The first day of the Australian Open kicks off tomorrow at Melbourne Park. The tennis review looks at the five most intriguing matches.
Mikhail Youzhny Vs Rafael Nadal (3)
Head to head: Nadal leads 11-4
This match sees two of the tour’s most experienced players facing off and is rightly one of the highlights, if not the highlight, of the first day with many pundits predicting Nadal might be in danger of an upset.
Nadal is 4-4 since his October 2014 comeback from his post Wimbledon injury. Meanwhile Youzhny is one of the unseeded players no one wants to meet early on in the event.
Youzhny, ranked 49, reached a high of 8 in 2008, the year he upset Nadal on his way to the U.S Open semis. Right now, Youzhny is far off his peak but he is still capable of a big win.
The 32 year old Russian is as rusty as Nadal is, however, if his loss to 171st ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili in Doha is anything to go by. That was nearly as bad a loss as Nadal’s was to qualifier Michael Berrer.
Both men, however, have had a couple of weeks to get their games back in order. And with two veterans like these- the two met a decade ago in Melbourne, an epic five setter that went the way of Nadal-their sense of occasion should bring out the best in them, at least competitively, if not form-wise.
Unfortunately, for Youzhny, Nadal is the biggest competitor on the tour, and the 14 time slam champ has what it takes to win best of five set matches at slams when playing below his best and if matters get ugly in this contest, Nadal will have the edge.
Prediction: It may not be pretty, but it will be highly entertaining, and Nadal should emerge in four rusty but worthy sets of tennis.
Dustin Brown Vs Grigor Dimitrov (11)
Head to head: Dimitrov leads 1-0.
Dimitrov’s surge up the ATP Tour rankings (he broke into the top 10 in August) has been on the slide since making last year’s Wimbledon final. As the season entered its final third, Dimitrov slumped, and fell back out the top ten while other prospects in his generation, Raonic and Nishikori, cemented themselves in the top ten.
Dimitrov seems to have sorted himself out somewhat though and his pre-Melbourne form was good- he made the Brisbane semi-finals- though he lost tamely to Federer 2-6, 2-6.
This opening round is a tough one for Dimitrov, especially if he is suffering confidence wise. Brown is a streaky player who can blast winners
on demand on his day. If Dimitrov is below par, Brown will be there to take advantage as he did against Nadal in stunning fashion at last year’s Halle event.
Brown, ranked 90, also comes into the event on the back of a last eight finish in Doha where he beat two players ranked above him before losing to eventual champion Ferrer. That should give him some confidence and make him even more dangerous.
Prediction: Brown will go for his shots and push Dimitrov, perhaps taking a set. The Bulgarian though should have too much variety, has shown good form this season, and is the better player of the two, and that should be reflected in the result.
Thanasi Kokkinakis Vs Ernest Gulbis
Gulbis went out in the first round in Auckland. He could easily meet the same fate in Melbourne against the talented young Australian, aged 18 and ranked 147. Many are waiting for Kokkinakis to get his breakout win on the tour and it could come against the enigmatic Latvian.
Last year Kokkinakis made the second round, where he lost to Nadal. So he is not new to big matches in slams. He will also have the home crowd support, something which may rattle Gulbis if he gets out the wrong side of bed.
Kokkinakis also had a huge win over 25th ranked Julien Benneteau in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, winning in straight sets. If he can maintain that form, and handle the pressure of playing one of the seeds most likely to get upset, he could grab a noteworthy win.
The match, though, is on Gulbis’ racket. If he has shrugged off his recent ill health, and is up for it, he could wipe the floor with the youngster.
An unpredictable match, and one well worth watching.
Prediction: Kokkinakis to win in five whirlwind sets.
Jiri Vesely Vs Viktor Troicki
Head to head: 0-0
What a shame that the two pre-tournament champions (Vesely won Auckland, Troicki won Sydney) should meet in the first round. Both are on the verge of a shift in momentum career wise with Troicki winning his first tournament since his comeback from a doping ban and Vesely making good on his youthful promise.
Troicki is a steady top 20-30 player, while Vesely is a potential top 10 player with a huge serve and ever improving game. He also favors clay courts and slow hard courts, where he has the time to set up his big groundstrokes powered by long back swings, and so plexicushion will suit him.
Troicki on the other hand is more all rounded than Vesely, and showed great willingness to come to the net in his Sydney run. He has finer touch and more shots at his disposal. He could outwit the Czech if he manages to work his way into his return games, and embroil him in long rallies.
Prediction: This contrast of styles could go either way. Troicki has more experience at this level, and that should make the difference. He should win in four tight sets.
Jeremy Chardy Vs Borna Coric
Head to head 0-0
Coric is hiting the headlines a lot recently since his win over Nadal last season in Basel. And not just for his tennis, but his words. The self proclaimed, and to be fair by many others, too, best player of his generation will have his work cut out against the experienced Chardy who has one of the tour’s most attractive games, and likes the Melbourne courts, upsetting del Potro in the 2013 event on his way to the last eight.
Prediction: Chardy is 2-2 this season, and took Dimitrov to a final set tiebreak in Brisbane. Coric is 1-2. Chardy is the more match tough due to his Dimitrov battle, and should have too much all round game and experience for Coric at this stage of his career. Chardy to win in four sets.
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