the quarterfinals. Roddick has lifted his level of play this year, helped by the tutelage of new coach Larry Stefanki. Hewitt also is experiencing something of a revival, winning his first tournament in two years at Houston earlier this year. Hewitt has a 6-5 career advantage over the American, but Roddick has won the last four, going back to 2005. And Roddick, ranked sixth, took down the Australian just three weeks ago in Queens. Expect a battle. Roddick's serve and forehand aren't as dominant as they were when he was No. 1 in the world, but Hewitt's movement and counterpunching ability aren't what they once were either. Hewitt is still on the comeback trail from hip surgery (he's ranked No. 56), while Roddick is in top form. As an offensive player, Roddick has the advantage, though Hewitt has the staying power to turn this one into a dogfight. Pick: Roddick in five sets.

Andy Murray vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero

Murray's myriad fans in the UK are probably quite happy to see that their charge drew the former world No. 1 in this match. Ferrero has very little chance unless the Scot absolutely collapses. They played for the first time in Queens three weeks ago, and Murray cleaned the Spaniard's clock, 6-2, 6-4. Ferrero's biggest physical asset when he was No. 1 was probably his foot speed. At the age of 29, he has slowed down. Murray, meanwhile, moves surprisingly well for someone who is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. Every element of Murray's game — serve, groundstrokes and volley — is better than Ferrero's. The biggest issue for Murray in this match is probably the pressure he feels from his fellow Brits to win Wimbledon. But that shouldn't prevent him from advancing. Pick: Murray in three sets. Dan Weil is a contributor to FOXSports.com. He can be reached at dancweil@aol.com.

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