2011 Wimbledon: 5 Bold Predictions for Super Monday

The first week of Wimbledon displayed outstanding and thrilling matches from our usual favorites, as well as from some players almost nobody had heard of prior to the championships. Now, week two awaits us, and the odds-makers have picked the seemingly obvious players to win their matches.

The round of 16 match-ups look rather predictable; however, sports draws can be deceiving. Here are five bold predictions that will look incredibly ridiculous until the matches are over and most of them turn out to be accurate.

Andy Murray Will Bow out to Richard Gasquet

Through the four times these two have played, the head-to-head is two wins apiece. Gasquet's wins over the Scotsman came over three years ago. The two wins for Murray both involved two-sets-to-none comebacks in a grand slam. But, third time's the charm, and by now the Frenchman has learned from the mistake of letting a big lead get away from himself.

Richard Gasquet has yet to drop a set this tournament, while the crowd favorite, Andy Murray, has already lost two. The talented Frenchman is on a comeback after having been temporarily suspended from the tour in 2009.

Gasquet also plays out of his mind against the man from Great Britain, hitting his beautiful backhand all over the court. Look for the 17th seed to take this match in four sets.

Bernard Tomic Will Make It to the Quarterfinals

The 18-year-old from Australia has been quite impressive this year. After making it to the third round at the Australian Open and putting on a competitive display against Rafael Nadal and then making it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, it seems that he has recognized his ability to play well against the best players in the world.

Bernard began his tournament by knocking out the very dangerous Russian, Nikolay Davydenko, in the first round. He went about this in straight sets fashion. In the second round, he came from down two sets to none to defeat another Russian, Igor Andreev, over the course of two days. It marked the first time the Australian up-and-comer had come back from two sets down to win.

Tomic has shown great composure, talent, and fight during this phenomenal run. In the third round, he upset the (no longer hard-hitting) Swede and fifth seed, Robin Soderling, in straight sets. The teenage sensation moved the ball nicely around the court with a variety of speeds and spins.

The youngster has yet to drop a set all tournament. Even more shocking is the fact that he had never reached the fourth round at any grand slam prior to this year's Wimbledon.

Next round, he faces Xavier Malisse of Belgium, who is currently on a mini comeback on the tour. Nevertheless, expect Bernard Tomic to come through in straight sets.

Marion Bartoli Will Defeat Serena Williams

Marion Bartoli may still be exhausted from her three-set win over Flavia Pennetta, but she has still been the better player this year. The woman from France made the semifinals at the French Open and won the championships at Eastbourne on grass just a week ago.

Serena looked more sluggish than usual during the first week. She still does have her great serve to bail her out of some trouble, though.

Serena's only straight sets win came over the very nervous Maria Kirilenko. This match could go either way, but it still seems appropriate to call it a three-set match. Bartoli will be the player to earn the extra set, though.

Caroline Wozniacki Will Lose in the Fourth Round

It is no longer shocking to say that Caroline Wozniacki will lose prior to the final in a grand slam. Although the Dane leads 6-2 in the head-to-head against Cibulkova, her chances of winning are not as great as they used to be.

The 24th-seeded Slovakian, Dominika Cibulkova, had an impressive win over Julia Goerges in the third round. She is undaunted by the reputation of the top players and plays fearlessly against everybody. Her only problem is her serve, which is very unstable and unreliable.

Caroline Wozniacki has not lost a set all tournament, but she will lose two of them in the fourth round.

The Unbeatable Novak Djokovic Will Lose to Michael Llodra

I know what you're thinking: "What?"

The Serb has only lost once this entire year, and that was to the amazingly capable Roger Federer. But, it is not about the past—it is all about the now.

Djokovic had a horrendous-looking four-set win over Marcos Baghdatis last match. His supposedly "improved" serve looked mediocre at best. He rarely made first serves in the big moments, and he threw in way more double faults than we are accustomed to seeing. He also threw one of his nutty tantrums on the court, smashing his racket three times on the ground after losing a typical point.

He still is not the best grass court player, and he still is nutty and feels the pressure of having the No. 1 ranking.

Michael Llodra, on the other hand, is a serve-and-volleyer who plays some inspired old school tennis. He beat Djokovic in Paris last year in straight sets during the ATP 1000 Masters event. At the age of 31, he is managing to play better now than he has in his entire life.

The Frenchman has turned into something of a giant-killer, and even more of a (with a little bit of a stretch) giant. The grass suits his game very well, so expect him to pull off a huge victory in at least four sets.