Day 1 saw a rash of upsets on both the men’s and women’s side of the 2018 Australian Open. Young guns like Hyeon Chung, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Alex De Minaur will take the stage on day 2 hoping to wow fans with their youthful talent. Our panel of Steen Kirby, Yesh Ginsburg, and Brett Margolies take you through the biggest matches on day 2 and offer their predictions.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Fernando Verdasco
Steen: Verdasco is a big hitter and a big name, but RBA is simply the better player at this point in their careers. The lesser known Spaniard just won Auckland and keeps posting solid top 20 level results on tour. He’s not elite, but as long as he’s fit and ready for this one, he should be able to win rather comfortably. Bautista Agut in 4
Yesh: Verdasco’s best match in Australia may have been two years ago, when he upset fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Can he do the same in 2018 against another higher-ranked Spaniard? Unlikely, but don’t count him out. Verdasco in 5
Brett: Roberta Bautista Agut is coming in fresh off winning the title in Auckland over Juan Martin Del Potro. Verdasco is someone who he probably wouldn’t prefer playing in the first round as he’s 1-3 against him. Verdasco has also played some of the best tennis of his career at the Australian Open including a semifinal appearance in 2009. I like his chances to pull off the upset in round one.. Verdasco in 4
Sam Querrey vs. Feliciano Lopez
Steen: A tremendous opportunity for either player here, especially Querrey, expect a lot of service holds in this one. Lopez form appears better, but Querrey has been better in slams than at the ATP level as of late. I don’t trust Lopez mentally so I’ll go with Querrey in a close one. Querrey in 5
Yesh: Sam Querrey has struggled since his Wimbledon semifinal appearance. He usually brings his best to Slams, though, and he’ll want to end this current slump. Querrey in 4
Brett: It’ll be interesting to see how Sam Querrey starts off 2018 after having the best year of his career in 2017. This match is a toss up, but i’d give a slight edge to Lopez given the 6-3 record H2H. Lopez in 5
Daniil Medvedev vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
Steen: Kokkinakis will have massive home support and long term I back him to make the top 10. That said, Medvedev is underappreciated largely because he’s Russian and he just came off the title in Sydney. Fatigue could play a factor, but Medvedev should be better at this point in time. Medvedev in 4
Yesh: Two young up-and-comers who aren’t quite there yet face off in this one. I’ll go with the Aussie and his “home court” advantage, but just barely. Kokkinakis in 5
Brett: Thanasi Kokkinakis will be playing at the Australian Open for the first time since 2015. As an 18 year old he defeated Ernests Gublis when he was ranked #13 in the world. He knows how to play to the Australian hometown crowd, look for him to use them to his advantage and upset the Sydney champion Daniil Medvedev. Kokkinakis in 5
Mischa Zverev vs. Hyeon Chung
Steen: Mischa Zverev is just a couple of rounds away from meeting his younger brother Sascha, but he’ll have to defeat next gen star Hyeon Chung first. One of two South Korean players in the men’s main draw singles, Chung had a great 2017 and is playing with house money in 2018. Zverev is defending a lot of points from last year, and his results have been worse than his ranking lately. Chung should pull a minor upset in this one. Chung in 5
Yesh: Chung is coming off a great year and a NextGen Finals title. Zverev had one of the best years of his career last year, and it started with a huge upset in Melbourne. I like the German to repeat that feat here. Zverev in 4
Brett: I think the pressure of defending a quarterfinals appearance last year might be a bit much for Mischa Zverev. Chung has defeated Zverev twice including a 6-0 6-2 win in Bercy last Fall. It seems like it might be a bad matchup for Zverev. Look for the ATP Next Gen champion Chung to move on to the 2nd round. Chung in 3
Tomas Berdych vs. Alex De Minaur
Steen: Berdych looks flat these days, he’s an established name who has carved out a great career for himself, but he’s lost most of the big time matches he’s contested. De Minaur is rising like a red hot flame and has the heart of Australian fans. Fatigue could play a factor, but on form alone, De Minaur should win this one. Berdych isn’t the player he was. De Minaur in 4
Yesh: Berdych really struggled through all of last year and de Minaur is rising. Do I think that we are seeing the end of Berdych’s career here? Honestly, yes. He has enough power to win some rallies, but this will be the young Australian’s first breakthrough. De Minaur in 4
Brett: This is the best match of the first round in my opinion. De Minaur is coming off two career changing weeks back to back with an opportunity to knock off a top player at his home slam. If he plays the way he’s been playing I think he’ll upset Berdych. He’s another Australian that feeds off the crowd well, a night match on Hisense Arena should create an environment he could thrive off of. De Minaur in 5
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