Wimbledon‘s men’s quarterfinals are star studded, with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer both alive in the draw, and the Canadian dynamic duo of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov in the hunt for their first ever Grand Slam titles. Auger-Aliassime takes on the tournament’s biggest dark horse, the in-form Italian Matteo Berrettini. Our panelists have all of your predictions for the matches, we also have predictions for the women’s quarterfinals.
Novak Djokovic vs Marton Fucsovics
Steen Kirby: Djokovic leads the h2h 2-0, although Fucsovics managed to grab a set in both of their matches. Djokovic turned away another opponent with ease when he dispatched Cristian Garin in the round of 16, Fucsovics is playing well but his best ever run in a slam should come to an end after a five set win against Andrey Rublev. Djokovic will prove too much and be fresher. Djokovic in 3
Yesh Ginsburg: Djokovic looks pretty unbeatable so far, but Fucsovics has troubled him in the past. Still, it’s hard to see the Hungarian doing that again, especially considering how much energy he had to expend to beat Andrey Rublev on Monday. He might get a set, but it won’t be much more than that. Djokovic in 4
Damian Kust: This isn’t an easy matchup for Djokovic and both time they played, Fucsovics took a set. He’s still a massive underdog, but he is likely to make this match very physical, getting it to be more competitive. His knifing slice has been one of the reasons for his run and it is no secret that the Serb doesn’t necessarily like generating pace by himself. Fucsovics will frustrate Djokovic with his grinding, but it’s next to impossible for him to take three sets like that. One would hardly be a surprise though. Djokovic in 4
Jakub Bobro: The World No. 1 dispatched the 17th seed Cristian Garin quite easily in the fourth round, losing only one set in the tournament so far. The defending champion next faces the 2010 Junior Wimbledon champion, Marton Fucsovics. The Hungarian has beaten three seeds to get to the quarterfinals, Jannik Sinner, Diego Schwartzman, and most recently the fifth seed Andrey Rublev. Djokovic is the overwhelming favorite, though in both their previous two meetings, Fucsovics managed to win a set. Djokovic in 4
Karen Khachanov vs Denis Shapovalov
Steen: Shapovalov won their only meeting, and is into his second career Grand Slam quarterfinal. It’s the same story for Khachanov who is into a second career quarterfinal, a bit unexpectedly this time as his form had been lagging this season overall. Khachanov hasn’t faced a seeded opponent this tournament though and needed a long five setter to get past Sebastian Korda. It’s been easy for Shapovalov since his first match that went five sets, he’s fresher and should have a more dangerous game to win this match. Shapovalov in 4
Yesh: Khachanov is completely spent right now, and Shapovalov looks in absolutely brutal form. Dismissing a potentially-tired Andy Murray is one thing. But crushing Roberto Bautista Agut by a similar margin is telling. Shapovalov might win Wimbledon. Shapovalov in 3
Damian: Shapovalov had a wobbly performance in his opener against Kohlschreiber, but the version of the Canadian that demolished Murray and Bautista Agut is a threat to anyone. This will be a very different matchup, one where he won’t be as dominant from the ground. Khachanov’s serve can seriously test his backhand return, but Shapovalov should be a lot fitter coming into this one in the long run. Not only did he receive a walkover against Andujar in the second round, Khachanov also had to survive a marathon against Korda, one where he barely scraped by in the fifth set. Shapovalov in 4
Jakub: On Manic Monday, Khachanov beat the 21-year-old Sebastian Korda in a dramatic marathon match 10-8 in the fifth, his third win over an American at Wimbledon this year after he beat Mackenzie McDonald and Frances Tiafoe. Next up for the Russian is the tenth seed Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian looked shaky in his opener as Philipp Kohlschreiber took him to five sets, but since receiving a walkover in the second round, Shapovalov has been stellar with straight-sets wins over Andy Murray and Roberto Bautista Agut. Their only previous meeting was in the 2019 Davis Cup semifinals which was narrowly won by Shapovalov. Shapovalov in 3
Matteo Berrettini vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
Steen: Berrettini won their only meeting, which came on grass in 2019, FAA got a big upset over Alexander Zverev in the previous round after he got a reprieve via Nick Kyrgios retirement in round 3. Auger-Aliassime is building his grand slam record and is into his first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. Berrettini has a longer record in slams and is looking to make a second career Grand Slam semifinal. The Italian also reached the quarterfinals at the French Open. Berrettini has only dropped one set this tournament and his game on grass is looking unstoppable. FAA will challenge but likely come up short. Berrettini in 4
Yesh: Berrettini is talented enough to win this tournament, but he hasn’t quite been playing like it so far. Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime just gutted out a huge five-set win over Alexander Zverev. Even if thought Auger-Aliassime was the better player, it’s hard to trust him right now in big moments. Berrettini in 4
Damian: This could be a breakout run for both players and nerves might come into play. Auger-Aliassime is coming into this one significantly more battle-tested, which should probably help him, given how clinical he was in the fifth set of the match against Zverev. This is going to be very serve-oriented and I just can’t bring myself to go against Berrettini, who is yet to lose on grass this year and dropped just two sets in nine matches. Probably depends on how well (if) Auger-Aliassime can expose the Italian’s backhand. I’ll say he manages to hide the vulnerability. Berrettini in 4
Jakub: Berrettini is now on a nine-match winning streak with his Queen’s Club title and his quarterfinal run here. The Italian has only dropped one set so far in Wimbledon, though it does not seem like he has had a proper challenge yet, which will no doubt come in the form of Felix Auger-Aliassime. The young Canadian experienced a big breakthrough, defeating Alexander Zverev in five sets to reach his first slam quarterfinal. Berrettini won their only meeting in the 2019 Stuttgart final in straight sets. Berrettini in 5
Roger Federer vs Hubert Hurkacz
Steen: Roger Federer has had his share of headaches at Wimbledon through four rounds but he will be fresher than Hurkacz who needed two days and five sets to defeat Daniil Medevedev. Federer won their only meeting in 2019 and their Wimbledon/Grand Slam resumes are simply a night and day difference. Federer’s game could be troubled by Hurkacz’s serve but he should still find a way through. Federer in 4
Yesh: Federer has made a living returning big serves at Wimbledon. Hurkacz has done extremely well to get here, but beating Roger Federer on Centre Court in the second week is a tough ask for anyone who has never been close to this stage before. Federer in 3
Damian: Thanks to rain and some poor scheduling, Hurkacz will not have a day of rest. Luckily for him, the continuation of the match against Medvedev wasn’t that long, and well, the Pole is sixteen years younger than the opponent. Federer’s been up and down but the performance against Sonego was his cleanest and the only one where his forehand didn’t disappear for even a while. If he can bring that level to this match, he should still have what it takes to dismantle Hurkacz. The block return will come in handy and unless the Pole can serve out of his mind and keep Federer on the back foot, the 39-year-old should advance to the semifinals. Federer in 4
Jakub: The 39-year-old struggled in his opener against Adrian Mannarino, who retired at two sets all after a knee injury. Since then, Federer has dropped only one set in wins over Richard Gasquet, Cameron Norrie, and Lorenzo Sonego, so he should be fresh against his next opponent, Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole reaching his first slam quarterfinal is quite a surprise, as he was carrying a six-game losing streak coming into Wimbledon. However, he beat Lorenzo Musetti, Marcos Giron, and Alexander Bublik all in straight sets before upsetting Daniil Medvedev in five. Federer in 4
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