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Following two earlier meetings this season on hard court, 2013 champion Andy Murray and Vasek Pospisil will cross paths once again, this time at the Wimbledon Championships to determine who will advance to the semi-final stage of the tournament. This marks the fourth overall meeting between the two competitors, with Murray leading the head-to-head series 3-0.

Third seed Any Murray dropped only the second set of the tournament on Monday when he was forced to withstand 75 winners and 29 aces from towering Croat Ivo Karlovic. In the end, he was able to edge out the victory in four sets 7-6(7), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

“I just tried to use some variety throughout the match, to not allow him to be too comfortable,” said Murray. “It worked at a few important moments. I took a little bit off my first serve. I wasn’t serving as hard as usual, to try and not allow him the opportunity to sort of go for huge returns or try to come to net off the second serve return. So I went for a high percentage of first serves. When I was in the rallies, I felt comfortable. It’s a tactical match, but it’s tough. It’s quite stressful to play against him.”

Murray will next play Pospisil, who reached the uarter-final by rallying from a two set deficit to defeat Viktor Troicki 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and 39 minutes.

This is just the fourth time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Murray leading the head to head series 3-0 – one of those was a victory last season in Vienna, while the second and third ones took place earlier this season in Rotterdam and Indian Wells. While Pospisil is a deceptively tough match for the Scot, Murray appears to be in fine form and will likely further that momentum en route to the final four at the All England Club.

At the start of the season, rising talents Garbine Muguruza and Timea Bacsinszky met in the third round of the Australian Open to determine who would advance to the second week of the tournament. Muguruza prevailed that day to give herself a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head series, yet Timea now has an opportunity to avenge the loss with even greater stakes at play. The winner will advance to the semi-final stage of the Wimbledon Championships for the first time in their respective careers.

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza was responsible for one of the bigger upsets of the day, as she ousted Caroline Wozniacki en route to the quarter-final stage of the Wimbledon Championships. It was a decisive victory, as she beat the Dane 6-4, 6-4 in a solid encounter on the outer courts.

“It means a lot because I haven’t played a lot matches in grass, so I didn’t know how to prepare for Wimbledon,” Muguruza said. “I think it’s like the third time I play here. So for me was something new. That’s why it’s special.”

Muguruza’s quarter-final opponent will be Timea Bacsinszky, who rallied from a set down to defeat Monica Niculescu and advance to the final four. She won the match 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

“For a year now already, I have been playing a lot of matches and winning a lot, as well,” she said. “So all these experiences made me unstressed and calm at the important moments. “I had faith in myself. And I was believing that I could turn this match around. But I was not expecting to win.”

This is just the second time that Muguruza and Bacsinszky will meet on the professional tour. The Spanaird leads the head-to-head series 1-0 following a win earlier this year at the Australian Open. Both have had impressive years and one of them will find themselves one match win away from the final of the 2015 edition of the Wimbledon Championships.

A blockbuster match-up between world No. 1 Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka is set to take place in the quarter-final round of the Wimbledon Championships. Of their 18 previous meetings, Williams leads the head-to-head series 16-3, including a recent at the French Open last month. Given that Azarenka was a set up on the red dust, it will be interesting to see if she can translate that onto grass.

In a battle of siblings reminiscent of the good old days, Serena Williams faced her older sister Venus Williams in the first on Centre Court this Monday. Although many expected a thrilling encounter, Serena was able to toy with Venus’ serve and eventually closed out the encounter in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

“It was just about the breaks, holding serve,” the former No.1 said. “I think we were both hitting really well off the ground. She was able to capitalize on some short balls – she’s been playing so well.

“It’ll be tough for anyone to defeat her. Maybe she didn’t have her best day in the last round, but she found a way to win against an inspired opponent, and that’s what it takes to win these championships.”

Williams will now come up against Victoria Azarenka, who defeated Belinda Bencic in straight sets to advance to the quarter-final round. She beat the rising Swiss s talent 6-2, 6-3 to continue her return to form.

Williams leads Azarenka in their head-to-head series, 16-3, including the most recent victory during the clay court portion of the season at Roland Garros. However, the pair split four meetings last year, Azarenka winning at Doha and Cincinnati and Williams at Rome and the US Open, making this a fantastic, compelling rivalry and a thrilling quarter-final on Tuesday. Azarenka is gradually returning to her 2012-13 form but she will have her work cut out for her to halt the incomparable Serena Williams.

A tantalizing quarter-final that few saw coming is set to take place on Tuesday afternoon at the All England Club, as Agnieszka Radwanska and Madison Keys complete to determine who will advance to the final four at Wimbledon. This will mark the fourth time that the two comeptitors will cross paths on the professional tour and the second time at the Championships. Radwanska holds a 3-0 head-to-head record against Keys and will look to maintain that undefeated streak en route to the semi-final round.

After a terrible start to her season, Agnieszka Radwanska has started to look like her old self again. Following solid weeks in Nottingham and Eastbourne, Radwanska now has an opportunity to reach the final four at Wimbledon following her straight sets victory against Jelena Jankovic, who was playing fantastic tennis in her own regard. She eventually beat the Serb 7-5, 6-4.

“I think I was a little bit nervous at the beginning,” Keys said. “She was playing really well and I wasn’t playing as smart as I wanted. “But I sat down and gave myself a talking to, I started playing my shots and kind of got myself back in control.”

Radwanska’s quarter-final meeting will come against Keys, who reached that stage of the tournament after rallying from a set down to beat Olga Govortsova in three sets. After a slow start, Keys picked up the pace and managed to secure the 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win.

This will mark the fourth time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour and the second time at the Championships. Radwanska holds a 3-0 head-to-head record against Keys and will look to maintain that undefeated streak en route to the semi-final round.

“I think she’s an incredible fighter. She is a great mover, and her hands are unbelievable,” Keys added. “You know, I feel like she’s always there. She makes you play four extra balls. You know, she’s a really tough opponent.”

Following a pair of tight two-setters, the first quarter-final of the 2015 edition of the Wimbledon Championships has been set, as 2004 champion Maria Sharapova and CoCo Vandeweghe will face off to determine who will advance to the semi-finals of the tournament. This will serve as the first ever career meeting between the two competitors and will certainly be an interesting, pressure-filled match, as one of these two will reach the semi-final round of the prestigious Grand Slam.

All looked well for Maria Sharapova as she stormed to a significant lead early in the match against Kazahkstan’s Zarina Diyas. Up 5-2 in the opener, Diyas showed some life and broke back before allowing the Russian to eventually close out the set. However, Diyas took an early lead in the second set but Sharapova eventually showed her trademark resiliency and reeled off four of the next five games to close out the match 6-4, 6-4.

Sharapova’s next opponent will be Coco Vandeweghe, who produced the shocker of the afternoon when she ousted the tournament’s sixth seed Lucie Safarova in straight sets. Vandeweghe won the match 7-6(1), 7-6(4) to add to her remarkable week that also included straight sets wins over No.11 seed Karolina Pliskova and No.22 seed Samantha Stosur.

“I think it’s been a tremendous effort for her to get to this stage,” Sharapova said. “Her game really revolves around that serve, and she’s been using it quite effectively in her previous four matches. “It’s always tricky playing against a really good server on grass, because a few points here and there can ultimately tell the difference in the winner and the loser. But I’m looking forward to that match-up.”

This is set to be the first time that Sharapova and Vadeweghe will cross paths on the professional tour. While the American is more than capable of pulling off the upset, particularly given that Sharapova has not historically done too well in the latter stages of the Championships, it may be a tough ask for her to complete yet another upset win. Sharapova shows trademark resliliency and will certainly make CoCo work for her win.

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For the first time since 2012, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson will meet on the professional tour to determine who will advance to the quarter-final stage of the Wimbledon Championships. This is their sixth overall meeting on the pro circuit, as Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 4-1 and has not lost to the South African since 2008. He also holds a win against him at Wimbledon from his winning season in 2011.

As though he had never skipped a beat, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round of the Championships following a straight sets win against Bernard Tomic. He defeated the Australian 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 with very little fuss overall, as he struck 38 winners in a total of one hour and 34 minutes to close out the affair.

“I managed to get a lot of returns back in play,” said Djokovic. “I think I executed tactically everything I intended before the match to move him around the court, mix up the pace, not really give him the same look. I think overall I played a really, really good match.”

Seeded 14th at this year’s event, Kevin Anderson defeated Leonardo Mayer on Saturday to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon. He struck 51 winners, including 22 aces to close out the match 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes.

“I think he is probably playing the tennis of his life,” said the Serb. “He’s reached the highest [Emirates ATP Ranking] now in his career. He keeps on going forward. I think he improved his movement and his game from the baseline. He always had a very good serve.”

This is their sixth overall meeting on the pro circuit, as Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 4-1 and has not lost to the South African since 2008. He also holds a win against him at Wimbledon from his winning season in 2011.

Following an impressive week of tennis at the All England Club, Roger Federer stands tall as s the second seed en route to the second week of the Wimbledon Championships. With his opening three matches firmly behind him, Federer will next contest a fourth round encounter against Roberto Bautista Agut, whom he has previously crossed paths with twice on the professional tour. Federer leads the head-to-head series 2-0.

The world No. 2 and second seed at the Championships dropped his first set of the tournament on Saturday afternoon at SW 19, as he needed a total of four sets to work his way past Australia’s Sam Groth. The seven-time champion at this event beat Groth 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 on Centre Court in two hours and 16 minutes. The Swiss star had to withstand 21 aces from the youngster but only lost seven first service points, which emphasized his on-serve dominance during the encounter.

“The only thing I really have to change is my returning. The rest, the service games, I can control them myself. Once the return is played, then it’s about reaction, especially when he’s serve‑volleying… I think that’s the biggest effort for me anyway, when I play a big server, [is] understanding those patterns.”

Federer will next encounter Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets to reach the fourth round. The No. 20 seed won the match 7-6(4), 6-0, 6-1 in one hour and 35 minutes. Although the first set was close, the Spaniard stormed through the remainder of the match.

This will mark just the third time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Federer leading the series 2-0 following relatively smooth victories at last year’s United States Open and Shanghai Masters. Although this is set to be their first ever meeting on grass, it should still be Federer’s domain comfortably.

Following a pair of relatively tiresome third round encounters, Tomas Berdych and Gilles Simon will cross paths for the eleventh time on the ATP World Tour when they meet in the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships. Simon leads the head-to-head series 6-4. Berdych won their most recent encounter, which took place earlier this year in Rotterdam and ended 6-2, 6-1 for the Czech native as he advanced to the final of the tournament.

After dropping the opening set against Pablo Andujar, Tomas Berdych found himself rallying from that early deficit to defeat the Spaniard in four set and secure his place in the fourth round at the All England Club. It was a tough contest for the sixth seed yet he was eventually able to get a grip on the match and converted seven break point opportunities and struck 58 winners to close out the match 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-6(3) in two hours and 39 minutes. The former runner-up will now go on o the second week of the tournament.

France’s Gilles Simon was faced with the task of downing talented countryman Gael Monfils to advance to the fourth round of the tournament. He eventually did so in five sets but it was no easy matter. Simon needed three hours and 11 minutes to rally back and defeat Monfils 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-2 on Saturday.

“It was great,” said Monfils. “I’ve known Gilles for a long time so it is always nice to play with him. First time we play in Wimbledon, so it was good. We always have fun.”

This marks the eleventh time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Simon leading the series 6-4. The Frenchman is more than capable of a strong win here against his Czech adversary but has already played several grueling matches and simply may not have enough in the gas tank to complete the process this time around. Given that the two competitors have never stepped across the net on grass, that should add a layer of intrigue to this contest.

The 20-year-old Australian tennis star’s matches have become must-see sporting events at Wimbledon — and the world’s media is absolutely lapping it up. Debate rages as to whether Kyrgios is a troublesome tennis brat or a breath of fresh air for the sport but most agree he’s injecting a new wave of colour into the sometimes-beige world of men’s tennis.

Nick Kyrgios’ 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 win over 7th seed Milos Raonic had just about everything. Along with brilliant tennis and his trademark interactions with the crowd there was, of course, plenty of drama. He was told to turn an official Wimbledon headband inside out, because it violated the club’s all-white policy, and also he received a code violation when he tossed a racquet that bounced off the court and into the crowd.

​In the previous round, Next Gen Nick Kyrgios won his match against former Top 10 Juan Monaco of Argentina winning the match 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-4 . The fiery Aussie was brilliant with his shot-making but as routine as the scoreline seems, the match did bring back some illustrious memories.

DEJA VU! John McEnroe – John McEnroe’s 1981 tantrum at Wimbledon gave rise to the classic phrase “You cannot be serious!” which he repeated at later matches and which even inspired the title of his autobiography. Turn the clock to 34 years later and Tennis might just be on the verge of producing its next version of “J-MAC”. Nick came up with his own version of tantrums as he got into an argument with the chair umpire after the umpire asked him a question during the change-over.

This is what Kyrgios had to say to chair umpire Ali Nili.: “Is that a threat? Does it feel good to be up there in the chair? Do you feel strong up there in the chair? You’re a real champion. Did you get your point across?” This exchange sounded threatening and intimidating as what McEnroe said almost 3 decades earlier. Also this comes after the Aussie No.2 had another piece of the chair umpire in his 1R match when he yelled “Dirty Scum” after another heated chat with the umpire Mohamed Lahyani. He later said he was referring to himself. Fair Enough!!

Kyrgios has already created enough controversy in the sport. He is full of arrogance – a behaviour which is hard to defend. In a sport where men play the game more professionally and formally as there ever was, Nick brings a breath of fresh, raw and wicked air to the atmosphere.

At this point of time, the sport needs another John McEnroe. It needs an antagonist, a brat who can attract millions of fans and can instil both love and hatred in them. The Big 4 is arguably the most sought out group in the world of sports. Though their tennis does all the talking, but on-court they all like to keep it clean and neat which is a little dreary at times.

The 20-year old knows how to make it to the headlines. At the start of Wimbledon 2015, the Aussie-Greek, brazen mohawked, tattooed super-star in the making who fired his coach just before Wimbledon and (thankfully) has little of the on-court sophistication that makes his sport’s top player so gentlemanly, has something to say: “I don’t really like tennis.” He expressed his love for basketball but was pushed by his parents to take up the sport. His tendency is to use decidedly non-tennis language or demeanour on the tennis court, but Kyrgios stands out.

Next up for the mercurial Aussie is a date with France’s Richard Gasquet (Both Players have knocked out last year’s SF; Gasquet dispatched Dimitrov in straight sets). It is a repeat of last year’s 2R match where Kyrgios defeated 13th seed Gasquet in a five set thriller in which he had to come back from two sets to love down, and save nine match points over the fourth and fifth sets.

Kyrgios fits the position as a top-rated warrior and could possibly go onto the take the mantle from the Big 4. As we all know McEnroe’s most famous tantrum in 1981 was followed by one of Wimbledon’s biggest moments as the American went to defeat unflappable Ice Man Swedish Legend Bjorn Borg (5-time defending champion) in the final.

History might just repeat itself.

DÉJÀ VU! John McEnroe’s 1981 Wimbledon: During a first-round match against fellow American Tom Gullikson, McEnroe disagreed with umpire Edward James over a call, arguing he had hit the ball inside the court. “You can’t be serious man, you cannot be serious!” he bellowed, rising to a spectacular crescendo that elicited an audible gasp from the audience. “That ball was on the line. Chalk flew up! How can you possibly call that out?!” He later called James the “absolute pits of the world,” The umpire responded by awarding a point against the 23-year-old. The audience applauded. McEnroe then swore at the tournament referee, prompting another point penalty. McEnroe went on to defeat his Swedish arch-rival Bjorn Borg in the final, earning his 1st Wimbledon title and angrily smashing a racket in the process.

Nick Kyrgios STATSMETER

• Kyrgios became the first 20-year-old to beat Federer (Madrid 2015) since Juan Martin Del Potro did it in the 2009 U.S. Open final.
• When he beat Nadal at Wimbledon 2014 (4R), he was the first teen to upset a No. 1 player since Nadal himself pulled the feat in 2005. He also became the 1^st male main draw debutant to reach the QF since German Florian Mayer achieved that feat in 2004.
• He won the Aussie Boys’ Title in 2013 beating compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis in the final.
• He also reached the QF at the 2015 Aus Open becoming the 1st Teenage  male to reach two Grand Slam quarterfinals since Federer in 2001 and the first Australian male to reach the quarterfinals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and the first Australian of any gender since Jelena Dokić in 2009.

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