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Wimbledon Day Eight Preview

The Wimbledon rains have played havoc with the schedule going into Day Eight and even if Rafael Nadal consolidates his 2-0 lead in the deciding set against Robin Soderling, the 21-year-old Majorcan now faces the prospect of four more matches in five days if he is to lift the title on Sunday.

In contrast, Roger Federer plays a waiting game in the quarter-finals following the withdrawal of fourth-round opponent Tommy Haas.

So Nadal along with former champion Lleyton Hewitt and fourth seed Novak Djokovic will try to complete their third-round matches while some of the others get on with their fourth-round ties.

With light showers forecast, here are Betfair's Four To Follow on Day Eight:

Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain, 20) v Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)

A tale of the unexpected on Court Three where Juan Carlos Ferrero faces another of the Serbian stars on the rise in Janko Tipsarevic. Ferrero surprised ninth seed James Blake in four sets to reach the fourth round while Jankovic sent Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez tumbling in a thriller on Friday.

Ferrero and Tipsarevic have met just once - at the 2006 Australian Open when the Spaniard won in five sets. But in the year since the 23-year-old has soared up the rankings and is now No 64 in the world. The intelligent and well-read young man from Belgrade is trading at 2.14 with Betfair to reach the last eight and a clash with Roger Federer. Ferrero is trading at 1.84.

Novak Djokovic (4) v Nicolas Kiefer (Germany)

While Nadal has his nose in front against Soderling, the third-round clash between Tipsarevic's Belgrade pal Novak Djokovic and Germany's Nicolas Kiefer could still have a long way to go when it resumes on Court Two. Djokovic leads by a set and 6-5 against Kiefer who is recently back on the tour following a year out with a wrist injury. Kiefer is serving to take it into a second tie-break.
It is their first meeting and Djokovic is trading at 1.2 with Betfair to win in straight sets but Kiefer is still in there and is 5.7 to spring an upset.

Lleyton Hewitt (Australia, 16) v Guillermo Canas (Argentina, 22)

Out on Court 18 there's another match with some way to go as 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt is a break up at 3-1 in the third set after Argentina's Guillermo Canas took the second set to level the match.

The winner will meet Djokovic or Kiefer. Hewitt leads 5-2 in clashes with Canas, including their two previous meetings on grass, but they have not met since Canas won in the last 16 at the 2002 French Open so the form books goes out the window. Hewitt is trading at 1.31 with Betfair to finish the job with Canas at 4.

Venus Williams (USA, 23) v Maria Sharapova (Russia, 2)
Today's top women's singles match has to be the fourth round clash on Centre Court between 23rd seed Venus Williams and second seed Maria Sharapova.

Williams, three times the champion from five final appearances, came into Wimbledon with a 44-7 win/loss record from her 10 previous visits. The 2000, 2001 and 2005 champion is not playing at the level of her glory years but the 27-year-old can still rise to the occasion against the big players like Sharapova.

The 20-year-old Florida-based Russian, who was champion in 2004 and a semi-finalist the last two years, has progressed relatively smoothly to the fourth round and has a 3-1 record against Williams. But Williams's one win came in their only meeting on grass at Wimbledon in the 2005 semi-finals.

Williams, at 6ft 1in, is trading at 3.55 with Betfair to go through to the last eight while Sharapova, at 6ft 2in, is 1.38 to progress.