ATP columnist Nick Nemeroff takes a look at three of the must-see men’s matches on Day 5, each featuring a top-eight man.

Jeremy Chardy vs. David Ferrer

This match has upset alert written all over it. Unlike most of the other Frenchmen on the ATP World Tour, Chardy’s game is not characterized by grace and fluidity. His forehand and serve, two explosive shots, are not the most aesthetically pleasing. Nor are they particularly pleasing for his opponents, who often helplessly watch them fly past their reach for winners.

En route to the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2013, Chardy upset Juan Martin Del Potro in five sets in a match played on his terms, something not easily achieved against Del Potro.

His opponent, world No. 3 David Ferrer, will look to ensure that Chardy doesn’t score a monumental third-round upset for the second consecutive year. The aura of near-invincibility that Ferrer usually had against inferior opponents has not emerged thus far in 2014, so the Spaniard will have his work cut out for him.

Chardy and Ferrer were both tested in the second round with four-set wins over Alexander Dolgopolov and Adrian Mannarino, respectively. The last time that these two men met came in the third round of Wimbledon 2010. Ferrer barely won that match 7-5 in the fifth set after Chardy stormed back from a two-set deficit.

Both men will have an ample amount of strategizing to do prior to this match. For one, Chardy will need to figure out how to minimize the effectiveness of Ferrer’s inside-out forehand, a shot played directly into his erratic backhand, the side prone to go awry for Chardy. Ferrer will need to take the conditions into account and decide whether he wants to adopt a more aggressive approach, or if he is content with grinding Chardy into submission.

Chardy’s forehand, a well-oiled winner machine, needs to end points quickly. This means that he needs to find the range on his first serve in order to dictate. Chardy’s second serve, often unpredictable due to his ball toss, will need to be better than usual. If it isn’t, it will provide fair pickings for the Spaniard.

The fast courts are going to benefit the Frenchman, but hitting through Ferrer on any surface in a best-of-five match is one of the hardest challenges in tennis. This match should be extremely close, but I’m not sure Chardy can maintain a high enough level for so long.

Prediction: Ferrer in five sets

Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Vasek Pospisil

Stanislas Wawrinka is two wins away from a potential blockbuster quarterfinals clash against Novak Djokovic. In his way is young Canadian upstart Vasek Pospisil, who is slowly but surely making a name for himself. With his four-set win over Aussie Matt Ebden, Pospisil earned himself a spot in the third round of a slam for the first time. Wawrinka, on the other hand, has been a third-round regular Down Under and has reached at least the third round every year in Melbourne since 2009.

Wawrinka’s first two rounds included a victory by retirement after a set and a half against Andrey Golubev in the first round and a four-set victory over Alejandro Falla in the second round. Pospisil and Wawrinka have met on one previous occasion—two weeks ago in Chennai. Wawrinka won this meeting after Pospisil retired down 4-6 5-5 with a lingering back injury that hampered him again during his match with Ebden.

If Pospisil’s back can’t hold up against Wawrinka tomorrow, it’ll be lights out for the Canadian. Unfortunately for Pospisil, his most viable strategy against Wawrinka is to move forward and attack the net. This strategy will require a lot of bending and stretching, which may put unwelcomed pressure on his back. With this in mind, Pospisil may have to hope he can outdo Wawrinka from the baseline.

Ultimately, Wawrinka should have too much game for the injury-ridden Pospisil to handle.

Prediction: Wawrinka in four sets

Denis Istomin vs. Novak Djokovic

Djokovic is expected to win this match with few difficulties. His opponent, Denis Istomin, is only playing in the third round of the Australian Open for the second time, while Djokovic has won the Australian Open four times.

If their last match is any indication of things to come, though, this may be a trickier third-round match than some may be anticipating. The last time these two met came in the third round of Montreal last year. After shockingly racing through the first set 6-2, Istomin was stifled 4-6 4-6 in the final two sets by the Serb.

Istomin’s stock has been on the rise, and the Uzbek has recent wins over Nicolas Almagro, Marin Cilic, and Dmitry Tursunov. He also took the first set against Andy Murray in the fourth round of the US Open and the first set off Roger Federer in the second round of Basel. Djokovic still hasn’t lost a match since his US Open final loss to Rafael Nadal, recording 26 straight wins.

Istomin will undoubtedly be up against it, but he does have various aspects of his game that will make the Djokovic challenge a bit less daunting. The main weapon in Istomin’s arsenal is his backhand, specifically his backhand down the line. This shot is vital when attempting to break down Djokovic’s defensive barriers, since the Serb’s defense on his forehand side is a bit less formidable than his backhand side.

Istomin also possesses a very decent serve. He will need to provide Djokovic with as problematic of a returning day as possible if he wants any chance in this match. His movement, which is typically solid, also will need to be at its finest.

Don’t be shocked if Istomin wins a set, but Djokovic should be able to wrap this up in three or four sets.

Prediction: Djokovic in four sets