TENNIS.com Thursday picks:

Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG)[20] v. David Ferrer (ESP)[15]Arthur Ashe Stadium – 12:30 pm

The stands won’t exactly be packed to the rafters for this match, but there should be no shortage of tennis. Both players are on their best on claycourts and are happy to grind away for hours on end. Chela is playing two five-setters coming into this, so even his legs may be a little weary. Ferrer, meanwhile, brought a hurting Nadal to his knees – literally – with a four-set win in the fourth-round, but played a brutal five-setter against David Nalbandian before that. It might have been more humane – if not commercially viable – to schedule these two at night.

Ferrer has been in good form over the last few weeks, playing an excellent and surprisingly assertive match against Nadal after taking out big servers John Isner and Andy Roddick in Cincinnati. If he plays the way he did in his last match, he should get through in three or four sets, particularly as Chela says he doesn’t like having to face Ferrer’s notable return of serve and relentless retrieving. But a letdown is also possible after the high of the victory over Nadal.

Chela, who attributes his resurgence to increased maturity, is chasing the career high ranking of No. 15 he achieved a few years ago. Ferrer is dreaming of qualifying for Shanghai. Let the battle commence. If you plan to watch the match in its entirety, best to pack two lunches.

Prediction: Ferrer

Carlos Moya (ESP)[17] v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3]Arthur Ashe Stadium – 7:00 pm

The 31-year-old former Grand Slam champion goes up against the 20-year-old upstart here, and it’s the veteran who’s won their last two matches. The last meeting was just a couple of weeks ago in Cincinnati, but Djokovic was clearly drained after winning the previous week’s tournament in Montreal.

Still, the Serbian has looked a little passive in most of his matches during the tournament, being given all he could handle by Radek Stepanek and pushed hard by Juan Monaco. Worryingly, he also complained of an upset stomach and having no energy in his legs during his previous match – symptoms similar to the ones which caused Tomas Berdych to retire in his match against Andy Roddick. If Djokovic was indeed developing the flu, don’t count on him doing anything much in this quarterfinal match. To add to the caution, he also got treatment on his back during the match. Given how often he’s pulled up lame in big matches, even a retirement could a possibility. But given that Nadal, the player who knocked him out in the semis of the French Open and Wimbledon, is no longer a potential semifinal opponent, Djokovic surely recognizes that this is a huge chance.

Assuming he plays near his usual level, however, he should be able to strike first in baseline rallies against Moya and come through. Moya sees the court very well and has an excellent topspin lob, but his bread and butter is steady aggression from the back, and Djokovic’s new-breed groundies present a tough challenge. If the third seed doesn’t go for his shots, however (it’s happened a few times during this event), Moya will be able to take charge.

Prediction: Djokovic.