With the fourth round of Wimbledon in the books, it's time to highlight which players are on the rise and which ones look most vulnerable heading into the next round. Players who have been eliminated are of little interest to fantasy owners as the tournament unfolds, so this column is meant to take a look ahead based on what's happened so far rather than reflect on the past.
The favorites are still going strong on both the men's and women's sides, with Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams looking like title favorites in their respective divisions. While the top players are stealing the headlines, some underdogs on both sides are out to prove they aren't done making noise, either.
MEN
STOCK UP
Novak Djokovic - Nobody should be shocked that all three of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are still in the draw, but it's amazing just how easily they dispatched of the competition in the Round of 16, with none of the men dropping more than eight games. While there are some quality grass-court players left in the draw, it seems unlikely anyone outside the Big 3 will beat one of its members. That all works out for Djokovic considering Nadal and Federer would meet in the semifinals while he wouldn't have to play one of them until the final.
Roberto Bautista Agut - Three semifinal spots are likely to be captured by the Big 3, and Bautista Agut has a terrific opportunity to seize the fourth. He hasn't lost a set in this tournament, and the 2019 Australian Open quarterfinalist will be favored here against Guido Pella, who is on a terrific run but has just an 8-9 career grass-court record.
STOCK DOWN
Kei Nishikori - Nishikori has equaled his career best Wimbledon result from last year, but the No. 8 seed will be a massive underdog against Federer. Federer has a 7-3 career edge in their head-to-head, and he's locked in right now, having won 12 straight sets since losing the first set against Lloyd Harris in the opening round.
SLEEPER
David Goffin - While Sam Querrey has the best shot of upsetting a Big 3 member in the quarterfinals against Nadal, Goffin is the better dark horse pick for winning the whole title. He would be a clear favorite in the semis should he upset Djokovic, and the Belgian is in great form at the moment, with a 10-2 record on grass this season.
WOMEN
STOCK UP
Serena Williams - Some will say this was always Serena's tournament to lose, but that's certainly the case now, as Williams has looked sensational over the past two rounds while watching plenty of other contenders stumble. She dominated Carla Suarez Navarro in the Round of 16 and will not have to go through No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty, who lost to Alison Riske. While Riske and other future opponents have all had strong runs themselves to get here, it's hard not to view Williams as the heavy title favorite at this point.
Johanna Konta - Konta is one match away from reaching the semifinals here for the second time after consecutive wins over top-10 players (Sloane Stephens, Petra Kvitova). With only unseeded 33-year-old Barbora Strycova separating Konta from the semis, the British woman is in great position to get there. Based on her level throughout this tournament, Konta's likely the biggest obstacle standing between Williams and the title.
STOCK DOWN
Alison Riske - Riske is coming off the biggest win of her career -- 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 over Barty -- but the 29-year-old American will be hard-pressed to pull off an even bigger upset one day later against Serena. While Riske has demonstrated her ability on grass with a 14-1 record on the surface this season, nothing can truly prepare you for facing Serena in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
SLEEPER
Karolina Muchova - Muchova's the youngest player left in the draw at age 22, but she showed she belongs here with a thrilling 4-6, 7-5, 13-11 fourth-round win over No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova. All the pressure will be on eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina when these two meet in the quarters, giving Muchova the best chance of pulling an upset out of the four remaining unseeded players.
