Wimbledon 2015: Thursday Schedule and Predictions for All England Club Bracket

Roger Federer and Petra Kvitova will be back in action at sun-baked Wimbledon on Thursday as second-round matches come to a close.

Federer and Kvitova were both easy winners in the opening round, but their matchups are expected to get significantly tougher from this point forward.

In this piece, we take a look at three of the most important matches on the Day 4 schedule at Wimbledon.

The full schedule can be viewed here.

Roger Federer (2) vs. Sam Querrey

Federer told reporters before the start of the fortnight that he was better prepared for Wimbledon than he has been in recent memory. It certainly seemed that way in his opening match against Damir Dzumhur.

Not only did Federer win that match in straight sets, he got 64 percent of his first serves in and won 85 percent of those points. Federer was also successful on 22 of 33 net points and won 49 percent of his opponent's service points.

The Swiss champion is in the midst of a major dry spell. He hasn't won a major championship since winning Wimbledon in 2012.

American Sam Querrey may push Federer a bit, but he doesn't figure to beat him. Querrey had an easy opening round, defeating Igor Sijsling in straight sets.

"

Tomorrow at #Wimbledon #Day4 #Round2 #Federer vs #Querrey H2H Federer-Querrey 2-0 Allez @rogerfederer! 👊👊💪💪🌱🎾🌱🎾🌱🎾 pic.twitter.com/QIDLDE3JvV

— RFan (@GameSetMatch_RF) July 1, 2015"

Still, Querrey has a 10-13 record this year and is the 44th-ranked player in the world. His greatest strength comes on first serve. He won 41 of 44 points when he was successful at putting his first serve in play.

Prediction: Federer 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Petra Kvitova (2) vs. Kurumi Nara

Kvitova will have a very difficult time repeating the championship she won a year ago because Serena Williams is in top form. Kvitova would not have to meet the more powerful of the Williams sisters until the finals, so she doesn't have to think about her just yet.

However, you can rest assured that she is considering her draw and what it would be like to face Williams with the championship on the line.

Kvitova's second-round match against Japan's Kurumi Nara should be more of a challenge than her first-round match against Kiki Bertens. Kvitova trounced Bertens by a 6-1, 6-0 margin, and she was nearly perfect when serving. Kvitova won 28 of 29 points on her serve and will be very tough to break in the second round.

"

If you're thinking Kvitova's 36-min win vs Bertens might be a record: Alice Marble beat Hilde Sperling 0 & 0 in 19 minutes in '39 #Wimbledon

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) June 30, 2015"

Nara is the 57th-ranked player in the world and was involved in a tough match with Magda Linette in the first round. After the players split the first two sets, Nara had a 4-3 lead when Linette was forced to retire.

Kvitova appears ready to move on to the third round.

Prediction: Kvitova 6-3, 6-1

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Andy Murray (3) vs. Robin Haase

Murray carries the hopes and dreams of a nation, and he would like nothing more than to repeat the success he had in 2013 when he finally earned his championship at the All England Tennis Club.

Murray's crown ended a 77-year wait for an English men's champion, but he was unable to make it two in a row when he was defeated in the quarterfinals a year ago. Murray appears to be in excellent form this year, as he is the third-ranked player in the world and has a 41-6 record this year.

Murray rolled over Mikhail Kukushkin in the opening round, winning in straight sets. Murray uncorked 14 aces in that match, and he could be even more productive in that area vs. Haase as he gets warmed up.

"

Why a second #Wimbledon victory would be Andy Murray’s greatest triumph yet! > http://t.co/PKRNn5lJwB pic.twitter.com/U1qeRuP6ol

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) July 1, 2015"

Haase is the 73rd-ranked player in the world and defeated Alejandro Falla in four sets. Haase registered 10 aces in his match and will try to use his serve to upset Murray.

That's very unlikely.

Prediction: Murray 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4

Statistics courtesy of Wimbledon.com.