On day four at the Australian Open, there should be no shortage of entertaining action with a host of stars set to battle it out for a place in the last 32, with Nick Kyrgios taking on Gilles Simon, whilst Daniil Medvedev faces qualifier Pedro Martinez and Dominic Thiem clashes with home hope Alex Bolt. As ever, we here at LWOT are offering predictions across the board, with Jim Smith, Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust giving their picks for this slate of matches. Who will advance?
Australian Open Day 4 Predictions
Rafael Nadal vs Federico Delbonis
Jim: As expected, Rafael Nadal kicked off his Australian Open campaign with a comfortable win, beating Hugo Dellien 6-2 6-3 6-0. That set up a clash with Argentina’s Federico Delbonis, who scored an excellent straight-sets win over Joao Sousa, perhaps benefiting from courts that appear to be playing slower than in recent years. But quick or slow, it is hard to see him having any joy against Nadal.
Prediction: Nadal in 3
Yesh: Nadal was in tremendous form in his opening match, hammering the unheralded Dellien. I can’t see Delbonis posing any sort of threat to the 2009 champion and world #1.
Prediction: Nadal in 3
Damian: After starting his tournament against Dellien, the Spaniard faces another opponent who is primarily a clay courter and probably won’t be able to achieve much here in Delbonis. It was a good effort from Delbonis to beat Joao, but he has never taken more than three games in a set against Nadal and I expect him to stay somewhere around that number on Thursday.
Prediction: Nadal in 3
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Stan Wawrinka vs Andreas Seppi
Jim: Stan Wawrinka was given a searching examination by Damir Dzumhur, but scraped past the Bosnian a 7-5 6-7 6-4 6-4 winner. Andreas Seppi, meanwhile, looked a man renewed in his 6-4 6-4 7-6 win over the Serbian young gun Miomir Kecmanovic. But he hasn’t beaten Wawrinka since 2012 and has only three wins in 12 tour-level meetings with the Swiss. Expect Wawrinka to return to the third round.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 4
Yesh: Wawrinka needed some time to really get a feel for the court, but he played well in beating Dzumhur. Seppi is a strong opponent, with a wealth of experience at the top-level, that will make him work for victory, but the Swiss #2 advances.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 4
Damian: Seppi has played some of the best tennis of his career at the Australian Open, stunning Roger Federer in 2015 and reaching the fourth round four times. So with Wawrinka not really convincing against Dzumhur, who knows what might happen here? I still expect the Swiss to pull through, but I’ll be surprised if the win comes easily.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 5
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Mikael Ymer vs Karen Khachanov
Jim: Mikael Ymer scored yet another fine win in what has been an excellent few months for the young Swede, dismantling Yasutaka Uchiyama for the loss of only seven games. But he seems unlikely to enjoy such an easy day on court when he takes on 16th seed Karen Khachanov, who rallied from a set down to beat qualifier Mario Vilella Martinez. That said, with Ymer full of confidence and Khachanov still looking rather shaky, an upset could be on the cards here.
Prediction: Ymer in 5
Yesh: Khachanov struggled with an opponent he shouldn’t have in the first round. What will happen against a similar opponent this round? I don’t know, but I’m not at all confident in the Russian.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
Damian: The Russian dropped a set to Mario Vilella Martinez and although that’s not a good sign, there’s one type of player Ymer really struggles to beat – huge hitters. We saw what happened to him against Sinner at the Next Gen Finals and if Khachanov finds his rhythm, which he’ll have plenty of time to do so in a best of five match, he should be able to hit the Swede off the court.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
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Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Fernando Verdasco
Jim: This is perhaps one of the most intriguing matches on the slate on day four at the Australian Open. Nikoloz Basilashvili is a dangerous player, but he never quite seems to be able to find his best tennis at Melbourne Park and he was given a real test by Kwon Soon-woo in the first round. Fernando Verdasco, meanwhile, may be past his best, but often raises his game at the Majors. That greater affinity for the big stage could be the difference here.
Prediction: Verdasco in 4
Yesh: Verdasco was solid against Donskoy in the first round, while Basilashvili did not look great, needing five sets to take out Kwon. Basilashvili is the better player, but Verdasco isn’t someone you want to have an off day against.
Prediction: Verdasco in 4
Damian: If it’s a matter of who was more convincing in the first round, that was definitely the Spaniard, who dismissed Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy. Basilashvili seems just a little less consistent and he can be vulnerable to losing his way in matches, something Verdasco will surely punish.
Prediction: Verdasco in 4
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