The 2019 Australian Open is upon us. Increased prize money, Andy Murray’s impending retirement and Alex de Miñaur’s potential are some of the hot topics at the moment. But first, let’s take a look at which men’s singles matches you cannot miss.
Honorable Mention
#2 Rafael Nadal vs WC James Duckworth
The 2009 titleist is set to play his first official match since the US Open. Naturally, it’ll be interesting to monitor his progress. Is Nadal fit enough to be a contender? What about the slightly modified serve motion he unveiled in Abu Dhabi? Meanwhile, big shout out to Duckworth, who seems to have overcome his injury woes, for slowly building his ranking back. The 26-year-old, currently sitting at world No. 238, battled his way through the Australian Open play-off for the second time in his career.
Watchability Index: 6/10
Oh Draw, Please Give me a Break
This category includes high-profile matchups for a round of 128, although lacking a notable storyline.
WC Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Martin Klizan
Tricky opener for Tsonga, who has always performed well in Australia. Following an injury-marred 2018 campaign, the Frenchman left a strong impression in Brisbane, where he reached the semis. Klizan emerged victorious in their only previous meeting, a four-setter at the 2012 US Open.
Watchability Index: 7/10
#6 Marin Cilic vs Bernard Tomic
If we judge them relative to their recent standards, the Croatian, who defends a not so shabby 1200 points this fortnight, is coming off a lackluster second half of 2018, while Tomic is trending clearly upward. Wouldn’t it be cool if they went the distance like in the 2010 edition and Bernie replicated the underhand, between the legs serve he showcased against Nick Kyrgios in Kooyong? Sign me up.
Watchability Index: 9/10
#13 Kyle Edmund vs Tomas Berdych
Since 2011, Berdych only failed to reach the quarterfinals once at the Australian Open. And it’s hard to blame him for losing in the 2017 round of 32. The Czech was upended by an unstoppable force called Roger Federer 6-2 6-4 6-4. For his part, Edmund enjoyed a magnificent semifinal run last year. Stakes are high for both.
Watchability Index: 8/10
Nobody Believes In Us
In this section we list several men who are slumping at the wrong time…
#24 Hyeon Chung vs Bradley Klahn
The 22-year-old Korean is defending nearly half his points in Melbourne (720 of 1650). Last season, he backed up his impressive showing with a promising Indian Wells (semis) & Miami (quarters) combo. Physical issues forced him to miss some time afterward, but still…he failed to win a set both in Pune (l. to Gulbis 7-6 6-2) and in Auckland (l. to No. 373 Jose Rubin Statham!!!). Wake up, mate, former Stanford standout Klahn is no slouch at all!
Watchability Index: 6/10
#28 Lucas Pouille vs Mikhail Kukushkin
Kukushkin, while not a behemoth, is no joke of a first round opponent for anybody, especially for a crashing meteor like Pouille. Dating back to October, the talented Frenchman is riding a four-match skid, seven if we include the Hopman Cup. Furthermore, the 24-year-old is winless in five Australian Open singles main draw appearances. Coach Amelie Mauresmo needs to work her magic to turn things around.
Watchability Index: 5/10
#7 Dominic Thiem vs Benoit Paire
Raise your hand if Thiem fooled you into thinking he was a threat on hard courts as well after an above average fall campaign! Sure, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship results ought to be taken with a grain of salt, but Thiem looked overwhelmed in Abu Dhabi. A straight sets loss to Pierre-Hugues Herbert in Doha couldn’t be less encouraging. A first round clash against the unpredictable Paire sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Watchability Index: 8/10
Frances Tiafoe vs Q Prajnesh Gunneswaran
Last time I checked, drinking age in Australia was 18. Hence, Mr. Tiafoe (born January 20, 1998) is legally allowed to hold both Mr. Pouille and Mr. Chung’s beers whenever they start arguing about their worrisome slumps at the player’s party. Including the 2018 Next Gen Finals and the 2019 Hopman Cup, Tiafoe has dropped his last six matches. If we expand the search until the US Open, the American stands at a putrid four wins and 14 losses. On the other side of the net, first-time qualifier Gunneswaran is currently playing the best tennis of his life. The 29-year-old doesn’t boast an impressive résumé but he did manage to beat Denis Shapovalov in Stuttgart last year.
Watchability Index: 7/10
Quartet of Death
Remember when the World Cup draw comes out and there is a disproportionally stacked foursome dubbed ‘The Group of Death’? Well, this section of the Australian Open draw is the equivalent.
Stan Wawrinka vs Ernests Gulbis
Nick Kyrgios vs #16 Milos Raonic
Only one man among these four heavyweights will remain alive by Thursday. Due to diverse circumstances, their rankings have regressed lately. Nevertheless, according to Tennis Abstract’s Elo Ratings, Raonic (No. 16), Kyrgios (17) and Wawrinka (22) are still top 25 caliber players and a motivated Gulbis can play toe-to-toe against anybody. If Kyrgios and Gulbis the two mercurial individuals of the four wake up on the right foot on Tuesday, we are in for some thrilling tennis.
Combined Watchability Index: 10/10
Déjà vu?
#3 Roger Federer vs Denis Istomin
The last time these two squared off against each other in Melbourne, Federer had “only” won six majors, while Istomin was ranked No. 195 and received the Asian wild card. After a routine 6-2 6-3 6-3 victory, the Swiss star would go on and win his second Australian Open. Will history repeat itself?
On the other hand, in 2017, Istomin earned a fair share of headlines after his stunning win over Novak Djokovic. Will the hard-hitting Uzbek pull another gargantuan upset?
Watchability Index: 8/10
Keep Gettin’ Dem Checks
Arguably the writer’s favorite passage, featuring Protected Ranking users, usually over-the-hill veterans whose current abilities lag far behind their skills in their prime. Friendly reminder that a singles first round loss at the 2019 Australian Open comes with a juicy $75K check.
Steve Darcis vs #11 Borna Coric
The Belgian, who was completely out of tennis in 2018, recently became the first unranked player ever to reach an ATP semifinal at The Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune. Despite his dismal 0-4 record in Melbourne, a fringe top 10 talent like Coric should breeze through the opener.
Watchability Index: 7/10
Janko Tipsarevic vs #20 Grigor Dimitrov
At 34, Tipsarevic has taken two gap years (2014, 2018) since his glory days (2012). Not a good sign. While Dimitrov keeps on tormenting his fans with subpar results after flirting with greatness, it would be shocking if Tipsarevic can keep up with his rhythm following a 17-month absence. For what it’s worth, the Serbian holds a commanding 4-1 head-to-head advantage.
Watchability Index: 8/10
The Good Ol’ Challenger Rivalry
For the umpteenth time in this decade: tennis should have a unified head-to-head record. Here’s a prime example why.
#17 Marco Cecchinato vs Filip Krajinovic
Officially, these two share little in common aside from their year of birth. Yet, if you dig a little deeper, you can easily discover a somewhat interesting rivalry. Including Grand Slam qualifying draws and the Challenger Tour, Cecchinato and Krajinovic have split their six previous meetings.
Watchability Index: 7/10
Poisonous Qualifiers versus Vulnerable Seeds
Fearless up-and-comers with three wins under their belt jeopardize the singles aspirations of several established players.
Q Christopher Eubanks vs #19 Nikoloz Basilashvili
Must-see TV. Period. Expect big league tennis from this one. The Georgia Tech product (Eubanks) can tear the ball apart, but so does the Georgia native (Basilashvili). Under the scorching sun, the lanky American should get plenty of free service points. Will that suffice against a two-time ATP 500 winner? Don’t rule it out.
Watchability Index: 9/10
Q Miomir Kecmanovic vs #26 Fernando Verdasco
When you think about Verdasco’s most memorable matches, you automatically think about the epic five-hour, five-set battle against Nadal at the Australian Open semifinals exactly a decade ago. It’s easy to overlook the other ¡41 times! he reached the final set in a major, per Tennis Abstract. The Spaniard’s mental lapses are well-known and he’s facing a rock-solid Serbian whose arrow is on the upswing. The 19-year-old is extremely under-ranked (126) according to the Elo Ratings (66). If you crave drama, this is your match.
Watchability Index: 9/10
Q Rudolf Molleker vs #18 Diego Schwartzman
Before reeling off three nail-biting victories in the qualifying draw, Molleker had not won a singles match since September. The 18-year-old German has never beaten a player of Schwartzman’s status, because the July 2018 version of David Ferrer doesn’t count, sorry. It’s hard to envision the youngster out-grinding the Argentinian over five sets.
Watchability Index: 5/10
Farewell Sir Murray
Andy Murray vs #22 Roberto Bautista Agut
One of the greatest defenders, tacticians, competitors and overall ambassadors of our sport will be making his final appearance at Melbourne Park. You can read thorough Murray tributes by my peers at Last Word On Tennis here, here and here. The Dunblane native, a five-time finalist at the Australian Open, was dealt a complicated debut against Bautista, who edged Wawrinka, Djokovic and Berdych en route to the Doha crown. May the hip miraculously heal!
Watchability Index: 10/10
Gunslinger Nation
Applicable to confrontations between two serving juggernauts. Aces for days. Raonic versus Kyrgios (listed above) would also belong here.
#9 John Isner vs Reilly Opelka
Cannot possibly sum if up better than Ricky Dimon did on Twitter: “Australian Open tournament organizers in December: ‘We’re gonna implement a super-tiebreaker in the fifth set just in case Isner and Opelka play each other in the first round.’”
I might be secretly rooting for a 7-6 6-7 7-6 6-7 7-6(15) including over 100 aces and 90 per cent of the points decided in 4 shots or less.
Watchability Index: 8/10
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