A matchup worthy of a Grand Slam final will take place during quarterfinal action at the U.S. Open on Wednesday, when Novak Djokovic faces Andy Murray. Kei Nishikori, meanwhile, is making a quick turnaround to battle Stan Wawrinka.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (8) Andy Murray
Djokovic and Murray will be colliding for the 21st time in their careers when they do battle in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Wednesday night. The head-to-head series stands at 12-8 in Djokovic’s favor, including 10-6 on hard courts following four straight defeats of the Scot on this surface. They most recently faced each other earlier this season in Miami, where Djokovic cruised 7-5, 6-3. The Serb is 3-2 lifetime against Murray in Grand Slams, but Murray has won twice in major finals; at the 2012 U.S. Open at Wimbledon in 2013.
It has been an up-and-down summer for both men. After winning Wimbledon, Djokovic lost early in Toronto and Cincinnati. The world No. 1, though, appears to be back in fine form with routine victories this fortnight over Diego Schwartzman, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Sam Querrey, and Philipp Kohlschreiber. Murray had suffered uninspiring losses to Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon and to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Toronto, but he played relatively well in Cincinnati and has taken his game to a level reminiscent of the Murray of yesteryear in New York. The world No. 9 booked his spot in the quarters by taking out Robin Haase, Matthias Bachinger, Andrey Kuznetsov, and Tsonga while losing only two sets in the process. Murray was especially impressive against Tsonga, but that result notwithstanding, the two-time major champion has struggled immensely against top-10 competition over the past 14 months.
Pick: Djokovic in 4
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(3) Stan Wawrinka vs. (10) Kei Nishikori
Nishikori will be back in action 36 hours after wrapping up his previous match at 2:26 in the morning when he takes the court on Wednesday afternoon. The Japanese star survived Milos Raonic in a five-set marathon on Monday night–and also Tuesday morning–that tied the U.S. Open record for latest finish. Nishikori preceded that thrilling encounter with much easier demolitions of Wayne Odesnik, Pablo Andujar, and Leonardo Mayer. The world No. 11 is an awesome 38-9 for his 2014 campaign.
Up next for Nishikori is a third career meeting with Wawrinka, who leads the head-to-head series 2-0. The fourth-ranked Swiss prevailed twice in 2012; 6-4, 6-2 on the clay courts of Buenos Aires and 6-3, 6-3 on the hard courts of Cincinnati. Now a Grand Slam champion having triumphed at this year’s Australian Open, Wawrinka advanced to this stage of the U.S. Open by beating Jiri Vesely, Thomaz Bellucci, and Tommy Robredo. He also got a third-round walkover past Blaz Kavcic, so to say Wawrinka is the more well-rested of the two competitors in this match would be a gross understatement. The previous round will take too big a toll on Nishikori.
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
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