Half of the top eight men engage in Australian Open quarterfinal duels, one of them a rematch of an epic there last year.

David Ferrer vs. Tomas Berdych

Two-time Australian Open semifinalist David Ferrer will take on four-time Australian Open quarterfinalist Tomas Berdych. Since Berdych and Ferrer present quite different challenges to their opponents, their clashing styles of play make for an extremely intriguing battle. Berdych, an offensive stalwart, will look to hammer past the defensive barriers of Ferrer.

Both Berdych and Ferrer have been fairly comprehensive in their victories thus far. Ferrer has only dropped two sets throughout the tournament, and Berdych still has not dropped a set in the entire tournament.  Ferrer took out the tricky German Florian Mayer in the third round in four sets, and Berdych continued his dominance over Kevin Anderson, defeating the South African in straight sets.

The Spaniard leads the head-to-head 8-4 and leads Berdych 4-2 on hard courts. These two met in the last two tournaments of 2013. Ferrer took down the Czech at the Paris Masters 1000 event, and Berdych returned the favor at the World Tour Finals in London.

While this match may be ultimately decided on the racket of Berdych, the Czech should be cautious of Ferrer’s own offensive prowess. The Spaniard has a mighty forehand and can really drill it inside-out, which should be an effective play going into Berdych’s weaker side, his backhand. The points in these matches should be similar to what was seen in the Tsonga-Simon match, where Tsonga’s offense was consistently being tested by Simon’s movement, dexterity, and will.

Berdych has been on fire the entire tournament, while Ferrer has looked less at ease. Whether or not this pattern will continue when they square off remains to be seen, but things bode very well for Berdych.

Prediction: Berdych in four sets

Novak Djokovic vs. Stanislas Wawrinka

Last year, Djokovic nearly saw the exit in the fifth set against Wawrinka before riding out the storm and winning their fourth-round match 12-10. This was by far Djokovic’s narrowest and most hard-fought victory of the entire tournament. If Wawrinka exhibits the sensational play he brought to Rod Laver Arena last year, we may be in store for yet another immense struggle filled with glorious shot-making and resolute passion. Their match last year should be remembered not only for the incredible shots that allowed both players to stage a truly unbelievable spectacle but for the courage on both sides to hit such shots when it counted the most.

Wawrinka comes into this battle off a straight-sets victory against resilient veteran Tommy Robredo, whereas Djokovic took down the less resilient Fabio Fognini, only conceding five games in the entire match.

Djokovic currently leads the head-to-head 15-2 despite having been pushed to five sets by Wawrinka on three separate occasions. The Serb has also never lost to Wawrinka on an outdoor hard court, having won all seven of their meetings on the surface.

Out of all the strategies that can be executed in a tennis match, there is really only one that Wawrinka should be concerned with against Djokovic: hitting winners. While this seems like an obvious thing to want to do, another useful strategy against great defenders involves merely keeping them out of the center of the court. But against Djokovic, a winner is often the only way to get it done—an agonizing reality for his opponents. But Wawrinka has proven that hitting winners against Djokovic over five sets and five hours is not impossible.

If Wawrinka hopes to set himself up for opportunities to outhit Djokovic over the course of five sets, he’ll need to rely on his first serve. Wawrinka throws his biggest punches from the center of the court when given time. This is not to say he can’t deliver body blows on the run, but it will be a lot harder to do so.

As was the case last year, it’ll be an uphill battle for the Swiss. He has played Djokovic about as well someone who isn’t Nadal, Federer, or Murray could hope in the last year. But Djokovic should still be able to get the job done yet again against Wawrinka.

Prediction: Djokovic in four sets