Day 5 signals the start of the Australian Open third round. Friday in Melbourne will see eight incredible men’s matches, and we’re here to predict all of them for you. The eight matches will be split between this and a second article. Predicting this set of matches are Jim Smith, Damian Kust, and Harsh Bhoot.
Australian Open Day 5 Men’s Predictions
Grigor Dimitrov vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Jim:
Grigor Dimitrov has gone somewhat under the radar so far at Melbourne Park, but this could be a good fortnight for him. Pablo Carreno Busta will make him work hard for this, but if the Bulgarian can maintain the form he has shown so far in Melbourne, he should have enough to reach the second week.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 5
Damian:
Their head-to-head is tied at 3-3, but Grigor Dimitrov won both hard court meetings. The last one came four years ago and the current version of the Bulgarian is a lot worse than when he reached the top 3 in the ATP Rankings. This time it should be extremely close as Pablo Carreno Busta has been playing very well in Australia. I’ll pick the Spaniard because I believe the matchup advantage is only connected to their form at the time, not to the differences in their playstyles.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 5
Harsh:
This should be extremely exciting to watch. The head to head stands at 3-3 with Grigor Dimitrov winning both their hard court clashes and Pablo Carreno Busta winning the most recent one almost three years ago. Dimitrov plays a more attacking brand of tennis and he’ll need it to fire because Carreno Busta isn’t going to shy away from a contest. The Spaniard will give it his everything till the very last point. Expect a blockbuster of a clash with both players having their moments throughout. Carreno Busta’s superior consistency should see him through late in the fifth.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 5
Aslan Karatsev vs Diego Schwartzman
Jim:
Diego Schwartzman once again underlined what an excellent professional he is by dismissing the challenge, if it can be called a challenge, of Alexandre Muller, losing just five games. The young Frenchman will have better days, and one suspects that Aslan Karatsev will too. Still, it has been a fine effort from the 23-year-old Russian and one that bodes well for the future.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
Damian:
Aslan Karatsev’s ruthless, total dominance over Egor Gerasimov was quite terrifying. The Russian is making a Grand Slam debut at 27 and certainly isn’t playing like a freshman. Is this going to be a step too far? Diego Schwartzman’s consistency and game on return could prove too solid to deal with, but Karatsev doesn’t look like he is going to go down without a fight.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 4
Harsh:
Could potentially be one of the matches that flies under the radar but can produce quality tennis. Aslan Karatsev is having a dream run here, beating his second round opponent 6-0 6-1 6-0. As impressive as that was, Diego Schwartzman also put up a dominant display in his second round and the Argentine is the favourite entering this contest. Schwartzman is a solid baseliner and protects his second serve well. Karatsev can definitely make things difficult for Schwartzman but expect the Argentine to push through and progress ahead.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
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Adrian Mannarino vs Alexander Zverev
Jim:
Alexander Zverev has looked assured so far this season, delivering some fine performances. Adrian Mannarino will give the German unusual looks and could threaten on a fast, low-bouncing surface, but Zverev is good enough to come through here without encountering too many problems.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Damian:
Alexander Zverev has been problem-solving well thus far in Melbourne, overcoming great performances from Marcos Giron and Maxime Cressy. The 5-0 head-to-head lead over Adrian Mannarino doesn’t exactly mean he’ll beat the Frenchman every time (there were some close ones) but it should give him a nice psychological advantage as well.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Harsh:
Alexander Zverev played a great match to counter Maxime Cressy’s forecourt heavy tactics. The German no doubt takes a lot of confidence from the second round match and he now faces a very different kind of player. Adrian Mannarino plays unlike anyone else with his groundstroke trajectory extremely linear and flat. The Frenchman has lost five out of five to the German as Zverev is able to overpower and hit a clean winner most of the time. What would be heartening for Mannarino is the fact that he’s taken Zverev the distance the last two times they’ve met. The German can spray errors as he pushes for more on his shots. Expect Mannarino to take a set here but Zverev should go ahead on the back of his baseline play and heavier groundstrokes.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Novak Djokovic vs Taylor Fritz
Jim:
Novak Djokovic was given a real test by Frances Tiafoe, who played, for the most part, superbly. But the Serbian was able to come through that match, despite looking like he had gears still to go through. He may well be forced to work hard again in this match, but he should once again be able to advance more or less unscathed.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Damian:
Novak Djokovic was way off his best level against Frances Tiafoe in the second round. If he doesn’t up his game, Taylor Fritz could have a long shot here. The most likely result, however, is Djokovic cleaning up the errors and putting up a much better performance. One that Fritz would have no option to respond to.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Harsh:
It wasn’t as easy as expected for Novak Djokovic. There were high chances it could’ve gone to a deciding set but the Serb upped his game to close it out in four. His backhand lacked venom for most of the match probably because he didn’t want to exert too much energy in the hot conditions of the day session. If Djokovic’s match is scheduled again during the day, Taylor Fritz is capable of making things interesting. The American has lost twice in two meetings against Djokovic and that trend shouldn’t reverse despite the Serb’s second round struggles. Expect Djokovic to dominate from the baseline for the majority of the match but given how well Fritz is playing, expect the Serb to be slightly stretched.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Main Photo from Getty.
