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The Fourth round of the Australian Open is here and the line up has some blockbuster matches. Andy Murray versus Grigor Dimitrov should be the highlight of the day while Tomas Berdych versus Bernard Tomic and Nick Krygios against Andreas Seppi are certain to get the Melbourne crowds fired up. The Tennis Review previews and predicts the four fourth round matches on day seven of the 2015 Australian Open.

Andy Murray (6) Vs Grigor Dimitrov (10).

Head to head: Murray leads 4-2

Back at Wimbledon 2014, Dimitrov beat Murray in straight sets to make his first Slam semi-final. Since then, the Bulgarian has been slumping, while Murray has been getting his game back together.

This Australian Open, Murray, a three time runner-up in Melbourne, has been in good form. He has not dropped a set. Dimitrov was impressive in his first round match, but dropped a set to Lukas Lacko, and was taken to five by Marcos Baghdatis.

Baghdatis was inspired, though, and that match will have toughened Dimitrov up. He will also have learned a lot from it, namely that he has to be aggressive and go for his shots, play the tennis that helped him crack the top ten back last August.

The kind of passive play that the Bulgarian showed in the past six months is the kind that enabled Murray to beat him 6-3, 6-3 late last year at the Paris Indoors.

Prediction: With Federer gone, Murray will be eager to take advantage of a Kyrgios/Seppi last eight meeting, and further down the line, a probable clash against Nadal. That should bring out the best in Murray, and he should win in four sets.

Tomas Berdych (7) Vs Bernard Tomic.

Head to head: Berdych leads 2-0.

Berdych’s two victories over Tomic have both come at Wimbledon and have both been in four sets.

Berdych is in some of the best form of his career. He made the Doha final and has not dropped a set so far in Melbourne. Tomic is also in good form, having made the last eight in both Brisbane and Sydney, and upsetting 22nd seed Philipp Kohlschreiber on his way to the third round.

Tomic has been to the fourth round of the Australian before, in 2012 (d. by Federer). A talented player with great hands, he can also serve big. The 22 year old has also vowed to stay away from alcohol until he wins a slam and is finally appearing to take his tennis seriously.

Berdych, though, is also reevaluating his career. He recently hired Murray’s former assistant coach Danny Vallverdu and has spoken about his dreams to win an elusive slam. The furthest he has gotten is Wimbledon 2010 when he made the final, and aged 29, he knows his opportunities are getting less and less.

This Australian Open may inspire him, too. He was within a few serves here and there of getting past Stan Wawrinka in his semi-final last year, and had he not made a few poor choices in tiebreaks, he may have been the champion against an injured Nadal. Memories of that performance might be enough to stir him on should Tomic prove to be a handful.

Prediction: Berdych is in top form and the plexicushion is great for his clean hitting game. The Czech should win this match in five sets.

Kevin Anderson (14) Vs Rafael Nadal (2)

Head to head: Nadal leads 1-0.

Kevin Anderson will have to play the match of his life against Rafael Nadal if he is to stand a chance of upsetting the number two seed and making the quarter finals of the Australian Open.

The Spaniard recovered well from his second round battle and lost only seven games in his third round match. Also, Nadal has not lost before the quarter finals of the Australian Open since 2005 (did not play 2006, 2013).

If Anderson wants to upset Nadal, he has to serve big – repeating, or even bettering his 69% first rate against Gasquet in the third round- and compile a similar 52-29 ratio of winners to unforced errors.

He would also need Nadal to play below his best, which is possible considering his recent form, and to get the match won in straight sets.

Prediction: Most likely Nadal is going to be consistent and too much of a big match player to lose this one. Nadal wins in straight sets.

Nick Kyrgios Vs Andreas Seppi

Head to head 1-0.

This is a great moment for both men. Seppi is coming off his best career win, (d. Federer), and Kyrgios is showing again what a big match player he is after making the last eight of Wimbledon and the last 32 of the U.S Open last season.

Kyrgios will have the home crowd behind him, Seppi will have the confidence of his Federer win and, aged 30, far more experience than his 19 year old opponent.

What Kyrgios has in his favor that may prove to be the difference is his game. He is a big serving shotmaker and fearless, too. In 2014, at the U.S Open, Seppi’s solid baseline game could not match up to the firepower of the Australian.

Seppi would need to stay with Kyrgios deep into every set and use his experience to take advantage should the Australian’s performance drop.

Prediction: Kyrgios has the game and the home support to take this in four sets.

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Andreas Seppi’s defeat of Roger Federer (2) was the big story of the third round. The defeat opened up that quarter of the draw and was especially helpful for Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov who have both suffered heavy defeats to Federer recently (Murrayat the WTF, Dimitrov in Brisbane).

Seppi played his solid brand of backcourt tennis, and Federer spoke of how he was weary of the Italian’s forehand and backhand before the match. The Italian was also experienced enough to take advantage of Federer’s ‘bad day’. The win was especially satisfying as Seppi managed to close out the match, a feat he did not achieve back in 2012 in the fourth round of Roland Garros when he led Novak Djokovic two sets to love.

Murray (6) cruised past Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-1, 7-5. He now faces his Wimbledon 2014 conqueror Grigor Dimitrov (10)  who had to battle for five sets to get past 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis. Murray will be the favorite to make the semis if he gets past Dimitrov as he has head to head leads over both Kevin Anderson and Nick Kyrgios who will face off in the other last sixteen match in that quarter. Murray, if he makes it to the semis, might want to send a thank-you note to Seppi- the Scot won only one game the last time he met Federer last November.

Impressive displays.

Federer’s subpar display was in stark contrast to the one given by the man man he was seeded to meet in the last four, Rafael Nadal (3). The third seed tore through Dudi Sela for the loss of seven games. It was a return to grand slam form for Nadal who was pushed to five sets by Tim Smyczek in his second round match.

Another impressive display was by defending champion Stan Wawrinka (4) who beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 and showed no signs of an elbow injury apparently picked up in his tough second round win. The Swiss will play surprise last sixteener Guillermo Garcia-Lopez who beat Vasek Pospisil in straights. The in form Wawrinka now has a chance to avenge his first round defeat to Garcia at last year’s Roland Garros.

Thomas Berdych (7) was also impressive. The Czech beat Troicki, the in form Sydney champion 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic  (1) was more businesslike than anything in his defeat of Fernando Verdasco (31), winning 7-6, (8), 6-3, 6-4. The Serbian had raced through his two opening matches and was tested by the Spaniard who was a semi-finalist in Melbourne back in 2009.

Feliciano Lopez  (12) beat Jerzy Janowicz in straight sets, and Gilles Muller, famous for knocking Andy Roddick out of the 2005 U.S Open, upset another American, this time John Isner (19), in straight sets.

Milos Raonic (8) continued his under the radar progress as he beat Benjamin Becker 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Worrying moments

Kei Nishikori (5) dropped the first set of his match on a tiebreak to Steve Johnson, but quickly pulled himself together and dropped just six more games.

David Ferrer (9) also dropped a set to Gilles Simon (18), who led him 2-1 on hard courts before their match. The Frenchman came back from 2-5 down in the fourth set playing a sublime mix of defense and offense, to take the fourth set to a tiebreak, but Ferrer secured an immediate minibreak and held serve to close out the match.

Upsets

Kevin Anderson (14) turned the tables on Richard Gasquet (24). The Frenchman led him 4-1 in their head to head, but the South African won in straight sets, and was helped out a little by the Frenchman who choked leads in the second and third set tiebreaks.

Home victories.

Australia had two winners in the last 32, both unseeded. Bernard Tomic beat Same Groth in straight sets and Nick Kyrgios beat Malek Jaziri, also in straight sets.

Italian Andreas Seppi, who had only won a single set off Roger Federer in ten matches, won three of them today as he beat the Swiss 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 in the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

In the first set, Seppi, ranked 46,  who had come out swinging freely on his groundstrokes, held break points at 0-40, 4-4. He proved it was not just a threat, either, executing the perfect strategy as he kept Federer back with his ground strokes – his forehand working especially well as it attacked the Swiss’ backhand, and the Italian drew an error from a Federer inside out forehand to grab the break.

Serving for the first set, the Italian looked like he might wobble as Federer held two break points at 15-40. However the Swiss netted an easy return and then missed a forehand, the shot that would prove crucial to both men’s fortunes in the game. Federer got himself another chance to break back when he ended a long rally with a forehand winner, only for Seppi to then work his own forehand to good effect into the corner of the court to Federer’s forehand side and draw an error. A Federer forehand error then gave Seppi set point and the Italian took it with a service winner.

Seppi saved break points early in the second set , and then broke Federer at 1-1 with a backhand volley, a putaway winner. Federer then broke straight back, his roar and pumped fist a sign of how tough this  match, which on paper looked so smooth for the Swiss, felt.

Seppi broke again to lead 5-4 as he tracked down a Federer forehand to his backhand side, got his racket on it and sent it dropping into the court for a winner. Perhaps it was his day after all. Federer, though, got his own stroke of luck as he broke back immediately, his forehand clipping the net and trickling over on break point.

In the second set tie-breaker. Federer led 5-3 but Seppi got back the mini break as his forehand return to Federer’s forehand had too much pace and Federer errored. A beautiful volley and a passing shot winner and Seppi was 6-5 up, holding another set point. A huge return from the Italian’s backhand forced a net rushing Federer into error and Seppi was leading two sets to love.

Federer broke at 1-1 in the third, and began to impose himself, finally, holding serve all the way to 5-4 and then serving out to love. His authority now back on this match-up, it seemed like he was back in control.

Federer carried over that  momentum into the fourth set, holding break point in the first game. But Seppi peppered the backhand with his reliable forehand and got the error and then held serve.

Federer kept to his aggressive game plan, believing his strategy would get him the win whatever his form, even chipping and charging at 2-2 30-30 on the return. Seppi’s passing shot was too good though and he held serve.

The match moved into a fourth set tiebreaker as Seppi refused to yield to history. History that threatened to repeat itself. Three times Federer got the mini-break in the tie-break only to be broken back by a stubborn Seppi. At 5-5, Seppi got a look at a second serve and he made it count as he pounded it with his forehand, getting Federer off balance. That forehand would end the point a few shots later, a crosscourt winner that painted the line. Seppi was a now a point within his first ever win over Federer.

Federer did not relent match point down. He stayed true to his plan, and could not have done any more than he did. He attacked the return, sending Seppi scurrying to his backhand side, and moved into the net, volleying to Seppi’s forehand corner, the Italian seemingly off balance. Seppi ran down the shot regardless, swung at the ball and hit a passing shot. Federer let it go and it landed in, sending him out of the tournament.

Federer said after the match he knew it was landing in as soon as he let it go. How soon will he let this loss go? Quickly. There was nothing to read into it, he said post match. A bad day, nothing more. His worst at the Ozzie Open since 2003 when he lost in the quarter-finals.

A great day for Seppi, though. One that ended with a slice of luck. One he earned. He got himself to match point after all against a player who he had lost ten consecutive matches to. He did it, he said, because he was more experienced now. More experienced than the Seppi who in 2012 at Roland Garros let a 2 sets to love against Novak Djokovic slip through his fingers. He was more in control of his emotions now. He just wanted to enjoy the game.

Perseverance, hard work, a great attitude and a touch of calm got Seppi there, to his first win over Federer, the biggest win, he said of his career. The luck was just the icing on the cake that, finally, after all this time, helped him over the line.

Commentary by Christian Deverille

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The sixth day of the Australian Open sees a possibly injured defending champion going up against an ATP veteran plus two other intriguing matches. The tennis review previews and predicts what will happen on the final day of third round play at Melbourne Park.

Stan Wawrinka (4) Vs Jarkko Nieminen

Head to head: 1-1

Defending champion Wawrinka is reported to have an elbow injury. If he is at all injured, Nieminen is one of the players he would least wish to come up against. Nieminen, ranked 72, was once as high as 13 back in 2006, and while he may be 33 years old, he has the experience to take advantage of an out of sorts Wawrinka.

Nieminen has history at the Australian Open, too, making the last eight in 2008.

On his run to the third round this week, he beat Andrey Gobulev and Matthias Bachinger. The Finn has made the most of a good draw, and will be ready to take his opportunity against Wawrinka.

Nieminen may be short of big wins recently, but he did take a set off Nishikori late last season, and Wawrinka would be unwise to underestimate him. The Swiss, who only last September lost to 103 rd ranked Tatsuma Ito, is only just emerging from a slump after winning his first slam and the injury could derail him.

Prediction: Wawrinka to win in straights if fit, but if injured, Nieminen to win in five.

Feliciano Lopez (12) Vs Jerzy Janowicz

Head to head 0-0

This contest sees the serve and volleyer Lopez up against the big serving big hitting Janowicz.

Janowicz has been getting back into form since slumping the first half of last season, while Lopez is at a career high ranking of 14, peaking at the age of 33.

Lopez was lucky to come through his last match. He was two sets to one down until his opponent, Mannarino, retired. And he just scraped through his first round against Denis Kudla 10-8 in the third.

His slice will trouble Janowicz, who at 203cm will not want to have to get down too often to pick up balls. The slice will also open up the court and allow Lopez to ply his trade at the net. But his recent results show that strategy has not been working too well.

The plexi-cushion surface in Melbourne is not the fastest of hard court surfaces, so Janowicz, who is stronger at the back of the court than Lopez, will have time to get to balls and pass Lopez at the net.

Janowicz has been tested this week, coming through five sets against Gael Monfils in his previous round and will certainly be match tough. He will be able to get more of a rhythm going against Lopez who is not going to throw in too much variety. But the same is true vica versa and both men should hold serve relatively comfortable.

So this math could be decided on the lottery that are tiebreaks.

Prediction: Janowicz to win in four tough sets, the plexicushion favoring his style over Lopez’s.

David Ferrer (9) Vs Gilles Simon (18)

Ferrer leads 5-2.

Ferrer may lead the head to head, but Simon leads Ferrer 2-1 on hard and the two met at the U.S Open last year, a match Simon won in four.

Ferrer is on a seven match winning streak though, though he has been shaky this tournament so far,  while Simon lost to 125th ranked James Duckworth in his only pre-event match, winning only four games, but was impressive in his first two matches.

Both have good history in Melbourne- Ferrer is a former semi-finalist at the tournament and Simon was a quarter-finalist in 2009.

This match will feature plenty of long rallies and breaks of serve and will come down to who keeps it together mentally. That may prove to be Simon who can draw upon his U.S Open win last season over Ferrer if matters get tough in the fifth.

Prediction: Simon to win in five.

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Day five of the Australian Open and the first day of the third round sees things getting serious down under as we get closer to the business end of the event. Three of the most intriguing matches see a veteran hungry to win his first slam versus a man with a point to prove, a giant of the tour with a chance to turn around a head to head, and an former finalist and all time talent versus a fresher face seeking to reach his first slam championship match. The tennis review previews the action and gives its predictions.

Thomas Berdych (7) Vs Viktor Troicki

Head to head: Berdych leads 5-1

This match between two of the most in form players in the tournament is the match of the day.

Berdych was a runner up in Doha and played great tennis all the way to the final, and Troicki was impressive in his Sydney win.

Berdych lost his first meeting with Troicki but has not dropped a set to him since. The last time they played, on a similar medium paced slow court in Beijing in September 2013, Berdych won 6-3, 6-4.

But Troicki has, like Berdych, started 2015 an inspired man. With a point to prove after his doping ban, Troicki is making up for last time, and tennis is full of players making a name for themselves post doping bans ( See Cilic, Coria, Puerta for examples).

The Serbian is on a ten match winning streak and while Berdych may not be a good match up for him, if he is ever going to make a match of it against the seventh seed, it is now.

With both men playing some of their best tennis recently, and both hungry for success- Berdych has spoken recently how he wants to win a slam before his career is out- this is going to be a high quality contest with plenty at stake.

Prediciton: Berdych to win in five.

Kevin Anderson (14) Vs Richard Gasquet (24)

Head to head: Gasquet leads 4-1

Gasquet matches up well with Anderson- his flair and back court skills enable him to outwit the big serving hard hitting 14th seed. He has beaten him in four of their five hard court meetings and won all four tiebreak sets they have played.

This would be a big win for Gasquet, currently ranked 28 after being ranked 14 last U.S Open. But Anderson will not be a push over. The 203 cm tall South African has served 46 aces and only dropped a set so far this Australian Open. Meanwhile Gasquet has was taken to five sets in his first round against Igor Sisling.

Gasquet can also put in some passive performances against the big hitters- see his recent loss to Berdych to Doha in which he won 3 games- and if Anderson comes out serving aces and getting short balls, Gasquet may find himself stuck far behind the baseline where he is prone to be overpowered by players of the big hitting ilk of Anderson.

Gasquet will have to come out ready to show off his variety and take some risks. That is something he has not been doing of late, but the prospect of a slam last sixteen match might push him forward to rip that backhand and move in to finish the points.

Prediction: Anderson to lessen his deficit to Gasquet, takes the match in five.

Marcos Baghdatis Vs Grigor Dimitrov (10)

Head to head: Dimitrov leads 5-1.

Two huge talents and shot makers, often to the detriment of their results, will go head to head in the third round here.

Both men are willing to sacrifice wins for applause, though Baghdatis has taken it to greater heights than Dimitrov. The 2006 finalist is, arguably, the most wasted talent of the last decade, and his revival this Australian Open is much welcomed.

He will certainly welcome the chance to upset Dimitrov. The Bulgarian has been slumping the last six months, though his recent run to the last four in Brisbane, and his two straight wins in Melbourne suggest that slump is over.

Baghdatis will certainly test if that is true or not. The Cypriot thrashed 2oth seed David Goffin in the previous round, taking the fourth and final set of their match 6-0. Baghdatis has nothing to lose, a wealth of experience, and loves big matches in Melbourne, and Dimitrov had better be up for a battle.

Prediction: Dimitrov to win in four tough sets.

 

 

The second round of the 2015 Australian Open at Melbourne Park was scene to a series of upsets. 27 of 32 seeds may have made it through to the second round, but only 16 made it to the third. 

Rafael Nadal nearly made it seventeen. Nadal had the biggest scare of the top seeds when American qualifier Tim Smyczek took him to 7-5 in the fifth. The Spaniard, who had been so impressive in the first round, suffered a mysterious illness in the match. But despite his illness he still managed to win, and received not just help from the tournament trainer but also from his opponent who, returning at 5-6 0-30 down in the fifth, insisted Nadal get another chance at a first serve after he was disturbed by a shout from the crowd.

Nadal struggling early in a slam to an unknown is not unheard of, though. And if anything it might be a positive for him. Short of match practice, and unchallenged in the first round, this might be the match that he can draw upon when things get tough again later on.

More surprising was that tournament favorites Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori dropped a set each to Simon Bolleli and Ivan Dodig respectively. Worryingly, Federer reported a pain in his finger. The Swiss said he did not know if it was a blister or not, but it certainly affected his performance, and fans will hope it heals before he faces experienced Andreas Seppi in the next round. The Italian is in good form after knocking out 26th seed Jeremy Chardy.

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka had a tough time, too, as he was taken to two tiebreakers by Marius Copil before taking control of the match in the third.

Tough though their road was, all top ten seeds made it through to the third round.

The highest seed to be upset was unlucky No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut by Gilles Muller in four sets. Other noteworthy losses were those of Gael Monfils and David Goffin. Monfils, seeded 19, was beaten in five sets by Jerzy Janowicz, and No 20 seed David Goffin went down to 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis in four.

Sydney Champion Viktor Troicki continues his good form as he beat Leonardo Mayer (26) in four sets.

Home fans helped along a couple of big upsets. Bernard Tomic beat Philipp Kohlschreiber (22) in four sets. Another Aussie giant killer was Nick Kyrgios who upset 23rd seeded Ivo Karlovic, also in four sets.

But they could not help 2005 finalist Lleyton Hewiit. The most notable loss of the day, or the night in fact, was Hewitt’s five set loss to Benjamin Becker. Hewitt dominated the first two sets only to be beaten in five by an opponent who was 0-5 in best of five set matches. At 34, the question is- how many more times will tennis fans see Hewitt on a Rod Laver under the stars?

 

Day four of the Australian Open features two very enticing matches. The tennis review gives it preview and predictions.

Benjamin Becker Vs Lleyton Hewitt

Head to head: Hewitt leads 2-0.

Night match, Rod Laver Arena, Lleyton Hewitt. The former world No.1  is going to win a set on the back of the home support alone.

While Hewitt is a former finalist at his home slam, Becker has never performed well in Melbourne, going 3-7 in his career. And while Becker upset Julien Benneteau in the previous round, it is not  players who come to the net he has had problems with but those who excel from the baseline.

Safin, Djokovic, Amalgro, Dolgopolov, Kyrgios, Baghdatis, Del Potro. Those are the players Becker has lost to. Hewitt, who won two slams from the baseline, may not be as great as he once was from the back of the court, but he still has great footwork and his aggressive counterpunching will most likely wear Becker down, as will the crowd who want too see as much from the 34 year old Hewitt as they can.

Prediction: Ranked 87, Hewitt is not the rankings favorite in this match- Becker is ranked 41- but he will be the crowd’s, and that will push him to make the third round of his home slam. Hewitt to win in four.

Jerzy Janowicz Vs Gael Monfils (17)

Head to head: Monfils leads 1-0

This battle between two of the game’s streakiest players is the day’s highlight.

Monfils has beaten Janowicz on hard recently, winning 6-3, 6-4 in Metz last year. The U.S Open quarter finalist is a consistent player in Melbourne. He has been to the round of 32 on his last seven visits, and made the last 16 six years ago.

Meanwhile this is only Janowicz’s third main draw appearance in the event, though he likes the round of 32, too, making it that far on each of his two visits.

Janowicz  did have a good start to 2015, beating Kyrgios in three tough sets in Sydney before going down to Mayer in a third set tiebreaker, but he has not been tested this event.

Meanwhile Monfils had to come back from two sets to love down to win his first round. That won’t have been too tiring for the athletic world No. 19. Instead, it will have given him some match toughness in his first professional match of 2015 as well as knocking out some rust from his game.

Monfils defence and shot-making versus Janowicz’s big hitting and serving. It will be quite the sight over five sets. Monfils, though, has had quite the wake up call this event and if he comes out motivated, he should pull this one out. But you never quite know what you are going to get with the Frenchman, other than a spectacle that is.

Prediction: Monfils to win this entertaining clash of styles in four sets.

 

The first round of the 2015 Australian Open saw 27 of the 32 seeds through to the second round. They dropped 13 sets between them.

The most impressive performance arguably belonged to the most enigmatic of the top four seeds- Rafael Nadal. His 6-3, 6-2. 6-2 win over veteral Mikhail Youzhny featured him striking 37 winners to 15 errors. For someone who was 4-4 since last October, this performance was another reminder of what a big match player Nadal is and how he thrives in grand slam best of fives.

Grigor Dimitrov, who has been slumping since the Wimbledon semi-finals, also made a big impression as he thrashed Dustin Brown. Like Nadal he dropped seven games and he hit 30 winners to 6 errors.

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka was also in fine form as he beat Marsel Ilhan 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. It was a nice draw for the Swiss, and he could have made a mess of it with all the pressure on him. His recent form, winning in Chennai and making the last four of the WTF, and this first round performance, suggest he has a serious chance of defending his one maiden slam title.

Another noteworthy win of the seeds was fifth seed Kei Nishikori’s 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 win over former top tenner Nicolas Amalgro. This is Nishikori’s first slam as a firm favorite and he opened up his campaign with a convincing win when it would have been so easy for him to struggle. He did not, validating his status as one of the tournament favorites.

The seeds who did drop were the usual suspects. Ernests Gulbis, who was ill last week in Auckland, let four match points slip as he was upset by 18 year old Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis 10-8 in the third. Gulbis should have closed it out in four, but the man most likely to be upset, was.

Fabio Fognini was also a favorite to get knocked out early and the 16th seed was beaten in four sets by Alexander Gonzales ranked 107.

Julien Benneteau was something of a shock going down in four sets to Benjamin Becker. Benneteau had a 2-0 head to head lead over the German, but the medium slow courts favored Becker more and his reward is a second round match with Lleyton Hewitt.

Alexandr Dolgopolov (21) was expected to pull out pre-event, so his loss to Paolo Lorenzi was not too much of a shock. While Tommy Robredo’s exit was down to a retirement and not an upset.

One player who can be expected to go home early, Gael Monfils, decided to fight back after going two sets down to countryman Lucas Pouille. Tennis fans will be glad the seventeenth seed stuck around as he has a nice draw and could make it to the last eight to set up an entertaining clash with top seeded Novak Djokovic.

Day 3 of the Australian Open sees some attractive matches down under. The tennis review previews four of the second matches on offer and predicts the winners.

Philipp Kohlschreiber (22) Vs Barnard Tomic

Head to head: 1-1

Tomic beat Kohlschrieber last week in Sydney 6-3, 6-4. His home country brings out the best for him and plexicushion is great for his game.

Kohlscreiber has been to the fourth round in Melbourne three times in nine attempts and enjoys the time the medium slow court gives him to set up his big strokes. In his first round match this year he dropped just five games against Matthieu and hit 18 winners to just 2 errors.

He has the weight of shot to hit through Tomic but even if he is playing his best he will not be able to sustain it for three consecutive sets. Tomic will work his way into the match and has too much touch, guile and variety for Kohlschreiber in these conditions. He has also had a good work out in the first round after Kamke took him to four sets and will be ready for a scrap.

Prediction: Tomic to win in four sets.

Nick Kyrgios Vs Ivo Karlovic (23)

Head to head 0-0

Ivo Karlovic is coming off a big win over world No.1  Novak Djokovic in Doha a couple of weeks ago. The game’s biggest serve then took eventual champion David Ferrer to a third set breaker in the semis.

Melbourne, though, has not been a happy hunting ground for Karlovic- he is 9-11 there. The surface does not reward his serve as well as it rewards his opponent’s returns and with his biggest weapon somewhat blunt he is vulnerable to an upset.

That could come at the hands of a talented shotmaker like Kyrgios in front of his home crowd. Kyrgios has a big enough serve to hold onto his service games comfortably and can then work on taking advantage of any dips in serving performance from his opponent by ripping some returns and ending rallies with huge winners as he did back in Wimbledon and the U.S Open last year.

Kyrgios likes the big stage and he worked the home support in his five set win over Delbonis. That win will have toughened him up for Karlovic who was not pushed in his straight sets opening win.

Prediction: Karlovic is in good form but his big stage loving opponent has the home crowd behind him and the shots to cause an upset. Kyrgios to win in five sets.

Marcos Baghdatis Vs David Goffin (20)

Head to head: Baghdatis leads 1-0

Baghdatis is still working his magic in slams as he won a five set match in his first round. He will need it in his second round against the talented Goffin.

This is a match between two of the biggest talents of the last decade in the game. Baghdatis’ talent took him all the way to the Melbourne final in 2006 and the tennis world is eager to see if Goffin’s talent can take him further.

Baghdatis’ talent lies in his shot making while Goffin’s is in his flair and touch. Creativity is a strength for both and they could bring out the best in each other in what might be the match of the second round.

Goffin is on an upward trajectory, ending last year on a high with a runner up showing in Basel and breaking into the world’s top 25. Baghdatis, ranked 79, meanwhile, has been on a downslide for a few years with injuries but pops up now and then to remind us just how attractive his game is to watch.

Coming into the event, Baghdatis got some matches under his belt as he made his way to the Happy Valley challenger final. His loss to  world No. 193 Ryan Harrison was not encouraging though. Goffin, meanwhile, was a semi-finalist in Chennai before losing in the first round of Sydney. He looked good against Russel too in his first round here, winning the fourth set to love.

Prediction: A tough one to call, but Goffin has been in better form of late and things seem to be going right for him. The Belgian should win in four sets, with a couple of them being exceptionally tough.

Viktor Troicki Vs Leonardo Mayer (26)

Head to head 0-0

Troicki is the recent Sydney winner and seems inspired of late. In his first round match he beat Auckland champion Jiri Vesely in four sets in arguably the toughest first round match of the event.

He will face a tough opponent in Mayer, too. Mayer jumped from 95 at the end of 2013 to 28 at the end of 2014 and is continuing that form in 2015. In Doha this year he lost to Seppi in a final set tiebreaker and then beat Becker, Janowicz and Benneteau on his way to the Sydney semis. In his first round match on Monday he blasted 41 winners (to 39 errors) in his straight sets win over Millman.

Mayer plays his best tennis on clay, and this match, which will be played early in the day, scheduled as the second match on court 8, will be played in the heat of the day which will make the courts faster. That should play into the more versatile Troicki’s hands.

Prediction: The conditions favor him and he is in inspired form. Troicki to win in four sets.

 

Day 2 of the Australian Open sees Kei Nishikori and Nicolas Amalgro square off in the day’s most interesting match. The tennis review predicts the winner and looks at two other compelling contests.

Kei Nishikori Vs Nicolas Amalgro

Head to head: 1-1

Kei Nishikori will play his first slam as a big  favorite and he will open up against one of the most dangerous floaters in the draw, the former top ten player Nicolas Amalgro.

The two are tied at 1-1 in their head to head with both matches played on hard courts and going the distance over a best of three.

Their last encounter was in 2013 when Amalgro was ranked in the top 20. Since injury he has fallen to No. 69 and played his first match in Sydney last week since Roland Garros ’14. He lost that Sydney match t0 world No. 29 Pablo Cuevas.

Meanwhile,in that same period, Nishikori rose to five in the world and became a Grand Slam runner up in New York. Nishikori is also in good form this season after making the Brisbane Semis where he narrowly lost to Milos Raonic.

Prediction: Amalgro will certainly test Nishikori, especially if his serve is on. But the Japanese has too much momentum right now and while he may be stirred, he will not be shaken. Nishikori to win in straight sets.

Sam Querrey Vs Vasek Pospisil

Head to head: Querrey leads 1-0

Sam Querrey, ranked 35,  just missed the seedings  after winning three challengers last last year, and is also unlucky to come up against Vasek Pospisil, ranked 60 but with top 20 potential, in the first round

This match will be decided by the serve as both men, 198cm and 193cm respectively, fire down aces and huge first serves, a shot that is the leading weapon in their arsenal. When not serving winners, they will look to move into the court off short returns and finish points early on their forehand sides.

Querrey is the bigger server of the two, while Pospisil has more skills from the back of the court and greater touch at the net. Expect service games to go by quickly and for sets to be close in this match tailor made for those who enjoy watching attacking tennis.

Neither man is in great form. Pospisil has not won two consecutive matches since late last July when he made the Washington final. Querrey, on the other hand, may be match tough after winning three back to back challenger titles last autumn, however that run tells us little about his chances at slam level- he did not come up against anyone as tough as Pospisil will prove to be.

This season, Pospisil is 1-1, while Querrey is 0-2 and did not win a set against Chardy or Tomic in those two matches.

Prediction: Querrey took their 2012 Wimbledon match in four sets. This time, expect Pospisil to reverse that result and win this one in four.

Dominic Thiem Vs Roberto Bautista-Agut (13)

Head to Head: 0-0

Dominic Thiem, ranked 40, made the fourth round of a slam for the first time at last year’s U.S Open. Since then, however, he has gone 2-6, including a loss last week in Auckland to 54th ranked Struff. Illness in the off season and a stint in the army will not have helped Thiem’s preparations for the year’s first slam either.

Nor will coming up against Bautista Agut in the first round in Melbourne. The 13th seed made the fourth round last year after ousting del Potro.

However, the Spaniard is also out of sorts. He let four match points slip in his semi-final loss to Aljaz Bedene in Chennai and then retired in his opening match in Auckland. Those losses will have dented his confidence and if he is still suffering at all then someone as talented and hungry as Thiem may be too much for him to handle in the first round in Melbourne.

Prediction: Thiem’s greater variety should prove to be the difference in what could prove to be a messy yet captivating contest.