Day four in Melbourne should see plenty of exciting tennis with the top half of the men’s draw set to battle it out for a place in the last 32 at the Australian Open. Rafael Nadal is set to face Federico Delbonis whilst Daniil Medvedev faces qualifier Pedro Martinez and Dominic Thiem clashes with home hope Alex Bolt. We here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all 16 men’s matches, with Jim Smith, Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust giving their picks for this slate of matches. But who will survive to reach the third round?
Australian Open Day 4 Predictions
Nick Kyrgios vs Gilles Simon
Jim: Gilles Simon inflicted further pain on the struggling Pablo Cuevas, dismissing the Uruguayan in straight-sets. But the Frenchman may be hard up against it when he takes on Nick Kyrgios, who looks determined to make a good showing at his home Slam this year. The Australian won’t win the tournament, but he could do some damage in the draw and if he is at his best, he should have too much firepower for Simon.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 4
Yesh: Kyrgios finally looks fully focused on tennis, with the Australian currently having plenty of incentives to manufacture a deep run in Melbourne. That’s really bad news for everyone else in the field. Particularly Simon.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 3
Damian: Kyrgios still has a tendency to let matches get away from him mentally, but he’s always behaved well in Australia and has a decent record at his home Slam. This might be a cracker if Simon is able to extend the rallies, with the Frenchman coming into the match in good. It’s definitely one to watch, but I’ll back Kyrgios to get across the line with some much-needed help from the crowd.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 4
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Jaume Munar vs Alexei Popyrin
Jim: Alexei Popyrin continues to impress at the Majors, although his first-round win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did come via retirement. Jaume Munar, meanwhile, claimed a much-needed win over French wild card Hugo Gaston in four sets. But although that win will surely have boosted his confidence, he may find the power of Popyrin hard to contend with, particularly with the Australian sure to be backed to the hilt by the Melbourne crowd.
Prediction: Popyrin in 4
Yesh: Munar’s style is just way too defensive to win on these courts against high-quality, whilst Popyrin has been playing well and is consequently looking at another impressive run at a Major. The Sydney native moves on.
Prediction: Popyrin in 4
Damian: Popyrin benefited from Tsonga’s retirement in the first round, but he had been playing well up until that point. He had a great Australian Open last year and against Munar looks to have a good chance to thrill the Melbourne crowd once again.
Prediction: Popyrin in 4
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John Isner vs Alejandro Tabilo
Jim: Rather predictably, John Isner won through the first round in four sets which all went to tiebreaks to set up what looks like a winnable clash against qualifier Alejandro Tabilo, who edged out Daniel Elahi Galan to claim his first win at a Major. Isner has stumbled at the Australian Open before, but with his power, particularly from the line, it is hard to see Tabilo pulling off the upset here.
Prediction: Isner in 3
Yesh: After a dreadful week at the ATP Cup, Isner looks to be in decent form right now. He might have needed all tiebreaks to take out Thiago Monteiro, but he probably won’t need more than one this time.
Prediction: Isner in 3
Damian: Isner couldn’t break Thiago Monteiro for three-and-a-half hours, but he’ll surely be content with a draw that should grant him time to improve his level. For Tabilo, meanwhile, this has been a fantastic week, who has already more than doubles his career prize money haul, I don’t expect the Chilean to know how to deal with a serve like Isner’s.
Prediction: Isner in 3
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David Goffin vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Jim: David Goffin has made an excellent start to the season and the Belgian continued that fine run of form by demolishing 2013 Australian Open quarterfinalist Jeremy Chardy in his opener at Melbourne Park. If he can maintain that level, he should prove far too strong for Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who he has beaten in all three of their previous meetings, losing just one set in the process.
Prediction: Goffin in 3
Yesh: Herbert is a solid player, with real quality in the forecourt, but Goffin is just a little bit better at everything else. The Belgian eats solid players up unless they can outhit him from the baseline. Herbert can’t.
Prediction: Goffin in 3
Damian: This could potentially have been an upset alert, with the Frenchman Herbert usually a tricky customer. But with Goffin having played so well at the ATP Cup and dominating Chardy in the first round, he seems to be in good enough shape to advance safely into the third round here.
Prediction: Goffin in 3
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