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 Daniil Medvedev vs Roberto Carballes Baena. Predicting this set of matches are myself (Yesh Ginsburg), Damian Kust, and Jim Smith.
Australian Open Day 4 Men’s Predictions
Karen Khachanov vs Ricardas Berankis
Yesh:
Khachanov is still not where he can or should be, but he’s more than talented enough to handle Berankis. He’s also inconsistent enough to lose this match if he’s not careful, though.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
Jim:
For the second time in as many weeks, Berankis has scored a very comfortable win over Sumit Nagal in the first round. Unfortunately for the Lithuanian, it is hard to see him getting the better of Khachanov. This is a match the Russian will enjoy if he is able to play anything like his best tennis.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Damian:
Karen Khachanov had a much tougher time against Aleksandar Vukic but a win like that might actually help him. The Russian has played a lot of tennis in the past week or so and found himself in many tight, nervous situations. He should be ready for whatever Ricardas Berankis can throw at him.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Filip Krajinovic vs Pablo Andujar
Yesh:
I often overestimate Filip Krajinovic, mostly because I expect his 2017 form to bust out at any time. He definitely still has the talent, and he should be able to blast the ball past Andujar on a fast hard court.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 3
Jim:
Andujar was excellent in beating Halys. The Spaniard is often a player who doesn’t get the credit he deserves, including from me. After all he is now 35 and still ranked comfortably inside the top 100. But Krajinovic will surely win the majority of the baseline battles between them, particularly on this relatively quick surface.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 4
Damian:
Pablo Andujar had one of his best hard court performances in a while in the opening round but the surface will continue to be an issue for him here. While Filip Krajinovic rarely defeats the top players, he is also rarely vulnerable to upsets himself. The Serbian’s steady level should see him go through here.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 3
[pickup_prop id=”4815″]
Radu Albot vs Christopher O’Connell
Yesh:
Both of these players surprised me in the first round. Albot definitely has higher potential, and he’s not so far removed from it. O’Connell has a lot of potential as well, but he mostly sticks to the lower tours for now. I’ll go with Albot, but this could definitely go either way.
Prediction: Albot in 3
Jim:
This is a huge opportunity for both men, one created by Albot’s stunning first-round win over Roberto Bautista Agut. And it should be the Moldovan who is better placed to take it. O’Connell caused quite the upset himself by beating Jan-Lennard Struff in straight-sets in his opener, but the experienced Albot’s consistent baseline tennis seems likely to cause him more problems.
Prediction: Albot in 5
Damian:
These were two huge upsets of the opening round, with Radu Albot taking out Roberto Bautista Agut and Christopher O’Connell defeating Jan-Lennard Struff. While Albot’s win was arguably even bigger, the Aussie has a game that is much better suited to the conditions in Melbourne. His attacking tennis should shine here with the help of a home crowd as well.
Prediction: O’Connell in 4
Rafael Nadal vs Michael Mmoh
Yesh:
Nadal is not at 100% right now, but even 60% Nadal should be enough to handle Mmoh and his game. Don’t expect the Spaniard to struggle.
Prediction: Nadal in 3
Jim:
All is not entirely right in Nadal’s world, with the Spaniard explaining in some detail how a back injury is affecting him, particularly on serve. But he was still able to get past Djere easily enough and although the injury may become a problem later in the tournament, he should be able to account for Mmoh easily enough as well.
Prediction: Nadal in 3
Damian:
Rafael Nadal’s serve speed was down about ten kph in the opening round, which might indicate that the back injury is a real concern. That said, his level from the ground was still enough to straight set Laslo Djere. While Michael Mmoh is a much better hard court player, he probably doesn’t have what it takes to expose Nadal’s struggles.
Prediction: Nadal in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
