We’ve seen some incredible tennis on the first day of the Australian Open, and there’s much more to look forward to on Day 2. 32 men’s matches will be contested on Tuesday, and we’re predicting every single one of them. Predicting this group of matches is Aldo Ostreicher, Damian Kust, and Fraser Learmonth.
Each set of predictions from us looks at four matches. That means the 32 matches will be split between eight articles. The other articles feature Alexei Popyrin vs David Goffin, Andrey Rublev vs Yannick Hanfmann, Fabio Fognini vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Gilles Simon vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini vs Kevin Anderson, Lorenzo Sonego vs Sam Querrey, and Rafael Nadal vs Laslo Djere.
Australian Open Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Carlos Alcaraz vs Botic Van de Zandschulp
Aldo:
Alcaraz is “a mix of Djokovic and Federer,” in the words of Juan Carlos Ferrero, his trainer. He is the youngest player in the tournament and he recently defeated David Goffin in the Great Ocean Road Open. He is confident and ready to win his first match in a Grand Slam, but Van de Zandschulp won’t be an easy opponent for the Spaniard. He is a great server who reached the quarterfinals also in Melbourne the last week, winning a set to Karen Khachanov before being eliminated.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 5
Fraser:
Two first timers in the Australian Open face off in this match. Alcaraz looks like he could be a future star on the ATP Tour and showed some impressive tennis in the warmup event this past week. By contrast Van de Zandschlup has taken longer to ascend the ranks of the tour. However, the greater experience may well be an advantage here as Alcaraz is very new to the top level of men’s tennis. This should be a tight affair and I can see it going the distance but I’ll pick the Spaniard to keep showing his quality with a win here.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 5
Damian:
Two of the most dangerous qualifiers are facing each other in the opening round. Alcaraz has a much higher ceiling but his consistency is not really there yet. Feels like a toss-up.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 5
Thiago Monteiro vs Andrej Martin
Aldo:
Thiago Monteiro is the favorite to win this match against Andrej Martin. They met once in a minor tournament played on clay and Monteiro won the match in three sets. Besides that, the Portuguese reached the semifinals of the Great Ocean Road Open the last week, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.
Prediction: Monteiro in 4
Fraser:
Two clay court specialists will hope to make a rare appearance in the second round of a hard court Grand Slam here. Monteiro is coming off a semifinal appearance in his warmup event and should be high on confidence heading into the Australian Open. He also possesses a real weapon with his big forehand and should be able to use it to power through Martin and move on here.
Prediction: Monteiro in 4
Damian:
Thiago Monteiro had one of the best weeks of his career at the Great Ocean Road Open. Both usually perform their best on clay only but the Brazilian proved this week that there is more to the story.
Prediction: Monteiro in 4
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Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Tommy Paul
Aldo:
If we take a look at the ranking, Basilashvili could be the favorite to win this match since he is better ranked. However, the Georgian had a 2020 season to forget with 10 losses in a row. Despite that, he started this year in better shape. Paul has been more consistent during the last months and he was able to defeat Dimitrov last year, so he should be the man to reach the second round.
Prediction: Paul in 4
Fraser:
A year ago this might have been a good match. However, personal drama and a lack of form mean Basilashvili is a shell of the player he can be, whereas Tommy Paul is coming off a stellar 2020 and will be hoping to make a statement here. The American is the better player at the moment and should move on comfortably here unless Basilashvili rediscovers his form.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Damian:
Personal issues and awful form have been the reason why Basilashvili won just two matches in the past 11 months. Neither of them were against a player of such class as Tommy Paul too. The American should be too solid for the extremely erratic Georgian here.
Prediction: Paul in 4
Daniil Medvedev vs Vasek Pospisil
Aldo:
Daniil Medvedev is probably the best player on tour right now. His 14-match win streak is a great credential to be considered one of the favorites to win the tournament, and he should beat Pospisil in straight sets. In addition to that, the Russian dominates the head-to-head against the Canadian 2-1.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Fraser:
This matchup could be one of the better ones of the first round. Pospisil is experiencing something of a career resurgence and has looked very good over the last 12 months. However, he is short of match fitness whereas Medvedev just led Russia to the ATP Cup wth fellow Russian star Rublev. Medvedev is also on a double digit win streak and in red hot form. Pospisil may nick a set, but the Russian will get this done without too much trouble.
Prediction: Medvedev in 4
Damian:
This could have been a very tricky match-up for Medvedev in the opening round of a Grand Slam but not after his perfect warm-up week. The Russian got enough playtime while not exhausting himself. Many are picking him to win his first Grand Slam here and it’s not a crazy pick.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
