Australian Open 2012: Which Superstar Is in for an Embarrassing Exit?

As we work our way into the later rounds of the 2012 Australian Open, the frontrunners seem to be marching closer and closer to epic showdowns down under.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are already set to play in the semifinals, and Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are one match away from facing each other in the semis also.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Murray and Djokovic don't get a free pass to the semifinals. Djokovic will have to pay a steep price to get there, because David Ferrer stands in the way.

I'm going to make the bold prediction that Novak Djokovic will fall to David Ferrer in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

If anyone outside of the big four can compete with Djokovic, it's Ferrer. The all-time head-to-head history between the two is extremely close, with the Serbian leading six matches to five.

It's not as if all of Ferrer's wins against Djokovic were years ago when the Djoker was a rookie. The Spaniard has taken down the world's No. 1 as recently as last fall, when he defeated the Serbian convincingly at the Barclay's ATP World Tour Finals.

Ferrer also has recent success at Melbourne, reaching the semifinals last year. He will try to do the same this year by wearing Djokovic down from the baseline.

Both Djokovic and Ferrer have been playing great tennis the last couple rounds of the Aussie Open, so the winner of this match will have to play an extremely clean brand of tennis and not let the opponent dictate the style of play.

Novak Djokovic is on top of the tennis world after a spectacular 2011, but David Ferrer was one competitor who showed he can trip up the Djoker, even during the best stretch of his career.

This match will feature two of the best baseline players in the world, and if Ferrer can use his lethal forehand to keep Djokovic moving, it could be a long match. In fact, I would be surprised if it doesn't go to five sets.

If the mighty Serbian doesn't bring his best tennis to the quarterfinals, he could be in for an embarrassing early exit in Melbourne.