The top seed, David Goffin, is out of the ATP Great Ocean Road Open, defeated by 17-year-old wunderkind Carlos Alcaraz. The youngster will now face Thiago Monteiro for a spot in the quarterfinals, playing his first-ever hard court ATP Tour event. In other matches, second-seeded Karen Khachanov takes on the former top 5 player Kevin Anderson. Who do you think will advance? We also have predictions for Thursday’s other four matches.
ATP Great Ocean Road Open Day 4 Predictions
Carlos Alcaraz vs Thiago Monteiro
Head-to-head: First meeting
We still knew relatively little about Carlos Alcaraz’s hard court game before this week. While we shouldn’t expect that if he beat the top seed, David Goffin, he is just going to automatically take out everyone now, this is a great opportunity for him. Thiago Monteiro usually doesn’t play his best on hard courts and advanced here after the draw opened up with Vasek Pospisil’s withdrawal. Even if Alcaraz doesn’t quite reach the heights from the Goffin match, it should be his to lose.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Stefano Travaglia vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: First meeting
Alexander Bublik had to survive a thriller to beat Christopher O’Connell in his second-round match but at least we know that his ankle is okay and the Kazakh is fit to play now. Stefano Travaglia has already played two such marathons but kind of atypical for him, he was the stronger player in pressure moments in both. This could very much go the distance again. In deciding moments, an advantage of getting free points from his serve could be the deciding factor that leads to a Bublik victory.
Prediction: Bublik in 3
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Aljaz Bedene vs Jannik Sinner
Head-to-head: Bedene 2-0
Aljaz Bedene defeated Dane Sweeny in a very comfortable manner yesterday, blasting a total of 15 aces in a little over an hour. He’ll need his serve to be on fire again if he wants to have a chance at Jannik Sinner though. Bedene knows how to disrupt an opponent’s rhythm off the baseline with his wide array of efficient tactics. However, Sinner’s ridiculous upside and incredible accelerations are likely to prove too much for the Slovenian, who just lacks that extra punch to fully seize control of the rallies. Bedene won two head-to-head meetings in 2019 but at their respective ages, it’s quite obvious who’s making progress at a faster pace.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Karen Khachanov vs Kevin Anderson
Head-to-head: Anderson 1-0
Can we trust Kevin Anderson’s fitness now? You never really know these days but the South African has looked great in his first two matches here. The same can’t be said about Karen Khachanov, who struggled against Max Purcell and is generally a much more erratic player. The head-to-head win means nothing if Anderson isn’t a 100% fit but his first two wins really showcased he can still be a very dangerous threat. At his best, he should be able to bring more to the table than Khachanov can.
Prediction: Anderson in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
