Australian Open 2014: Roger Federer vs Andy Murray Quarters Match Looms, Rafael Nadal Cruises Into Fourth Round

Roger Federer and Andy Murray are poised to face each other in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Australian Open after dispatching their respective opponents on Saturday, while top-seeded Rafael Nadal continues to live up to expectations.
Murray, the fourth-seeded player of the tournament, had a shaky start against 26th-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain, but the British tennis ace ran away with a 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-2 straight-set victory in their 2-hour, 15-minute showdown.
Murray, who is still looking to win his first Australian Open title, was only broken once in the match.

"It's been a good start," said Murray when asked about his performance in his first three matches via ESPN. "It was very tricky the first couple of matches with the heat, but today was beautiful to play in."

With the win, the 26-year-old Briton arranged a fourth-round showdown with 33-year-old Frenchman Stephane Robert, who advanced to the fourth round for the first time in his career.

Federer advanced to the fourth round of the Aussie Open for the 13th-straight year after scoring an easy 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Teymuraz Gabashvili in the third round.

After the match, Federer admitted that he is playing inspired tennis since his wife, Mirka, who was at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, is expected to give birth to another baby this year and Federer believes that it could bring good luck to him this year in his bid to end his 18-month major title drought.

"The last time (Mirka) was pregnant, I played fairly well, won the French and Wimbledon," Federer stressed.

The former world's No. 1 tennis player, who was seeded sixth in this year's tournament, will next face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2008 Australian Open finalist, who will look to avenge his defeat to Federer in last year's quarterfinals.

A win by Federer coupled by a victory for Murray in his match against Robert will set up the quarter-final showdown between two of world tennis' Big Four.

Meanwhile, tournament favorite and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal also cruised to the fourth round of the tournament with a lopsided 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win over Gael Monfils.

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis ace suffered an injury scare in the second set as he was seen limping after backpedaling for a forehand, but he managed to shake it off and finish the match on a high note, providing a sigh of relief to the spectators inside the Rod Laver Arena.

Nadal, who could face either Murray or Federer in the semifinals barring any upset, will next meet Kei Nishikori of Japan.