On day 5 of the Australian Open Yoshihito Nishioka will back himself in an upset bid against Novak Djokovic, while Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Milos Raonic in a clash of play styles. Jim Smith, Harsh Bhoot, and Andrew Watson offer their predictions. They also have predictions for matches featuring Roger Federer and Marin Cilic.
Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Jim: Nishioka has made a great start to the season, playing some excellent tennis at the ATP Cup and carrying that on at the Australian Open. But facing the defending champion Djokovic is a completely different ball game. The Japanese just doesn’t have the power to hit through Djokovic and he’s not going to outlast him. Unless something goes spectacularly wrong for the Serb, expect to see Djokovic in the second week. Djokovic in 3
Harsh: Second Japanese opponent in a row and has all the ingredients of a routine win for the defending champ. Djokovic was at his sublime best in the second round and so was Nishioka. The Serb dominated Nishioka in their sole previous meeting and this shouldn’t be any different. Expect Djokovic to breeze through but has to be mindful of his double faults count this tournament. Djokovic in 3
Andrew: This should be another step forward in terms of a tune-up for the second week for Novak Djokovic. Nishioka will test the Serb more than Ito managed in round two but the defending champion will be looking for another straight sets triumph. Nishioka showed good form in beating Dan Evans in round two but winning a set here would be impressive. Djokovic in 3
Sam Querrey vs Tennys Sandgren
Jim: Querrey is probably a better player than Sandgren, but he doesn’t much of a record at the Australian Open, whereas Sandgren is a former-quarterfinalist and won his only career title in similar conditions in Auckland. But the Tennessean isn’t renowned for his fitness and had to endure a long battle with eighth seed Matteo Berrettini. That might well have taken too much out of his legs. Querrey in 5
Harsh: This is an all American blockbuster of a third-round with both Americans looking good in Melbourne. It should entail plenty of aces from both players with the outcome of this match resting on who blinks first. This match may well go the full distance but Sandgren has reached the quarters before and the hard courts of Melbourne seem to bring out the best in him. His win over Berrettini was mighty impressive and the Sandgren fairytale looks like will continue. Sandgren in 5
Andrew: This contest will contain plenty of aces. Both men have served really well so far. Sandgren seems to have an affinity for this event and/or a strong desire to defend his ranking points. Either way this motivation could be enough to edge this encounter. Sandgren in 5
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Milos Raonic
Jim: This is likely to be a real test for Stefanos Tsitsipas. Raonic may no longer be the player he once was, but his forehand and serve remain weapons to be feared. The Canadian has looked sharp so far in Melbourne, thrashing lucky loser Lorenzo Giustino and then Cristian Garin, whilst Tsitsipas may be short of rhythm after Philipp Kohlschreiber’s withdrawal. However, his combination of power and variety should be enough to expose Raonic’s great weakness: his movement. Tsitsipas in 4
Harsh: Another must-watch clash and is definitely the biggest challenge Raonic has faced this tournament by far. His win over Garin was superb and hasn’t been broken in his opening two matches. The Greek too is unbroken and didn’t have to take to the court in the second round. Stefanos Tsitsipas will no doubt be fresh for this matchup and has the baseline acumen to direct most of the traffic to the Candian’s backhand. Raonic can serve his way out but against Tsitsipas who has a decent return game and a solid baseline game, it’s tough seeing Raonic winning more than a set. Tsitsipas in 4
Andrew: It feels as though it has been a while since Raonic has been able to be assessed at 100% condition. If the Canadian arrives to this match in good physical condition then this could be a titanic battle. Tsitsipas seems to be laser focused at the moment though and the only thing that counts is the Australian Open title. The Greek is solid mentally which could be key as this encounter is likely to be decided by a small number of points. Tsitsipas in 4
Diego Schwartzman vs Dusan Lajovic
Jim: Lajovic was another player to enjoy an excellent ATP Cup, scoring some vital wins to take Serbia to the title and he has continued that hot-streak at the Australian Open. But Schwartzman has looked excellent himself in Melbourne and the Argentine beat Lajovic in their last Australian Open meeting, albeit by the narrowest of margins. Such is Lajovic’s confidence, however, expect him to avenge that defeat, likely by similar fine margins. Lajovic in 5
Harsh: If their 2018 Australian Open match is anything to go by, this should be a splendid encounter. Expect lots of breaks of serve and baseline exchanges from the get-go. This match can very well go the full distance with numerous momentum shifts. On current form, the Serb enters this encounter with more confidence on the back of his superb ATP Cup. His win over Edmund was a hard-fought one and even though Schwartzman is the higher-ranked player, Lajovic is slightly better poised to edge this one. Lajovic in 5
Andrew: Both men have shown above average form in Australia. Schwartzman has a slightly higher level though and will be more consistent with his groundstrokes. Schwartzman in 3
Main Photo:
