Three to See: Djokovic vs. Fucsovics, Federer vs. Hurkacz, Berrettini vs. Auger-Aliassime

Novak Djokovic vs. Marton Fucsovics

Djokovic and Fucsovics have played twice, and, not surprisingly, Djokovic has won both times. But neither has been a breeze; Fucsovics won a set each time, before getting blown out in the final frame—6-0 in the fourth set at the 2018 US Open; 6-1 in third set in Doha in 2019. Fucsovics, who won the Wimbledon boys’ title a decade ago, is a late-bloomer, and he has improved significantly in the past year. You can see it in his most recent result, a five-set win over Andrey Rublev on Manic Monday. His shots, from his serve to his forehand to his two-hand backhand, are heavy enough to stay with anyone’s, including the world No. 1’s. Fucsovics could take a set again; but can he take three? No one could do that against Djokovic at Roland Garros, which is what should keep the top seed calm in this match, even if he falls behind. Winner: Djokovic

Roger Federer vs. Hubert Hurkacz

A week ago, in the middle of his first-round match against Adrian Mannarino, Federer looked like he was heading for an early exit. He was rusty, the grass was slippery, his opponent was up two sets to one. It shows you the value of simply surviving to fight another day. Mannarino had to retire with a knee injury, and now Federer finds himself in the second week, with a path to the final opening up in front of him. Instead of facing No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev in the quarters as scheduled, he’ll take on Hubert Hurkacz, who upset Medvedev in five sets on Tuesday. That’s a better match-up for Federer; he’s 1-0 against Hurkacz, who has never played on a stage this big. At the same time, the Pole hadn’t played in many matches as big as his win over Medvedev, and he handled that with maximum calm. Federer says he’s hoping to get on a roll and become an unstoppable boulder tumbling down a hill to the title. He’s done it before. Winner: Federer

Matteo Berrettini vs. Felix Auger Aliassime

Apparently, nice guys can finish first—or at least make the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Auger Aliassime and Berrettini are two of the tour’s nice guys, and, not surprisingly, good friends. Now they’ll have to put that aside for a few hours, as each attempts to make his first Wimbledon semifinal. Berrettini won their only previous meeting, on grass in Stuttgart two years ago. The Italian also has more experience at this stage of a major, having reached the US Open semifinals in 2019, and he had an easier time on Monday than Auger Aliassime, who beat Alexander Zverev in five sets. That was a breakthrough win for FAA, but will he feel that one was enough for this week? If both of these guys are nervous, Berrettini, who is coming off a title at Queen’s Club and has only dropped one set at Wimbledon, should have a better chance of powering his way through it. Winner: Berrettini