An intriguing probability in the Wimbledon men’s singles draw prepared Friday morning is that the only two seeded Americans, No. 6 Andy Roddick and No. 9 James Blake, will meet in the fourth round. In head-to-head matchups between the two top Americans, Roddick holds a career 6-2 lead, but Blake has won the last two meetings, both in 2006, including once on grass at the Queens Club of London (that was their only meeting on grass). Roddick’s last win over Blake came in 2005 in Washington. The Davis Cup teammates have never played each other in a Grand Slam. Whoever gets past that fourth round has a good draw until the semifinals, when the path most likely will lead to Rafael Nadal. Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are in the top half of the draw and would meet in the semis barring upsets.

In other American men opening matches:

–Mardy Fish plays No. 8 seed Richard Gasquet. Perhaps he can avenge his buddy Roddick’s quarterfinal loss to the Frechman in last year’s Wimbledon.

–”Oh, no, not you again,” Robby Ginepri must have said when he saw the draw. He plays No. 15 seed Fernando Gonzalez, the same player who stopped Ginepri’s run at the French Open and also beat him in the first round of Wimbledon last year. He is 0-4 career against Gonzalez.

–Big serving Sam Querry plays No. 21 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, on paper a seed but on grass perhaps give the edge to the big Californian. They have never played.

–Wayne Odesnik, fresh of his third-round run at Roland Garros, has a touch match in No. 24 seed Jarkko Nieminen, a name that is as tough to say as it is spell.

–Jesse Levine and Donald Young play in the first round. They have never played on tour. Young also drew an American in his first round at the French, losing to Ginepri.

–Other Americans in the draw include John Isner, who with a win would most certainly meet Nadal in the second round; qualifier Kim, who with a win would run upagainst Federer in the second; wildcard recipient Vince Spadea who plays Swede Thomas Johansson; and Bobby Reynolds, who with a win in the first round would be in line to play David Nalbandian.

Check out the draw, and if you are really bored, you can read the Wimbledon blog that chronicles moment-by-moment the scintillating act of the names being selected.

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