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Roger Federer should get his first challenge today when he faces an opponent from the past. The Swiss world No.1 who’s captured five Wimbledons in succession will take on the last player to defeat him at the All England Club on grass. That’s hard slugging Croatian Mario Ancic, who’s had a successful return back from sickness making the quarters.

The 24 year-old former top 10 player’s latest big win came at the expense of No.22 seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco rallying from two sets back to pull out a lengthy five setter prevailing 13-11 in the final set on Court 11 Monday.

Now he’ll step up in competition and try to duplicate his 2002 second round shocker when he beat Federer as an unknown 18 year-old qualifier. Since then, all the popular 26 year-old Swede has done is reel off a record 63 straight on grass. He’s continued to look like the player to beat having swept through former ‘02 Wimbledon champ Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-2. He still hasn’t dropped a set and looks very focused on making history by becoming the first player in more than a century to win six in a row.

Still, given how Ancic is playing, it promises to be an intriguing match. His all court game and big serve could make things interesting. A couple of tiebreakers aren’t out of the realm of possibility. It will be his biggest match since losing to American Andy Roddick in a very competitive five set semi a few years ago on this very same surface in London.

We’ll see if he can threaten the greatest grasscourt male player later today.

Also in action will be British (Scottish) hope Andy Murray, who will look to continue a great run when he takes on No.2 ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Nadal has looked very sharp and set on making a third consecutive finals appearance having dropped just one set. Murray valiantly fought back from two sets down and a break to comeback and beat last year’s French semifinalist No.8 seeded Richard Gasquet. The lanky Scot served extremely well and returned superbly also tracking down some balls which defied logic like his around the net backhand winner to capture the third set electrifying a pro-Murray crowd.

It’s no secret who a vast majority of the supporters will be pulling for.

Also in action will be 28 year-old veteran Russian Marat Safin as he looks to make his first ever Wimbledon semi against Spanish big lefty serve and volleyer Feliciano Lopez who fought off three match points against Marcos Baghdatis in the fifth set before coming back to advance. It promises to be a very good match with five sets not out of the question.

The other quarter features the biggest surprises in vets Rainer Schuettler and Arnaud Clement. The winner will make the semis and draw either Nadal or Murray while the Safin-Lopez winner gets either Federer or Ancic.

Meanwhile, the Williams sisters moved one step closer to facing each other by both prevailing in their quarterfinals in straight sets. Defending champion Venus will take on the highest seeded player remaining in No.5 Russian Elena Dementieva while Serena faces surprise wildcard Jie Zheng from China.

The women get a day off. 

It should be a fun day of tennis.