While Venus Williams enjoys a heaven-sent draw in the top half of the ladies’ singles bracket at Wimbledon, the bottom half of the draw is about to have its heavyweight encounter.

On the best day of the entire tennis calendar–when every round of 16 match is played in both the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles fields – the biggest story to emerge from the WTA side of The Championships was the formalization of a quality quarterfinal matchup: Victoria Azarenka versus Serena Williams. The eighth-seeded Azarenka labored past 10th-rated Nadia Petrova, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3, in 145 minutes on Court 3, while Serena coasted through her fourth-round encounter, demolishing unseeded Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3, 6-1, in a tidy 56 minutes on Court 2.

The excitement surrounding Azarenka-Williams is justified for a number of reasons. First of all, the schedule at Wimbledon puts the ladies’ quarterfinals on Tuesday, just one day after the extravaganza of “Fourth Round Monday.” With no men’s matches stealing any publicity from the elites in women’s tennis, Azarenka and Serena will have the big stage all to themselves, and it’s appropriate that the Centre Court spotlight should fall so fully on these two hard-hitting powerhouses.

Serena, to be sure, enjoys the far more decorated career, a resume graced by 10 Grand Slam championships and numerous other scalps from more than a decade spent in the salt mines of the WTA Tour. With that having been said, Azarenka possesses the spunk and tenacity needed to trade punches with the greatest active player in women’s tennis. Recent matches between the two foes indicate as much.

At the Australian Open in January, Azarenka swiped the first set from Serena in the fourth round of the tournament, before a series of dizzy spells forced the 19-year-old Belorussian to retire while trailing in the second set. Serena did go on to win the title in Melbourne, but the American superstar couldn’t deny the fact that this teenager from Central Europe outhit her for most of that afternoon Down Under.

In April, Azarenka gained revenge in the finals of the Sony Ericsson Open. With Serena’s legs heavily wrapped up, the American was barely able to move toward the end of the proceedings. Nevertheless, a fitter, finer Azarenka never lost sight of the ball… or the finish line. Blocking out any and all distractions, the young woman who has been mentored and encouraged in recent years by Chicago Blackhawks NHL goalie Nikolai Khabibulin displayed the dialed-in determination of a Stanley Cup champion. Pounding serves and drilling groundstrokes, Azarenka seized the jugular against her wounded opponent, polishing off Serena, 6-3, 6-1, for the biggest title of her burgeoning career.

This Wimbledon quarterfinal represents something of a grudge match for these residents of the top 10. Both women have lost to the other, due in large part to physical deficiencies. Both women have shown the ability to dictate play from the baseline and impose their will on the other. Serena–as a result of her championship credentials and major tournament experience–will carry a clear edge into combat on Tuesday, but Azarenka owns the artillery that can turn the Serena’s seasoned swagger into an irrelevant issue.

With floaters and surprises such as Francesca Schiavone, Agnieszka Radwanska, and Sabine Lisicki populating the round of eight in the ladies’ singles field, prime-time tilts are few and far between. When Victoria Azarenka stares down Serena Williams on “Ladies’ Day” at Wimbledon, fans of women’s tennis will get at least one sexy showdown before Saturday’s grand finale.