After passing the second round hurdle, Roger Federer will face unseeded Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the Gerry Weber Open, while Dustin Brown will lock horns with countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber, after upsetting top seed Rafael Nadal at Halle on Friday.
Federer faced a stiff challenge in the second round and after going down in the opening set, he rallied back to clinch the match. It was an uncharacteristic start for the Swiss maestro on grass, arguably his favourite surface.
The world number four said he is pleased with his performance, and a fighting victory early on in the season will give him confidence for the forthcoming encounters.
Federer is pitted against a relatively easier opponent in the quarters and the 17-time Grand Slam winner has won both his previous encounters against Yen-Hsun. In their last meeting in Shanghai, Federer thrashed the Taipei star in straight sets.
World number 48 Yen-Hsun is coming to this match on the back of some fine performances - he defeated big-server Iva Karlovic in the second round, after overpowering Mate Pavic in the opener.
But Federer seems to have adjusted to the conditions now, and it should be an easy outing for the seven-time Wimbledon champion.
Germany's Brown, who stunned world number one Nadal in the second, will face Kohlschreiber, in a bid to book a semifinals berth at Halle. Brown was at his dazzling best against the Spaniard and registered a straight-set victory.
Brown gave away nothing against the two-time Wimbledon champion and allowed Nadal to win just 10 points in the second set. This was his second victory over a top-10 player, after he defeated John Isner in Houston in April.
These two have met just once, way back in 2012, when Kohlschreiber got the better of Brown in straight sets. Brown has momentum on his side now and the 29-year-old will be keen to even the head-to-head against the fellow countryman and progress to the semis.
Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori, after making a strong start to the grass court season, will face Steve Johnson of the United States in the last eight. Nishikori prevailed over Frenchman Gael Monfils in a three set encounter to book the quarterfinal spot.
Nishikori has a 28-6 win-loss record this season, and won two titles in the US and Barcelona. The Japanese broke into the top 10 for the first time, and is heading against Johnson with a lot of momentum. This will be the first meeting between them.
"I have been practising well on grass in Halle and hopefully I can do well," Nishikori said. "I've worked on minor changes, being more aggressive at the back of the court and in coming to the net. It's not easy to play on clay and then switch to grass-courts."
Schedule of Play
Dustin Brown vs Philipp Kohlschreiber starts at 5:30 pm IST, 12:00 pm GMT
Steve Johnson vs Kei Nishikori starts at 7:30 pm IST, 2:00 pm GMT
Roger Federer vs Yen-Hsun Lu starts at 9:00 pm IST, 3:30 pm GMT
Where to Watch Live
The action starts at 5:30 pm IST, 12:00 pm GMT, Roger Federer vs Yen-Hsun Lu match is scheduled for a 9:00 pm IST, 3:30 pm GMT start. Global online viewers, including India, can live stream the action HERE or HERE. Euro Sports will have live coverage in the UK but to watch the action online, click HERE or HERE.
