Roger Federer is undoubtedly back to his best, having won Wimbledon and then the silver at the recently concluded Olympics. From grass, we're now on the hard courts of the US Open series as the Swiss ace prepares to battle budding Aussie Bernard Tomic.

Having had to settle for silver at the London Olympics as Andy Murray clinched gold, Federer looked weary and spent. Last week Roger skipped the Rogers Cup and with it and gained some much needed rest. It was a calculated move as the Swiss knew he would not surrender his World No.1 ranking no matter what happened. Now here in Cincinnati, Roger starts his build up to the US Open, aiming to win it for the sixth time in his illustrious career. 

Roger will be looking to add to his four crowns here in Cincinnati and certainly likes the hard courts of the Linder Family Tennis Center. He knows that he must get through these early rounds without working too hard as the a lurking Novak Djokovic awaits his arrival in the final (if both make it). Roger's win-loss record this year is at 51-7 this year.

Across the court – Tomic has been struggling to find some decent form this season. The Australian has a poor 20-20 win-loss record for the season and he is gunning for his maiden title on tour. Tomic made a spirited start to this tournament, as he defied the strong challenge American Ryan Harrsion on Monday in two testing sets with a 6-4, 7-6 scoreline. He need to produce another scintillating performance to beat Federer in the pre-quarter of this ATP World Tour 1000 Event.

These two have only played each other twice before and Roger came out on top on both occasions. TennisEarth once again picks a win for the in-form Federer in straight sets.