• Wimbledon, Day Six

Move over Lleyton, Australia has a new star

Bernard Tomic reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time © PA Photos

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What They Said

Despite being the youngest player in the men's draw, Bernard Tomic has been playing with the maturity of a veteran.

On Saturday, Tomic succeeded where Lleyton Hewitt failed, beating fifth seed Robin Soderling to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time in his career.

Hewitt, a champion at the All England Club in 2002, had Soderling on the ropes after winning the opening two sets in their second-round clash on Thursday. But the two-time French Open finalist showed the kind of grit that has seen him establish himself as a top-five player to bounce back and take the match in five.

Soderling avoided the upset and denied Tomic an all-Australian showdown against the former world No. 1. Hewitt, 30, has been the Australian No. 1 for well over a decade. With Tomic set to overtake Hewitt in the world rankings, it would have been a fitting passing of the baton for Australian tennis.

Tomic, currently ranked No. 158 in the world, has long been hailed as the future of Australian tennis, and the German-born teenager is beginning to show what the fuss is about. Admittedly, Tomic was playing a off-colour Soderling - the Swede was complaining of feeling dizzy and suffering from blurred vision - but it does not detract from what has been a stunning first week in SW19 from the Australian.

Having come through three rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw, the 18-year-old Australian pulled off a scalp in the first round, beating former world No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets. Tomic, who had never previously won a match at Wimbledon, then went on to win another - battling back from two sets and a break down to beat another Russian - Igor Andreev 4-6 5-7 6-3 6-4 6-1.

And you would not bet against him going one better. After three big wins, the Australian will believe he is capable of another upset against his next opponent, Xavier Malisse. The unseeded Belgian is a classy grass-court player, having reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon back in 2002. But Tomic has all the weapons to overpower the 30-year-old.

Tomic has been practicing with world No. 2 Novak Djokovic on the courts at Aorangi Park, and the Australian Open champion believes Tomic is one of the stars of the future.

"He can be a surprise of the tournament,'' Djokovic said after Tomic's win over Davydenko. "I think he's one of the most talented young players out there. He's still young. There's still a long way to go for him but he has the game to beat some really big players.''

They don't get much bigger than Soderling, as Djokovic's prediction proved spot-on. Back in 2005, two 18-year-olds reach the third round at Wimbledon - Andy Murray and Djokovic. Both lost. Tomic eclipsed them both on Saturday.

Should Tomic find his way past Malisse on Monday, a potential quarter-final showdown awaits against the very man who prophesized his rise. Could Tomic be capable of an even bigger surprise - taking down Djokovic?

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