There should be no shortage of entertaining action on day one at the Australian Open. As always, we at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Kirsten Flipkens vs Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Serena Williams vs Laura Siegemund, Bianca Andreescu vs Mihaela Buzarnescu, Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera and Greet Minnen vs Petra Kvitova. But who will reach the second round?
Australian Open Day One Predictions
Rebecca Marino vs Kimberly Birrell
Jim: Rebecca Marino deserves great credit for having resurrected her career after lengthy battles with injuries and mental health problems. Kimberly Birrell, meanwhile, will surely be determined to take advantage of her wildcard. But the Canadian is the more experienced and accomplished of the two and should be the one to reach the second round as a result.
Prediction: Marino in 3
Yesh: This will be an interesting first-round matchup, and a tough one to predict. Neither player is consistent enough at the top of the game to make a solid prediction. It will come down to who wants it more and doesn’t crack under pressure, and who can come closest to their top game. And that means I’ll give it to the home court advantage.
Prediction: Birrell in 3
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Angelique Kerber vs Bernarda Pera
Jim: For the most part, Angelique Kerber looks a shadow of the player who won this title back in 2014. But she did win two matches playing in the Grampians Trophy, beating Ons Jabeur in the second round in straight-sets, whilst Bernarda Pera has been in rather indifferent form. In short, this looks like a winnable match for the German.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
Yesh: Kerber’s fall from the absolute best in the world to being just another decent Top 20ish player has been surprising, to say the least. She still has more talent than just about anyone in the world. When she finds it again she’ll be competing in semis and finals. Until then, though, she can still beat players like Pera with ease.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
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Varvara Gracheva vs Anna Blinkova
Jim: Both Varvara Gracheva and Anna Blinkova have made anything but impressive starts to the season. But Gracheva has at least managed to win a match – Blinkova has managed just two games so far. The younger Russian also won their only previous meeting. Expect a similar result this time around.
Prediction: Gracheva in 3
Yesh: Both of these talented youngsters have the potential to be top players in the future in their careers. Right now they’re each finding their footing, but they have buckets of talent and should make this an exciting and entertaining matchup. I’ll give the older Russian the slimmest of advantages here.
Prediction: Blinkova in 3
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Aryna Sabalenka vs Viktoria Kuzmova
Jim: Aryna Sabalenka’s long winning run finally came to an end last week with a defeat at the hands of Kaia Kanepi in the first round of the Gippsland Trophy. But that may prove to be something of a blessing in disguise, giving her the chance to refresh ahead of the Australian Open. If that is indeed the case, expect the Belarusian to prove too much for Viktoria Kuzmova to handle.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Yesh: Sabalenka can blast anyone in the world off the court on any day, but she sometimes doesn’t quite have the consistency to handle top players. Kuzmova can make a match of this if she lets Sabalenka beat herself, but the Belarusian is definitely the likelier pick here.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
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