US Open Tennis 2011: Top Seeds Tabbed for Tough Matches in Quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer—the holy trinity of men's tennis today—are all set for the round of 16 at the 2011 US Open with eyes toward difficult matches in the quarterfinals.

Of course, they will have to dispatch of their fourth-round opponents first and foremost, though Djokovic, Nadal and Federer should be able to handily defeat Alexandr Dolgopolov, Gilles Muller and Juan Monaco, respectively.

Once they do, each will face a tough test in the quarters before likely moving on to the semifinals.

Novak Djokovic

In Djokovic's case, the top-ranked player in the world will meet either 20th-seed Janko Tipsarevic or Juan Carlos Ferrero for a shot at the semis. A date with Tipsarevic would pit Serbian against Serbian, with Djokovic owning a clear edge in both size and skill.

As for the Spaniard Ferrero, he presents a bit more of a challenge to Djokovic with his speed and past success on hard courts.

Not that anything can keep Djokovic—who's playing tremendous tennis at the peak of his career—from advancing even deeper into the US Open.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal is as fast and athletically gifted as any tennis player in the world, though the aggressive style with which he so often plays appears to be catching up with him. Rafa has suffered through injuries and fatigue of late, as seen during and after his third-round victory over David Nalbandian when he was plagued by cramps.

Both of his prospective quarterfinal opponents—David Ferrer and Andy Roddick—can claim success against Rafa in the past, with the former downing Nadal in the fourth round of the 2007 US Open and in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Australian Open and the latter at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open.

Either way, Rafa will be up against it, assuming his body holds up long enough for him to reach the next round.

Roger Federer

Despite not having won a Grand Slam title since the 2010 Australian Open, Federer remains one the most skilled and versatile players in the world, even if he has slowed down a bit physically. He should have little trouble moving past Juan Monaco, his Argentine competitor in the round of 16, but may not find life in the quarterfinals quite as agreeable.

On the one hand, he could face Mardy Fish, the feisty American who will undoubtedly have the home crowd at Flushing Meadows behind him every step of the way. On the other hand, Federer may have to once again deal with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, to whom he lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and in the third round of the Rogers Cup this year.

Chances are, Federer would prefer to face Fish if he had a choice, though a rematch against Tsonga would grant him a golden opportunity to avenge two of his most disappointing defeats from this year. 

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