Wimbledon 2013: Stars on Upset Alert in 3rd Round at All England Club

The 2013 Wimbledon Championships are just a few days old, but it is already fair to say that this has been one of the most unpredictable tournaments at All England Club in recent memory. Many of the top contenders in both draws have been eliminated or forced to withdraw, as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and a host of others are out.

With that said, plenty of star power remains in the draw as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams will attract some big crowds. None of them are likely to be pushed to the brink in their third-round matches, but you never know what might happen based on the way the tournament has played out thus far.

Here are three players who are very much in contention to vie for the Wimbledon title, but who are in danger of being ousted in the third round if they don't play their absolute best tennis.

Tomas Berdych

Despite the fact that he is the No. 7-seeded man at Wimbledon, Tomas Berdych doesn't seem to generate much hype. That probably has something to do with the Big Four of Djokovic, Murray, Federer and Nadal. With half of the Big Four out of the equation, though, Berdych is suddenly a player worth watching. The Czech star is one of the few non-Big Four players to reach a Grand Slam final in recent years, as he made it to the Wimbledon final in 2010, so he knows how to do damage in this tournament.

With that said, Berdych has a very tough matchup on his hands in the third round as he takes on No. 27-seeded South African Kevin Anderson. Berdych is likely excited about the matchup, as he holds a career record of 8-0 against Anderson, according to Juan Jose Vallejo of The Changeover.

At the same time, they have never met on grass. Generally speaking, grass courts favor players with a big serve as they tend to get an advantageous bounce. Anderson has one of the most powerful serves on tour, so he will be very dangerous. It would be very easy for Berdych to get complacent due to his career record against Anderson and his past successes at Wimbledon, but he simply can't afford to let his guard down.

Agnieszka Radwanska

It tends to be all about Serena when it comes to women's tennis, and while Williams is easily the best player remaining in the women's draw, some of the focus has suddenly shifted to Agnieszka Radwanska now that Sharapova and Azarenka are out. That certainly makes sense, as the Polish star reached the Wimbledon final last year and actually took a set against Williams before ultimately succumbing to Serena's power and experience in a decisive third set.

If things go as expected, Radwanska will have another crack at Serena in the semifinals. The No. 4 seed can't afford to look that far ahead yet, though, as she has another dangerous American to contend with in the third round. Radwanska will face 18-year-old Madison Keys, who moved into the third round at Wimbledon for the first time by virtue of her upset win over Mona Barthel. They have only met once before with Radwanska winning in Miami last year, but Radwanska doesn't recall the match, according to Matt Cronin of TennisChannel.com.

Radwanska won their first meeting 6-1, 6-1, but it took place on a hard court, and Keys has improved markedly over the past year. At 5'10", Keys is a big, powerful player, which seems to be the hallmark of many of the up-and-coming American females. Radwanska is crafty enough to get past Keys, but the youngster is quickly rising up the ranks and has the skill set necessary to move on to the fourth round.

Richard Gasquet

Frenchman Richard Gasquet is one of those players who has hung around the top 10 for quite some time, but he hasn't received a lot of credit due to the dominance of the players ahead of him. He has a great chance to make some noise at Wimbledon, though, as he and Djokovic could potentially meet in the quarterfinals. If Gasquet is going to reach that point, however, he must beat an exciting young player who is finally starting to come into his own in the form of Australia's Bernard Tomic.

The 20-year-old Tomic once ascended to No. 27 in the world, but he has since struggled and fallen outside the top 60. After beating Americans Sam Querrey and James Blake in the first two rounds, though, he appears to be back on track. Tomic isn't a guy who is going to sneak up on Gasquet, as the French star has already been very complimentary of Tomic and considers him a future top player, according to Carole Bouchard of L'Equipe.

Gasquet is 2-0 against Tomic, as he has beaten him twice on hardcourts over the past year, but grass is a totally different animal. Tomic also hasn't seemed mentally tough over the past year, but that has changed in recent weeks. He hasn't had any emotional meltdowns through his first two matches at Wimbledon and is letting his play do the talking. As long as he remains calm, cool and collected against Gasquet, he is a big upset threat.

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