Can Querrey or Berdych reach the Wimbledon final?

The second week of Wimbledon began with the ATP’s Big Four in position for blockbuster meetings in the semifinals. Instead, Rafael Nadal was out-dueled in a fourth-round thriller, and Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic sputtered to quarterfinals losses in part because of injuries. It’s down to Roger Federer and three seasoned challengers.

No. 24 Sam Querrey vs. No. 7 Marin Cilic

Veteran American Querrey defeated a defending Wimbledon champion for the second straight year. The challenge will be finding more energy after winning his third consecutive five-set match.

The 29-year-old got as much heart and resilience as anyone, but he'll need a lot more to upset Cilic.

Querrey needs his big serve, forehand opportunities and intense belief. He’s averaging 25 aces per match and he will need to keep Cilic off balance and find short ball opportunities.

“I didn’t start my best, but I just kept with it, kept swinging away and really found a groove in the fourth and fifth sets,” Querrey said about ousting Murray. "Everything seemed to fall my way then.”

Cilic is looking for his second career major after winning the 2014 US Open (which included a straight-sets semifinal win over Federer). Last year he lost to Federer in the quarterfinals despite winning the first two sets and holding three match points.

No. 11 Tomas Berdych vs. No. 3 Roger Federer

The world is in awe at Federer’s opportunity to win his eighth Wimbledon title at the age of 35, but he's just focused on playing tennis as a healthy athlete.

The resurgent Berdych was not even a big story with his win against Djokovic. Up one set and 2-0, the Serb retired with an elbow injury, but nobody should go to sleep on Berdych’s chances.

He also ousted French Open semifinalist and No. 8-seeded Dominic Thiem in the fourth round. The 31-year-old is on his best run at Wimbledon since he reached the 2010 final with wins over Federer and Djokovic.

Through 2013, Berdych trailed Federer only 11-6 in their head-to-head rivalry, but the Swiss has since refined his backhand with a bigger racket and better offense, upping his lead to 18-6.

The older but more aggressive Federer has dismantled Berdych seven times in a row and was nearly perfect in crushing him at the Australian Open. The Czech could be feeling some of those mental scars.

Keep a close eye on how it all unfolds on Friday.

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