Day 4 means that the Australian Open concludes the second round on Thursday in Melbourne. 32 men will compete for a spot in the third round. We’re here at LWOT to predict all 16 matches four you. The predictions are split between four articles. In addition to this article, the others feature Andrey Rublev vs Thiago Monteiro, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Rafael Nadal vs Michael Mmoh. Predicting this set of matches are myself (Yesh Ginsburg), Damian Kust, and Aldo Ostreicher.
Australian Open Day 4 Men’s Predictions
Tomas Machac vs Matteo Berrettini
Yesh:
Berrettini is probably not a potential Slam champion, but he should be able to consistently reach the second week of Majors. Machac did well to reach the second round, but he won’t be reaching the third.
Prediction: Berrettini in 3
Aldo:
Berrettini will assert his role as the favorite to beat Machac. The Italian never met Machac before but the Czech is still very young (20 years old) and inexperienced to surprise a great Berrettini. The Italian played solidly to beat a tough Kevin Anderson in the first round.
Prediction: Berrettini in 3
Damian:
After a kind of poor 2020, Matteo Berrettini is suddenly looking like it’s the 2019 US Open all over again. Kevin Anderson was an extremely tricky opponent to face in his opener and the Italian had to use his great skillset and be incredibly clutch not to lose a set there. He shouldn’t struggle that much here.
Prediction: Berrettini in 3
Feliciano Lopez vs Lorenzo Sonego
Yesh:
Feliciano Lopez is a shell of himself at his prime. While Sonego doesn’t particularly love hard courts, he’s more than capable enough on this surface to handle the Spaniard.
Prediction: Sonego in 3
Aldo:
Feliciano López is a good player that can put the best players in trouble on certain surfaces, like hard indoors or grass. However, he is already 39 years old while Sonego is at the peak of his career. It won’t be easy for the Italian but he should advance to the next round.
Prediction: Sonego in 4
Damian:
Lorenzo Sonego had a bit of a false start last week. That loss to Jason Kubler felt like weeks ago when he defeated Sam Querrey in straight sets on Tuesday. The Italian shouldn’t be too confused by Feliciano Lopez’s unusual tactics and from the ground, the difference between the two is quite substantial.
Prediction: Sonego in 4
[pickup_prop id=”4822″]
Mikael Ymer vs Carlos Alcaraz
Yesh:
Ymer is always fun to watch (both Mikael and Elias, if I’m being honest), but Alcaraz is just playing such an incredible level of tennis right now. The young Spaniard is a star in the making, and he’s about to arrive.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Aldo:
The young Carlos Alcaraz is playing amazing despite being only 17 years old. He defeated his first opponent Botic Van de Zandschulp in straight sets. If he keeps focused on his game he will reach his aim of playing against Tsitsipas in the next round. Ymer won’t be an easy opponent for Alcaraz but the Spaniard has a good chance to win.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Damian:
The extent of Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Botic van de Zandschulp was quite scary. The Spaniard is developing at a crazy pace, even though his inconsistency remains an issue. There’s one thing that stands out though and that’s his ability to win when not playing his best. Even though Mikael Ymer poses some issues, Alcaraz is going to find an answer.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Daniil Medvedev vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Yesh:
Medvedev is just in outstanding form right now. He plays an incredible counterpunching style that’s a little reminiscent of what Novak Djokovic did early in his career. The Russian isn’t getting challenged any time soon.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Aldo:
Daniil Medvedev is playing the best tennis of his career after winning the ATP Cup with Russia. He extended his 15-winning streak defeating in Round 1 a Pospisil in straight sets. Carballés needed four sets to beat Balázs and a priori he cannot put Medvedev in trouble right now. It will be their first meeting.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Damian:
Daniil Medvedev is really looking like someone who could go all the way in Australia this year. When the Russian is playing this well, you really need something special to stop him. Roberto Carballes Baena is lacking weapons to hit through Medvedev or even put much pressure on him.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
