Tomas Berdych plays Stanislas Wawrinka in an intriguing fourth round clash at the BNP Paribas Open.
Wawrinka has not failed to make the quarter-finals this year and he will fancy his chances of continuing that record today. The Swiss has a good record at the BNP Paribas Open and it has taken Novak Djokovic to stop him in his tracks in previous years.
After his stunning comeback against Nikolay Davydenko, things were rather more routine for Wawrinka yesterday as he outplayed Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-3. Competing with Roger Federer in the doubles this week appears to be providing Wawrinka with plenty of confidence.
Berdych has looked pretty sharp this week though he has yet to be really tested, taking out a couple of clay-courters in Lukasz Kubot and Thomaz Bellucci.
The seventh seed has been serving pretty big so far this week and has the more effective arsenal from the back of the court. However Wawrinka returned superbly to neutralise Cilic's serve in the last round and is the better mover of the two players.
Berdych is capable of blowing him off the court with powerful, first strike tennis but if Wawrinka can extend him into the longer rallies he will be favourite.
The two are locked at 4-4 on the head-to-head but Wawrinka crushed the Czech 6-4, 6-1 in Chennai at the start of the year. He also beat him 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 in Indian Wells three years ago.
Prediction: Wawrinka in three
