Marin Cilic battles Corentin and Canadian favorite Denis Shapovalov will take on Marton Fucsovics on day 1 of the Australian Open. Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust offer their predictions.
Marin Cilic vs Corentin Moutet
Yesh: This match has upset written all over it. Moutet is playing well, and Cilic hasn’t found great form in a while. Expect this to be a long, tight match, and anyone could come out ahead. Moutet in 5
Damian: One of the most exciting first round match-ups. Moutet has a very versatile game and can drive an opponent crazy with his lefty spins and great drop shots. Cilic would have to be on his game very early to come through this and we know the Croat is rhythm player, who usually has his best (and worst) results in streaks. Moutet in 5
Lloyd Harris vs Diego Schwartzman
Yesh: Lloyd Harris has very recently become a solid player. That won’t much against Schwartzman, who is one of the most consistent and solid players on tour. Schwartzman in 4
Damian: Harris is coming off a career-best run at the Adelaide International and he’s already played ten matches this season. Will that help him? I believe it might actually work the other way around, especially given that he will have just one day off between Adelaide and the Australian Open. And even presuming he’s 100% fit to play, Schwartzman is a good defender and usually does well against players with such risky styles. Schwartzman in 3
Juan Ignacio Londero vs Grigor Dimitrov
Yesh: Londero had a great year last season, but he’s better on clay than hard courts. Dimitrov has huge potential and might be able to win Majors some day, but he hasn’t been at his top form consistently in quite a while. He shows flashes, and that should be enough to win this match. Dimitrov in 4
Damian: Dimitrov is struggling with a small hand injury, sleeping in a glove that keeps his hand moist. But he’s already had that issue during the ATP Cup and still performed very well there. Londero is an underrated hard court player but the experience Dimitrov has at the biggest stages will surely see him through here. Dimitrov in 4
Denis Shapovalov vs Marton Fucsovics
Yesh: Fucsovics is a solid and strong player. But Shapovalov is playing like an up-and-coming elite right now, which means he should win easily. Shapovalov in 3
Damian: The Hungarian has struggled with his health recently, pulling out early of the Bendigo Challenger. He reached the fourth round here two years ago but with Shapovalov’s newfound tactical sense and a little more consistent gameplan, it’s not as easy as it was before to just make the Canadian overhit. Shapovalov in 3
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