Whenever the draw of a major is released, people begin making projections and anticipating certain showdowns.  But just as inevitably, the draw rarely holds true to form.  A player who originally looked to have an easy path may suddenly find many roadblocks in his way.  Still others may catch a break late in the tournament.  Roger Federer has arguably fallen into that latter category.  He will not be taking anything for granted, but he has to be happy that he will be facing Richard Gasquet instead of Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.

Federer would have been a favorite against either Gasquet or Berdych, but he is a heavier favorite against the Frenchman.  He has only ever lost to Gasquet twice, and one of Gasquet's two wins came in their first meeting a decade ago.  And while their initial encounters were competitive affairs, they have since predominantly become one-way traffic.  Federer has won their last six matches in routine fashion, and few, if any, expect this latest outing to be any different.

Federer's dominance in this rivalry stems primarily from the reality that he is simply a bad match-up for Gasquet.  The Frenchman has a flashy game and one of the prettiest one-handed backhands in the sport.  He also does a good job of covering the court, is effective up at the net, and boasts plenty of variety that allows him to produce some tremendous shot-making.  The problem is that Federer possesses all of those same traits, but he does everything better.  He gets more zip on his shots, he serves with greater efficiency, and most importantly, he is naturally a more aggressive-minded player.  Gasquet has a tendency to fall too far behind the baseline, which will make it difficult to make any inroads against Federer no matter how well the 12th seed is striking the ball.  Staying back will also pave the way for Federer to control the majority of the rallies, which is why it is imperative that Gasquet make a concerted effort to stay up on the baseline and go toe-to-toe with Federer if he is to have any hope of causing an upset.

Trying to find a way to get past Federer is a difficult task for Gasquet in and of itself.  It is perhaps even more difficult, however, given the occasion.  Gasquet has been to this stage of a major before.  He even reached the semifinals of the US Open in 2013.  But he has not been a regular at the business end of majors the way the Swiss has.  As a result, he will surely be more susceptible to nerves on the big points.  Couple that with his lopsided record against Federer, and Gasquet may easily be goaded into going for too much, too soon.  It makes things like winning the first set and converting on any early break points much more crucial for Gasquet than for Federer, who ought to be feeling confident with his own level of play against an opponent he now regularly dominates. 

All told, this should be a straightforward match for Federer as he looks to continue his quest for his 18th major.  Gasquet is a talented player, but he cannot hurt Federer playing his regular game.  So, unless the Frenchman is able to play consistently well outside of his comfort zone to take Federer out of his, it is going to be a long day at the office for Gasquet and another major semifinal appearance for the Swiss.

Appearances can be deceiving.  This scenario may be true of the men's quarterfinal that features Stanislas Wawrinka and Kevin Anderson.  Former US Open champion Andy Murray was the man slated to be Wawrinka's quarterfinal opponent, but those thinking that Wawrinka's path to the semifinals has become substantially easier should not be too quick to dismiss the South African's chances.

As the fifth seed, Wawrinka will enter this match as the favorite.  It is also natural to assume that because he is facing the 15th seed instead of the third seed, he should be under less stress as he attempts to advance to his second US Open semifinal.  But things are not that simple.  Wawrinka may have had a losing record against Murray, but he also has a losing record against Anderson.  Anderson has won his last four matches against the Swiss to take a 4-3 lead in their head-to-head, including edging Wawrinka out in two tight tiebreaks earlier this year on the grass of Queen's Club.  Anderson will be keen to make it five on the trot, and Wawrinka is fully aware that Anderson has the game to do it.

In hindsight, it is not surprising that these two have contested some close matches, given the weapons in their respective arsenals.  Each man possesses a powerful serve for garnering quick points, although with his height, Anderson is able to find better angles and get a bit more mileage out of his kick serve.  Both can also go big off the ground.  The Swiss typically boasts a little more firepower from the baseline, as well as greater versatility.  He has historically shown himself to be more consistent from the back of the court as well.  But Anderson has improved from the back of the court, and he cuts an intimating figure in the forecourt.  He has extraordinary reach at the net and is difficult to lob.  He does an admirable job of always looking to move forward as well, which not only will help limit the number of times Wawrinka can get to the net himself, but also put the Swiss under constant pressure to come up with the pass.

While Anderson's style of play might put Wawrinka under pressure, however, it is the South African who is more likely to be vulnerable to the pressure of the occasion.  The good news for Anderson is that as previously mentioned, he knows this is a winnable match, given that he has defeated Wawrinka the last four times that they have met.  The fact that he managed to achieve those wins through tucking away some very close sets may also help him on Wednesday.  But the South African has never been to this juncture of any major, and there is no telling how he will react to the prospect of going a step further into the semifinals.  Wawrinka on the other hand has not only been here before, but he has won two singles majors.  He has also won those majors by putting away more experienced and decorated opposition than Anderson.  Given that history, it is hard to bet against Wawrinka being the competitor to deliver when the chips are down and finding a way to get the victory.

When all is said and done, this has all the makings of an enthralling quarterfinal.  If both men bring their best and effectively manage the pressure, there is bound to be some fantastic shot-making in what should be a close match.  The odds have to slightly favor Wawrinka, because he has the experience to go along with the game.  But do not discount Anderson's chances.  He had never been to a major quarterfinal before he took out the likes of Andy Murray on Monday, and he might be ready to continue breaking new ground by reaching his first major semifinal with a win over Wawrinka.