Comfort in the Unfamiliar

It's not often that the draws at Wimbledon get turned so topsy-turvy.

Of course there's always an upset or two along the way, but over the last decade or so we've come to expect a few familiar faces still around by this time every year -- a Williams sister or two and probably Roger Federer. But this year none of the usual suspects are still around, and there's a very good chance we'll see two brand new champions at the All England Club.

And, somehow, that's oddly reassuring.

The four women remaining contest their semifinal matches tomorrow, kicked off by a replay of last year's third round. In 2010 then-#62 Petra Kvitova stunned Victoria Azarenka in a 7-5, 6-0 blowout. These days, both ladies are playing at the top of their game and have a real chance to make their first Major final. Kvitova has climbed to a career-high rank of #8 in the world on the heels of three titles and wins over players like Kim Clijsters, Sam Stosur and Vera Zvonareva. Azarenka, on the other hand, is newly inaugurated in the top five and, despite being one of the best hitters on Tour, enjoying her best ever run at a Slam.

There's no clear-cut winner in this semi -- Petra has a tendency to be erratic and can give up big leads as easy as she builds them up while Vika has infamously retired from seven matches in the past twelve months. They've, not surprisingly, split their previous four matches, with the Czech laying claim to the last two, so they are pretty well-paired. And with so much on the line for both these young talents, you know they'll both put up a fight for the championship slot.



In the other half of the draw, the only lady who has any experience winning Majors will take on a wildcard who is surely on the comeback trail. Maria Sharapova got her breakout here back in 2004 when she proved she wasn't just another pretty face, and now seven years later she's finally playing back at the top of her game. She'll next face my dark horse pick for this tournament, Sabine Lisicki, a talented German who's taken out two top-ten players on her way to the semi. Sharapova won the pair's only meeting handily, dropping only two games in the third round at Miami. But Lisicki's coming off a title in Birmingham and has all sorts of momentum on her side -- she should be able to put up a much better fight this time around.



The men's semifinal line-up was only decided today, and though three of the tournament's top seeds made good on expectations, there is nevertheless an air of oddness about the final four.

Last year's champion Rafael Nadal hasn't lost a match here since the 2007 final, yet if he doesn't defend his crown he can kiss his #1 ranking good-bye. He's played well through his first five matches, surviving a strange foot injury during his fourth round versus Juan Martin Del Potro and showing no signs of debilitation against last-American-standing Mardy Fish today. Nadal's not one to let the specter of losing his ranking weigh on his game, but I'm a little more worried about his prospects than I've been in the past.

On the other hand his opponent, UK-#1 Andy Murray, has played some of the most consistent tennis of the tournament. The two-time semifinalist has fallen to Nadal twice before at Wimbledon -- last year in just over two hours. But though he dropped sets to Ivan Ljubicic and Daniel Gimeno-Traver this past fortnight, he's fresh off a title at Queen's Club and has been cultivating his own win streak this past month. He's never been known to do well under pressure, and with the hopes of his country surely on his shoulders this Friday, he may falter again. But even I have to admit he's probably never had a better chance to make history.



Neither, I suspect, has Novak Djokovic. His near-record start to the year may have come to a quick end in Paris, but this time he is again a win away from ending the Nadal/Federer stranglehold on the #1 ranking and looks to have a much better chance of getting there. The Serb hasn't had the toughest test in London -- then again when you play as well as he does, you don't expect that many challenges -- but after holding his ground against young Aussie Bernard Tomic today, he's earned a spot in the semis for the third time in his career. In 2010 he was stalled by surprise runner-up Tomas Berdych, but this year his prospects of playing a Major final on something other than a hardcourt seem a lot brighter.

He still has to get past the biggest surprise on the men's side, though. Like Berdych before him, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did the previously unthinkable by sending six-time champion Roger Federer home in the quarters -- but he might have been ever-so-slightly more impressive in doing so. The Frenchman, who lost to Murray in the same round last year, was in danger of doing so again, down two sets to King Fed after just over an hour of play. But he finally converted a break chance in the third set and successfully served out the fourth before getting an early lead in the decider. He's notched big wins at the Majors before -- Nadal in Australia on the way to finals in 2008 and Djokovic in the quarters there last year -- but this, by far, was the biggest.



So with just eight players left battling it out for the Wimbledon crowns -- five of whom have never won a Slam before -- it sure looks like no one is a true favorite. I have my picks, sure, but the most excitement could come if the least-likely players are the ones holding the trophies at the end of the day.

And with so much talent in the remaining field, it sure paints a pretty picture for what's to come in this sport.

Not Just Another Manic Monday

They call the second Monday at Wimbledon the best day in tennis -- and with all Round of Sixteen singles matches scheduled for that day, it is often the case. But I'm not sure anyone expected the amount of excitement we actually got today.

It began with the ladies.

Some matches were quick -- 2004 champion Maria Sharapova survived upstart Shaui Peng in straight sets, while Victoria Azarenka got in such a one-sided win over former top five player Nadia Petrova that I forgot they'd even taken the court. The big surprises, though, came from much more unlikely sources.

Five-time titleist Venus Williams had made a successful return to Grand Slam play, staging a spectacular comeback against uber-veteran Kimiko Date Krumm in the second round and dropping only two games to advance to Week #2. But in a rematch against her vanquisher last year, Tsvetana Pironkova, she was similarly flummoxed. She got down an early break in the first set and traded serves in the second, but couldn't get back in the game. In little more than an hour, the Bulgarian -- who hasn't won more than one match at a tournament since Wimbledon 2010 -- came away with the win. Her third in a row against the former #1.

Things were even more interesting elsewhere in the bracket. Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki will be forced to endure critics a little while longer after her loss today. Despite handily beating her first three opponents at the All England Club and running off with a 6-1 first set against Dominika Cibulkova today, she again fell victim to her Grand Slam curse. The pocket-rocket Slovak forced a second-set tiebreak, which she won, and fought back from a deficit in the decider. After trading breaks again, she finally secured a lead she never gave back, earning her first ever quarterfinal at Wimbledon. It was her second win over the world #1 this year, but her first at a Major and something tells me we should see even more.

But the most shocking upset of the day may have come from the two-time defending champion Serena Williams. Sure she'd been out of the game for nearly a year, but most pundits still gave her more than a fighting chance to reclaim the title. And after she stormed back from deficits against Aravane Rezai and Simona Halep, her third round thrashing of Maria Kirilenko suggested momentum was truly on her side. But earlier today against Eastbourne champ Marion Bartoli she was caught quite wrong-footed. The Frenchwoman held on to her lead in the first set and despite failing to serve out the match in the second, stayed ever-so-slightly stronger in the tiebreak, converting her fifth match point and scoring her first ever win over the thirteen-time Slam winner.

The men weren't without their shocks either. Though Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all advanced with little drama, last year's winner Rafael Nadal didn't have quite as easy a road. Though he eventually advanced past 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, he suffered from some strange heel pain that will require an MRI. After a medical time out before the first set tiebreak, he battled through to take the early lead, and eventually toughed out the match in almost four hours. His future at the tournament is still in question though, and he's certainly got a lot riding on his performance -- anything less than a win and he loses the #1 ranking he's held for about a year. But if anyone can do it, it's Nadal.

His next opponent, though, may not be who he expected. Had seedings played out as they should have, he'd be in for a rematch of last year's championship -- but Mardy Fish had other plans for world #7 Tomas Berdych. After a tight first set Fish came away with the tiebreak and he finally converted a break opportunity late in the second. With two sets under his belt, the only American left in the draw was unstoppable. He won all but one point on his first serve in the third and pounced on his opponent. With the victory he scored his first Slam quarterfinal since 2008's U.S. Open and assured himself of his best ever Wimbledon performance.

So the action this Manic Monday was a little crazier than usual, but we sure came away with some interesting results and some even greater matches. Whether today's winners will be able to keep up their momentum remains to be seen.

But they've never had a better chance to make some magic happen -- and maybe that's the ultimate point of the greatest day in tennis.

A Day to Reflect

There is traditionally no play scheduled for the middle Sunday of the Wimbledon fortnight, and after all the rain-delayed and interrupted matches last week, it's kind of amazing the tournament was able to stick to that scheduled. And the athletes, many of whom didn't get the usual day between rounds to recuperate due to the weather, must have appreciated the respite.

But with all round of sixteen matches set for tomorrow, the stakes only get higher when the weekend ends -- and a couple players who didn't expect to be around in Week Two have a lot to think about.

Little-known Czech Petra Cetkovska has been pro for more than a decade, but has never made much of an impact outside the ITF tournaments. Ranked just outside the top eighty, the twenty-six year old came to her third Wimbledon without ever having won a match here -- in fact she's only made it out of the opener of a Grand Slam twice. But she seems to have come to the All England Club with a mission.

After battling past a suddenly-improved Kristina Barrois, she pulled off an impressive comeback to take out thirteenth seed Aggie Radwanska in the second round. She followed up that win by devastating former #1 Ana Ivanovic on Saturday, winning eighty-five percent of her first serves and never allowing the Serb an opportunity to break. Cetkovska has now matched her best performance at a Major and has a decent chance of improving further -- though she next faces my dark horse Sabine Lisicki, if she plays up to potential, she's certainly capable of causing another upset.

In the other half of the women's draw, young Tamira Paszek has finally started to live up to her potential again. Twice a Grand Slam runner-up as a Junior, she made a splash her first year playing with the big girls, but only won two matches at the Majors since 2008. She's earned a couple trophies in the last five years, but has only qualified for a handful of events in 2011, so I certainly didn't expect her to put up much of a fight at the All England Club.

The twenty-one year old Austrian had the benefit of a few easy first rounds -- opening opponent Ayumi Morita sports a ranking about half of Tamira's but is no huge threat to the bug talents, and young American Christina McHale had taken out a talented Ekaterina Makarova in her first round, precluding Paszek from meeting a seed. Her colors truly came out, though, on Saturday, when she faced world #7 Francesca Schiavone. After dropping the first set she evened the score against the marathon woman and prevented her from serving out the match in the third a few times. After nearly four hours of play, she finally took the win -- her first over a top-ten player since 2008. And with a fourth round date with Ksenia Pervak, her opportunity to make a real statement at Wimbledon this year couldn't be better.

The men, too, have seen more than a fair number of spoilers make it to the fourth round, but perhaps none is more shocking than eighteen-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic. Long considered one of the real upcoming talents in the sport, Tomic did his part to excite the hometown crowd down in Melbourne, but with just three Tour-level wins this year -- and six losses -- he has yet to break into the top hundred.

That day may soon be coming. The qualifier at Wimbledon opened his main draw with a straight-set win over former #3 Nikolay Davydenko and then came back from two sets down to Igor Andreev in his second round. If those victories weren't impressive enough, he came on the court against fifth seed Robin Soderling with more confidence than most elite players. He ran off to a 5-0 lead in the first set and never lagged in the match, advancing to his first Major fourth round in under two hours. With veteran Xavier Malisse waiting for him next, he might just be able to put together the best qualifier's run we've seen in some time.

And though Feliciano Lopez has been around for quite some time -- he's been pro about fourteen years now -- he never had the breakthrough many of his contemporaries did. He made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon two times before, but batting just over .500 in 2011, he's fallen back out of seeding territory at the Majors.

Lopez, too, was blessed with a fairly easy draw early. Michael Berrer proved to be a fairly easy first round opponent and 2008 semifinalist Rainer Schuettler took care of Thomaz Bellucci for him. But against Andy Roddick, a man who came into their third round match with an unspoiled 7-0 record against the Spaniard, he really showed his stuff. He took early leads in the first two tiebreaks and earned the only break of serve in the third set to get the win. Next up he'll face world #93 Lukasz Kubot, a player who's been impressive in his own right -- there will certainly be challenges here, but something tells me "Deliciano" will remind us all he's not just a pretty face.

All four of these players not only have pulled off some stunning wins over their first weeks at Wimbledon, but they have legitimate chances to continue their runs at the most regal of Grand Slams. For some, it could be the start to a brilliant career, while for others it's an opportunity to finally back themselves up.

And as we approach the end of the line in London, everyone left in the field better take notice.

A Winning Return

There are more than just a couple comeback stories this year at Wimbledon. And while the headlines are all concentrated on the Williams sisters' return, there are a couple more under the radar that are worth mentioning.

That's not to say the early round performances from Venus and Serena haven't been impressive. The elder, and incidentally my early favorite to win the whole shebang, rallied from a two-break deficit against uber-veteran Kimiko Date Krumm yesterday and managed to pull off the win in probably the best match of the tournament so far. And Serena, who lost her first set to young talent Simona Halep on Thursday, brought out her champion spirit and scored her sixteenth straight victory at the All England Club.

But their success only scratches the surface.

Former top-five player Fernando Gonzalez has only played a handful of matches since undergoing hip surgery after last year's U.S. Open, and made his return to Grand Slam play this week. Well out of seeding territory -- he hasn't won more than two matches here since 2005 -- he was forced to take on world #24, rising star Alexandr Dolgopolov in the first round. But the veteran was unfazed, firing off twenty-five aces and only dropping serve once in the two-and-a-half hour victory, and he backed it up with a straightforward defeat of Rik de Voest on Thursday. Next up he'll face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a man he beat in their only previous meeting two years ago in New York -- and something tells me he's more than up to the challenge.

Almost as impressive this week has been Germany's Sabine Lisicki, a wildcard this year at Wimbledon. After a series of injuries kept her out of contention most of last year, she hadn't really had the match play considered critical to thriving at these events. But we all knew she has talent -- she probably should have beaten Vera Zvonareva at the French Open -- and so her performance to date shouldn't be too surprising. Against Roland Garros champion Li Na, she found herself down a set early but was able to push the match to a decider. Li had two chances to serve it out and held multiple match points, but not only did Lisicki battle through, she ultimately converted her own second chance to advance. And in reward she's been given a pretty pretty solid opportunity to go even further -- as I'd mentioned earlier this week, she could be a real spoiler in London this week.

Juan Martin Del Potro has been making waves again on Tour for a couple months, post-injury, but he hasn't played Wimbledon since 2009 when he lost in the second round to former champion Lleyton Hewitt. The Aussie's experience notwithstanding, DelPo has never had the best success at the All England Club, but he's making a turnaround this year. He made a solid start in his first round, and came back to a rain and darkness-interrupted second refreshed after dropping the first set in a tiebreak. He took less than an hour today to win the next two and closed out the match without ever dropping serve. It gets tougher from here, of course, but his next opponent Gilles Simon has only gotten past the third round here once. And the way the Argentine is slamming aces again, it seems momentum is back on his side.

It's always encouraging to see players succeed after they return from what could have been career-ending injuries, and all these guys and gals are more than showing us they're certainly back in contention -- a second win for each at Wimbledon should back up any luck that helped them with their first.

So future opponents should keep their eyes open -- they might just have their work cut out for them.

Young -- and Not-So-Young -- Americans

It's been a frequent topic of discussion the last couple years, that the state of U.S. tennis has deteriorated -- or at least found itself among some much stronger competition. Other than the Williams sisters, only one still-active player has won a Grand Slam this decade. And as the triumvirate are getting up there in age -- tennis-wise, only, of course -- the questions arise as to who will take over the mantle.

But Wimbledon, for whatever reason, has always been a place where Americans thrive. As we've been frequently reminded this year, Serena and Venus have combined to win nine of the last eleven women's titles, and the nineties were all but ruled by Pete Sampras on the men's side. Go back a bit further and you get legendary champions like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova -- admittedly a Czech by birth, but now quite American in practice. Something about the lawn sport certainly does seem to suit these players' game -- and the early matches this year at the All England Club have certainly proven that.

The veterans did their part to remind us of their prowess here. Venus made a successful return to the grass, winning her opener in just an hour, and though Serena was pushed a bit, she rolled through the third set to take out Aravane Rezai in an emotional victory Tuesday morning. Three-time finalist Andy Roddick, meanwhile, seemed to be back in form after an injury-laden spring, firing off thirty aces in his victory over world #156 Andreas Beck. Even Mardy Fish, who's only just come into his own this past year, pulled off a relatively easy win.

But the more impressive wins came from players still largely off the radar.

Houston champion Ryan Sweeting broke into the top hundred earlier this year, but since 2006 he's only won two matches at the Majors. After giving up a break lead in his first two sets against Spain's Pablo Andujar on Monday, it looked like he was in for another early exit. But he finally managed to hold onto a lead in the third and forced a decider by winning a fourth set tiebreak. After nearly four hours of play, the twenty-four year old walked away with the win. As a reward, he's earned a rematch against world #1 Rafael Nadal, who beat him handily in Melbourne. Still, pulling off the win bodes well for his future.

Similarly impressive in her Wimbledon debut was nineteen-year-old Christina McHale. Her name's been bandied about for several years as the next big thing in American women's tennis, but her coming out party was overshadowed by another U.S. upstart. But this year she's caused some trouble for her much-favored opponents -- the New Jersey native beat Daniela Hantuchova and Alisa Kleybanova in Charleston and stunned Svetlana Kuznetsova at Indian Wells. After losing her first set to rising star Ekaterina Makarova yesterday, she evened the score in just twenty-five minutes before grinding out a 8-6 win in the decider. She actually has a couple manageable rounds ahead of her, and if she stays tough McHale might be ready to breakthrough here -- albeit two years after we expected it from her.

Ryan Harrison was also making his Wimbledon debut, though he first started to get everyone's attention at last year's U.S. Open when he downed Ivan Ljubicic and came THISCLOSE to beating Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round. He's been hanging out on the Challenger's Tour this year, but might be about to break into the big leagues. Against one of my sleeper favorites, Ivan Dodig, he held serve to a first-set tiebreak and steamrolled his opponent in the second. Nearing quitting time in London, the pair exchanged breaks in the third before Harrison consolidated his lead and took the match -- his first straight-set victory yet at a Slam. It gets harder from here, of course, with a second round date with David Ferrer -- but this nineteen-year-old is also playing with confidence that belies his age.

John Isner can't exactly claim to be a stranger to the spotlight -- his epic match last year against Nicolas Mahut set more records than I knew existed in tennis. But the three-day, eleven-hour slugfest seemed to wear him out for the rest of the year. He didn't seem to put up much of a fight in subsequent tournaments and, unable to defend points in the first half of this year, he dropped well out of seeding territory this year. When the draw revealed he was in for a rematch of last year's marathon, I worried nerves might get the best of him. But the big guy was calm and collected this year, relying on more than just his ability to ace to battle through. After just two hours -- less than twenty percent of his opener last year -- he came away an easy victor this time. There will of course be struggles ahead, but the maturity she showed today gives me hope he still has a shot at making my early prediction come true.

It's not all good news for the Americans, of course. Coco Vandeweghe, another lady carrying high hopes fell in straight sets to Eleni Daniilidou while Alison Riske wasn't able to convert after pushing last year's runner-up Vera Zvonareva to a third set. And my dear James Blake was able to come back from two sets down to Marcos Baghdatis, but surrendered a break lead in the fifth before succumbing.

Still the resilience of the Americans on foreign soil is certainly encouraging -- and as we look to the sport's future in this country, I'm finally excited to say it sure seems bright.

Blogcast: 2011 Wimbledon Preview

For more of Tennis Spin's video content, please click the "Blogcasts" tab above.

And check out my early predictions for the man and woman I picked at the start of the year to bring home the trophies at the All England Club, and see just how far we've come.

Wimbledon: First Round Matches to Watch

The grass court season, as it so often does, really snuck up on us this year, and just a couple weeks after the king and queen of the French Open were crowned, everyone's forced to quickly change gears and take to the lawn.

Maybe it's this lack of prep that allows for seeds to so widely diverge from actual rankings. It might seem a bit unfair -- rewarding those who have dropped out of the top spots with relatively easier draws. But with some tough-as-nails players having been out of the game so long, their potential opponents should actually breathe sighs of relief that they won't face the big guns too early in the draws.

But the seemingly mangled seedings still leave plenty of room for surprises in players' openers. And, as always, you know some will get an opportunity to break through, while others may be sent packing far sooner than they expected.

Let's start with the gentlemen.

The Men First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

The Women First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

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The Men

First Quarter

The pressure is on top seeded Rafael Nadal -- if he finishes anything less than champion, he'll lose his #1 ranking. And the draw is certainly working against him -- though his first couple rounds should be easy enough, with big servers like Juan Martin Del Potro and Milos Raonic in his section, he'll clearly have to battle later in the week.

But there are some interesting early matches here. Raonic, seeded below his ranking at #31, faces Fabio Fognini to start. The Canadian's serve-and-volley game should be well suited to this surface, certainly more so than the clay-court specialist's, and I want to see him come out firing from the get-go. And Fernando Verdasco, who's fallen a bit in the game, takes on former top-ten player Radek Stepanek. The Czech has a winning record against Nando -- and won their only meeting at Wimbledon five years ago. And if his game is up to snuff, he could cause an upset.

The late-round match-to-watch: Mardy Fish is playing at his best career ranking, and has spent the last year showing he's a contender on any surface. He could set up a fourth round first date with last year's runner-up Tomas Berdych. Two strong guys with great games could put on quite a show to kick off the second week.

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Second Quarter

Novak Djokovic has another chance to grab the #1 ranking from Nadal in London, and after his legendary win streak ended in Paris, you know he'll be eager to take every opportunity he gets. He faces France's Jeremy Chardy in his first round, and so should be able to kick off his campaign in style.

But I'll be closely watching the return of my dear James Blake, playing his first Major since last year in New York. He's been spending a lot of time in the triple-digits recently, but a couple good results at Challenger events earned him entrée here. He'll face 's-Hertogenbosch semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis in his opener -- a wholly winnable match -- and could be the latest veteran to make a late push at a Slam.

Also keep an eye on Alejandro Falla -- a wildcard at Wimbledon, he nearly stunned Roger Federer in the first round last year. He'll meet Jurgen Melzer, who's been a little spotty recently, so could take a big step in improving his ranking. And the match up between Ernests Gulbis and Dmitry Tursunov should set the stage for players trying to pull off -- and, in the latter's case, actually succeeding in -- their comebacks.

The late-round match-to-watch: Robin Soderling is one of the favorites here, but is flying well below the radar compared to his contemporaries. He's slated to meet a rebuilding Nikolay Davydenko in the third round -- the two were foils in 2009, trading wins during their respective best years. If Davydenko can't put up a fight here, it might mean his time at the top is well past him.

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Third Quarter

Roger Federer hasn't been seeded this low at Wimbledon since 2003 -- where, incidentally, he won his first Grand Slam. He had looked a bit soft early in the year, but a finals run at Roland Garros pushed the needle back in his direction. He shouldn't have as much trouble with Mikhail Kukushkin as he did with Falla last year, though we could always be surprised.

Eighteenth seed Mikhail Youzhny has been battling injuries lately and has made a couple quick exits during the spring. His volatility could open the door for Juan Monaco, a couple positions out of seeding range, to make a move. And former world #5 Fernando Gonzalez is playing his first Slam since hip surgery sidelined him for most of last year. He's taking on young standout Alexander Dolgopolov, who's lost early in both Halle and Eastbourne, so Gonzo's has a chance to work his way back into the mix.

But the most-watched match in this quarter should be the repeat of John Isner versus Nicolas Mahut. Isner was my original pick to win this whole deal, but that was before I thought this would ever happen. In any case, if he can stay mentally strong enough to get the win -- and, more importantly, do so in fewer than five sets -- it would do wonders for his confidence the rest of the tournament. And year.

The late-round match-to-watch: Federer is set to meet fellow veteran David Nalbandian in the third round. The two have a fairly close history, but the momentum has clearly been in Fed's favor more recently. I'd like to see a battle between these two -- you know they've got it in them.

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Fourth Quarter

Andy Murray is in the same half of the draw as Nadal, but the way he's playing recently, he shouldn't be intimidated -- especially by his opening opponent Daniel Gimeno-Traver. That's not to say the Spaniard won't pose any problems for the Queen's Club winner, but his game is much more suited to clay, and so the on-paper favorite should be able to make good.

More interesting is the pairing of countrymen Marin Cilic and unseeded Ivan Ljubicic. Both are well off their career high rankings, but have the potential to deliver big on the grass. And though Cilic has disappointed me in recent months, a nice run at Queen's makes me think he has at least this win in him.

One more Croat could cause a stir a bit further down the draw. Ivo Karlovic, the man who can ace, but barely breaks, meets Janko Tipsarevic, who'll play his Eastbourne semi on Saturday, in the first round. Tipsy is the seed here, and certainly has moments of brilliance -- but if Dr. Ivo can hold it together, he could make a move.

The late-round match-to-watch: The top seeded American in the draw, Andy Roddick, is usually at his best at the All England Club, and though he hasn't won a lot recently, he should be more comfortable here. But he could meet Gael Monfils in the fourth round, and the Frenchman has been playing surprisingly well in recent weeks. Hopefully Roddick will be able to turn around his recent slump.

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The Women

First Quarter

All eyes will be on world #1 Caroline Wozniacki, who's playing her fourth Slam as a top seed without having won a title. She's never made it past the fourth round here and didn't play a warm-up tournament on grass, so she certainly hasn't been tested yet. But against Arantxa Parra Santonja in the first round, she should make good on her ranking at least for a little while.

Nothing early in this quarter really stands out, but I'd love to see a good battle between 2004 champion Maria Sharapova and former top-five player Anna Chakvetadze. After finally gaining some traction last year, Anna has retired from three straight tournaments this year. But when she's playing well, she can be dangerous, and I'll continue rooting for her return to the elite.

Much lower on the radar, young Swede Johanna Larsson will take on my 2010 one-to-watch Polona Hercog. She's beaten Daniela Hantuchova, Ana Ivanovic and Li Na already this year, so she's certainly capable of making a statement. And in this quarter, she has more than a good chance to do so.

The late-round match-to-watch: Julia Goerges and Dominika Cibulkova are slated to meet in the third round. They've never played each other before, but are both little dynamos when they're healthy. And perhaps more interestingly, the inner could face Caro in the next round, which would just be fun all around.

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Second Quarter

Vera Zvonareva had the best results of her career last year, and has been rewarded with a #2 seed here in exchange. She has a lot of points to defend, but a huge win over Serena Williams in Eastbourne gives me confidence she won't just fade away this year. And with some relatively easy early rounds, luck may also be on her side.

Former #1 Jelena Jankovic may not be so lucky. In her kick-off match, she faces unseeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, the woman who beat her in last year's Rome final. They've never met on grass, but the Spaniard holds a two-to-one career record over JJ, and could send her packing early if she's not careful. And Roberta Vinci, suddenly playing some very consistent ball, could make an impact too -- if her long week in 's-Hertogenbosch doesn't affect her first round against Vera Dushevina.

The late-round match-to-watch: If the seeds play out as expected, Petra Kvitova, who first made a mark on Tour at the All England Club last year, will face Svetlana Kuznetsova for the final. Though the Russian is clearly the more experienced of the two, Kvitova has found a way to beat some of the biggest names on the circuit all year. It should be a good match and may be rather prescient for what the future of tennis will look like.

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Third Quarter

Li Na, fresh off her miraculous French Open win, has really improved an already-good game in the last six weeks. And now the pressure will be on. But some of the more interesting first rounds lie elsewhere in this quarter.

Defending champion Serena Williams, to the relief of many, is seeded eighth at Wimbledon, and so won't be a threat to most true contenders until later in the event. But her opening opponent, Aravane Rezai, who put together an amazing semifinal against the former #1 last year in Sydney, might be a little bummed at her bad luck. Still, we've seen Serena hasn't quite worked out all her kinks yet, and so Rezai could find some holes in the armor.

And Ana Ivanovic, who looked solid in the warm-up tournaments the last two weeks, drew one-time darling Melanie Oudin. She's won the pair's only previous meeting -- when the American was on the upswing -- but now that Oudin is an underdog again, perhaps she can surprise us. It'll be important for Ana to keep her cool, though, as she can't afford another disappointment just as she's regaining momentum.

The late-round match-to-watch: More than a few upsets would have to happen, but I would love to see Aggie Radwanska meet Marion Bartoli in the quarters. The Frenchwoman was a finalist here back in 2007 and she's been impressive in the big tournaments this year, while Aggie is one of those consistent players who really needs a breakthrough Slam. Maybe this is it.

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Fourth Quarter

Victoria Azarenka was playing well in Eastbourne, before a leg injury forced her to retire. Again. But she stayed strong through five rounds in Paris after pulling out of , which encourages me somewhat. Hopefully she'll be in shape to take care of Rome Magdalena Rybarikova in her first round, or a whole other set of questions will start swirling around her.

Francesca Schiavone is another headliner in this section, but she might have drawn an even tougher first round. 's-Hertogenbosch finalist Jelena Dokic once made the semis at the All England Club and has scored wins here over legends like Martina Hingis and Mary Pierce. That was a long time ago, but after winning her first Tour title this year since 2002, she's certainly still in the game.

In a slightly lower-profile pairing Kaia Kanepi, who blasted her way to the quarters last year as a qualifier, will face always-feisty Sara Errani in her opener. Though she's now a shade off a career-high ranking, she hasn't been quite so solid this year, and if the Italian can take advantage, she might very well cause the upset.

The late-round match-to-watch: Andrea Petkovic and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are both young and rising stars near the top of their games. Though they'd again each have to exact a couple upsets, it's very possible they meet for a spot in the semis. And it sure will be fun to watch.

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In a land which has been so dominated by a select few in recent years, the 2011 draws at Wimbledon do suggest we could see more than a few surprises. And with so much on the line for everybody who takes the courts, it's imperative that they all bring their best.

But this has been the stage for some of the best matches we've seen. And I'm sure they'll all live up to expectations.

Be sure to check back Sunday when I blogcast my full preview of the action at the All England Club and highlight a few more things you'll want to watch at the year's most royal Grand Slam.