The Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne with a full slate of first round matches, one of the top contenders is Alexander Zverev, who is taking on countryman Daniel Altmaier as the favorite, while Holger Rune takes on Kwon Soon-Woo. We have all of your predictions for the first round matches including matches featuring Matteo Berrettini and Feliciano Lopez.
Cristian Garin vs Facundo Bagnis
Damian Kust: Who can take the battle of the clay-courters? Cristian Garin can usually handle faster conditions a bit better, contrary to Facundo Bagnis who owns a negative win/loss record on hard courts, even across all levels of competition. Garin in 4
Yesh Ginsburg: Garin is quietly becoming one of the best players in the world, even off clay. The Chilean should win easily, even against a solid opponent. Garin in 3
Alexander Zverev vs Daniel Altmaier
Damian: Daniel Altmaier impressed on hard courts near the end of 2022, but this is a task that’s likely out of his range. Especially in the best-of-five format, this seems nearly impossible. Zverev in 3
Yesh: Zverev has to fancy himself one of the favorites here. And he was a relatively easy first-round match to start. Zverev in 3
Holger Rune vs Kwon Soon-Woo
Damian: This feels like an opportunity for Holger Rune to step up. The Dane lost to Corentin Moutet twice in the warm-up events, struggling to hit through the Frenchman’s junkballing. This matchup shouldn’t be as unpleasant for him, granting him a real fighting chance. Rune in 5
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Yesh: Rune has been impressing for a few years, but he drew the world’s attention when he challenged Djokovic last year. Kwon is solid enough to make the teenager work, but I’ll trust the Dane. Rune in 4
Mackenzie McDonald vs Nikola Milojevic
Damian: We’ll see if Mackenzie McDonald can find the form that saw him reach the fourth round here last year. This is a very nice draw for him to get started, Nikola Milojevic doesn’t have enough weapons to pose much of a threat if he plays well. McDonald in 3
Yesh: Mackenzie McDonald’s real breakthrough is coming, and soon. Will it be this tournament? Definitely possible. McDonald in 3
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