US Open Tennis Schedule 2013: Day 11 Matchups, Predictions and Analysis

The only two singles matches on Thursday at the 2013 U.S. Open feature the last year's two finalists on the men's side.

Defending champion and No. 3 seed Andy Murray will look to shake off lackluster starts to recent matches and be more consistent against ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka in one quarterfinal showdown. Top seed Novak Djkovic, meanwhile, is far more heavily favored against No. 21 Mikhail Youzhny.

Both Murray and Djokovic seem destined to square off again, which will also serve as a rematch of the recent Wimbledon final. The Scot won on that occasion, too, so there should be a revenge factor driving Djokovic on Day 11.

Here is a look at the TV schedule and an overview of each match, including score predictions.

Note: Statistics and information are courtesy of USOpen.org and ATPWorldTour.com. Matches will take place in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

*Murray vs. Wawrinka starts no earlier than 1:30 p.m., and Djokovic vs. Youzhny begins no earlier than 8 p.m.

Predictions

Andy Murray (3) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (9)

In the past two matches, Murray has been pushed to a tiebreaker in the opening set, losing his latest one. Murray dropped a set in the outing before those against Leonardo Mayer in Round 2 as well.

However, Murray has managed to get to this stage despite rather surprising losses in his previous two events. He must step up, though, considering how strong Wawrinka has looked recently.

Wawrinka ousted fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych—the last man to beat Murray—in four sets, and also fended off pesky unseeded upstart Marcos Baghdatis in the round of 16.

At the Monte Carlo Masters event earlier this season, it was Wawrinka who beat Murray handily on clay by a score of 6-1, 6-2:

The road for Murray hasn't been as difficult, which could be a detriment to him in this one. Expect another sluggish start to stretch this match to four sets, but Murray should ultimately prevail.

Prediction: Murray wins—3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4

Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Mikhail Youzhny (21)

The way Djokovic pulled away in winning the final two sets 6-0 against Marcel Granollers in Round 4 was stunning and reflected that every facet of his game was on.

But the grit that Youzhny showed against the fierce competitor and former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt to win in five sets was extraordinary. Former ATP player Darren Cahill admired how Youzhny hung tough and somehow won the final two sets to advance:

Unfortunately, even the best efforts from Youzhny to hang tough as he's done in the past will likely be futile if Djokovic keeps playing at the level he has over the past two matches.

Youzhny has strong groundstrokes, but Djokovic's are better. The Russian has no fitness advantage over the Serbinator, nor does he have the same returning ability.

Two of the three sets could be close, but it's likely that Djokovic advances without many issues.

Prediction: Djokovic wins—7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (4)