By Kamakshi Tandon

R. Federer (SUI) [1] vs. R. Gasquet (FRA) [12]Centre Court – 12:00 am 
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Fed vs. “Baby Fed” – quite an apt match-up. Too bad it’s not likely to be a close one. Gasquet did stun Federer in their first meeting at Monte Carlo two years ago, but has lost their next five encounters. What's important this time around, however, is not their head-to-head history but their history so far in this tournament.

Gasquet has certainly earned his first appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal. The 21-year-old produced an inspired performance to come from two sets and a break down to defeat Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals – Roddick hit an impressive 60 winners to 29 unforced errors, but that was nothing compared to 93 winners and 29 unforced errors from Gasquet.

If Gasquet can play like that again, even Federer will be trouble. But after finishing late in the evening on Friday night, Gasquet will have to dig very deep to produce the form he’ll need to topple a much fresher Federer on Centre Court.

Prediction: Federer

M. Bartoli (FRA) [18] vs. V. Williams (USA) [23]Centre Court – 2nd match
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If Venus’ presence here is a slight surprise, Bartoli’s is a complete stunner. She was down a set and a break against top seed Justine Henin before suddenly finding her range (thanks to Pierce Brosnan's presence in the stands, she says). Henin, unable to respond, lost 10 of the next 12 games and sent Bartoli into her first Grand Slam final. Like her compatriot Gasquet, the Frenchwoman had never been past the fourth round before.

That means nerves could be a factor for Bartoli, and things could be over quickly it she comes out nervous. If she doesn’t, her hard two-fisted groundstrokes could make it a good contest, though Venus' edge in speed will give her a big advantage.

As for Venus, she caught fire during her fourth-round meeting against Maria Sharapova and hasn’t cooled off since. Unless she has a letdown facing someone like Bartoli rather than (as expected) Henin , Venus should end the day holding aloft the trophy for the fourth time.

Prediction: Venus Williams

N. Djokovic (SRB) [4] vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2]Court No. 1 – 12:00 am
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The situation here is similar to the first men’s semifinal – a player who had an easy match facing a player who had a long and exhausting one. Djokovic let a two-set lead slip away again Marcos Baghdatis slip away before somehow escaping in five. The match took five hours, and came a day after a four-plus hour struggle against Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth-round. He’s paid for his adventures, slipping badly against Hewitt and receiving treatment for a lower back problem against Baghdatis.

Now to turn around and face the Nadal in all his indomitability? Talk about Mission Near-Impossible.

Nadal, meanwhile, has bounced back nicely after his multi-day epic against Robin Soderling and his come-from-behind epic against Mikhail Youzny earlier this week. An unexpectedly straightforward win over Tomas Berdych was a welcome respite, with both players saying the wind had hampered Berdych’s big-hitting game. He’ll be raring to go against a sapped Djokovic.

Whatever happens tomorrow, though, both players have demonstrated once again that they’re the two mentally-toughest players among the young guns.

Prediction: Nadal