Day 3 signals the beginning of the second round of the Australian Open. Only 64 men remain standing in contention for the title. 32 of them will compete on Wednesday, and we’re going to predict all of their matches for you. The 16 matches are split between this and three other articles, featuring Novak Djokovic vs Frances Tiafoe, Stan Wawrinka vs Marton Fucsovics, and Dominic Thiem vs Dominik Koepfer. Predicting this set of matches is Jim Smith, Steen Kirby, and Harsh Bhoot.
Australian Open Day 3 Men’s Predictions
Alexander Bublik vs Dusan Lajovic
Jim:
Lajovic is another player who does not quite look like he has found his feet so far this season, with the Serbian able to contribute little at the ATP Cup. He did manage to edge out Sergiy Stahkovsky, but he had to go the distance to do so and looks destined to struggle against the power and craft of Bublik.
Prediction: Bublik in 4
Steen:
Bublik is a solid player, while Lajovic comes off a five setter and prefers clay. Bublik should be the favored player here.
Prediction: Bublik in 4
Harsh:
On current form Dusan Lajovic should be very wary of Alexander Bublik. The Serb lost both his ATP Cup singles matches and needed five sets in his first round against Sergiy Stakhovsky. Bublik is unorthodox in the way he plays his tennis and that is something that can unsettle Lajovic. Bublik served a mammoth 41 aces in his four-set first round win, and if he can keep that up he’ll be pocketing a lot of free points. Expect Bublik to become more and more confident and wrestle control of the match to progress ahead.
Prediction: Bublik in 4
Reilly Opelka vs Taylor Fritz
Jim:
Reilly Opelka has a better game off the ground than many give him credit for, but he will still be relying on his serve to get him over the line against Fritz. The good news for the big man is that the court surface should reward his power from the line and the weakest element of Fritz’s game is his return. That could spell trouble for the 27th seed.
Prediction: Opelka in 5
Steen:
Fritz leads the H2H and has shown he can handle Opelka’s serve. It’s a potent weapon at this venue, but Fritz should be a little better.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Harsh:
The main question that needs answering regarding this match is how well Taylor Fritz can return Reilly Opelka’s booming serve. If their head to head is anything to go by then pretty well. Fritz leads 3-1 and that should provide confidence to him. Opelka’s backhand is a weakness in his game, a fact he hides very well with his huge serve and forehand but Fritz is more than capable to absorb Opelka’s shots and direct his own shots to the Opelka backhand. Expect a good match with Fritz moving through.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
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Bernard Tomic vs Denis Shapovalov
Jim:
Tomic’s win over Yuichi Sugita was a rare one and, perhaps fittingly, came via retirement. The Australian has achieved remarkable success in squandering his talent and opportunities, and, after a tough first-round draw, this should be a rather more straightforward outing for Shapovalov.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Steen:
Is this Tomic’s chance to return to mainstream tennis? He’ll be far fresher than Shapovalov and though the Canadian is playing well after beating Jannik Sinner and clearly a contender, recovering so quickly will be tough. Tomic is good enough to win this, but as always, does he care enough to focus and play his best? It’s Melbourne Park so I’ll say yes. A year off tour will prove to be good for the Aussie who went “bust.”
Prediction: Tomic in 4
Harsh:
Denis Shapovalov took out Jannik Sinner in easily the match of the first day. The quality of hitting from both was outstanding and it was so pleasing to see Shapovalov’s response when put under pressure. The Canadian looked motivated and saved 17 of 20 break points. Bernard Tomic should be an easier opponent than Jannik Sinner, a welcome fact for Shapovalov. The Australian can play consistent tennis but doubt he’d be able to keep it up in the face of Shapovalov’s heavy groundstrokes. Expect an easy win for Shapovalov with him being attacking throughout and not afraid to close points at the net.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Nick Kyrgios vs Ugo Humbert
Jim:
Humbert delivered a strangely flat performance to begin his season last week, losing his opener at the Murray River Open to James Duckworth, and although he got the better of Yuichi Uchiyama in the first round here, it was hardly an inspired performance. This is a match Kyrgios can win.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 4
Steen:
Kyrgios won’t make this easy on himself, but he does care about the Australian Open, and he has the game to go much deeper than Round 2. Humbert is playing well, but Kyrgios should ride his emotions into Round 3. Another volatile match awaits.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 5
Harsh:
Should be a blockbuster if Nick Kyrgios plays the way he did in his first round. This matchup has all the ingredients to go the distance. Kyrgios served extremely well with only one double fault, a heartening stat for the Australian. Ugo Humbert has improved lots over the last year or so and hence finds himself seeded 29th here. Humbert should be slightly more comfortable playing from the baseline which then puts the onus on Kyrgios to change things up which is something the Australian never fails to do. Expect a tight contest throughout with lots of momentum shifts throughout. Kyrgios should just edge this one on the back of his serve late in the fifth.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 5
Main Photo from Getty.
