Italian Open 2016: Start Times, TV Channel For Djokovic, Nadal, Murray Following Federer's Loss

Novak Djokovic could meet Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals in Rome with a win on Thursday. Getty

Following Roger Federer’s loss in the third round of the 2016 Italian Open, the rest of tennis’ Big Four looks to avoid upsets on Thursday. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are all set to play in Rome with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.

Nadal might be the most prone to a loss, and he’ll be the first one to take the court. The King of Clay goes up against Nick Kyrgios, who has upset Nadal on the big stage in the past. The last time the two players met, Kyrgios beat Nadal in four sets to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2014.

Nadal’s match starts sometime after 9:30 a.m. ET, and Murray won’t take the court until after Stan Wawrinka and Juan Monaco are done with their match. Murray is a -900 favorite at Bovada.lv to defeat Jeremy Chardy in the third round. Murray is looking to win his first tournament of 2016, and his attempts have been stymied by the sport’s top players. Nadal beat him in the semifinals in Monte Carlo, while Djokovic topped him in the finals of both the Madrid and Australian Open.

Djokovic already has five singles titles this year, though his last loss was a major upset when he fell in the second round in Monte Carlo to Jiri Vesely. That’s not expected to happen on Thursday when he faces Thomaz Bellucci, against whom he has -2500 betting odds. Djokovic’s match begins sometime after 1:30 p.m. ET.

If both Djokovic and Nadal win, they’ll meet in the quarterfinals. If Federer had survived, he would have faced one of the two in the semifinals. Murray can’t face Djokovic or Nadal until the finals.

Federer was expected to win on Thursday, but his loss shouldn’t be all that shocking. He contemplated withdrawing from the tournament after Wednesday’s win, and he admitted that he was “too far off” to win the Italian Open this year.

The Tennis Channel will have coverage of the matches for Nadal, Murray and Djokovic. All the action can be seen with a free live stream online with Tennis Channel Everywhere.