Can Yannick Hanfmann provide resistance to Rafael Nadal in round 2 of the Australian Open? John Millman will be upset minded against Alexander Zverev as well on day 3 of the tournament. We have predictions for every second round match including Hubert Hurkacz and Gael Monfils’ matches.
Rafael Nadal vs Yannick Hanfmann
Damian Kust: Yannick Hanfmann has been particularly impressive behind his serve in this event, not getting broken even once by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening round. The German qualifier would need to redline from the get-go here and likely cannot keep it up over the best-of-five format. Most of the time, I don’t think he takes a set. Nadal in 3
Jack Edward: Not much to be said for Hanfmann, who beat a knackered-looking Kokkinakis. Nadal doesn’t tend to drop sets in the early rounds of majors to players not named Nick Kyrgios and he managed his energy well against Giron. I’ve no reason to believe this won’t be straight sets! Nadal in 3
Harsh Bhoot: Nadal got off to a good start with his game staying solid throughout the match. That spells trouble for Hanfmann who although did beat an in-form Kokkinakis, he’d most likely be overpowered by Nadal. Expect Nadal to move through. Nadal in 3
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Lorenzo Sonego vs Oscar Otte
Damian: Oscar Otte won this one at the US Open, which kicked off his career-best fourth-round run. He’s never played better tennis than at the moment and can potentially trouble Lorenzo Sonego again. Otte in 5
Jack: In New York, these two played a four-set, four-hour epic. Otte’s blasé attitude lends itself to a steadily aggressive consistency that Sonego struggles against when he’s not landing his 1-2 punches. I’ll back Otte to edge another four tight sets. Otte in 4
Harsh: Sonego very quietly put in a pretty solid performance in beating Querrey and he’d be gunning for a good showing here. Otte too had a decent performance in his first round but Sonego’s firepower off both wings should be good enough to see the Italian through. Sonego in 3
Sebastian Korda vs Corentin Moutet
Damian: Corentin Moutet is playing very well right now and is always tricky to play with his off-pace style. Sebastian Korda is vulnerable to getting tripped up by an opponent like this, but if he plays anywhere as well as he did in the opening round, he should progress to the last 32. Korda in 4
Jack: Sebastian Korda has already knocked down one tricky opponent (though it should be noted Cam Norrie’s usual patterns of play are pretty dampened by the Australian conditions). Counterintuitive to ranking, Moutet should be a bit more difficult to deal with as the Frenchman will get into a few more return games. Still, I was too impressed with Korda not to see him winning this semi-comfortably. Korda in 3
Harsh: It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Korda put up that kind of a performance. The American’s game is well suited for hard courts and he can be a real dark horse in the top half. Moutet too notched up a great win over Pouille but the Frenchman lacks the baseline quality and power to trouble Korda for more than a set. Korda in 4
Alexander Zverev vs John Millman
Damian: John Millman has played great matches at his home slam in the past, but the Australian has his limitations. Alexander Zverev is playing with so much confidence right now and contrary to popular opinion, he’s going to be even tougher to stop in the best-of-five format where a momentary drop-off in quality doesn’t matter. Zverev in 4
Jack: Win or lose in the early rounds of a Slam, Zverev’s game always takes a while to get going. His first-serve finally started to find the court against Altmaier but he still never fully settled. John Millman is a brilliant baseliner but the form Zverev has been in, under these conditions, should give him a commanding victory even if he plays at around 7/10. Zverev in 4
Harsh: Gone are the days where Zverev struggled in the initial rounds and failed to reach the penultimate rounds. The German has certainly improved in Grand Slams and he’s a clear contender here. His straight sets win was anything but straight forward but his game looked scary at times. Millman will ride the home support for a set but that’s all he’ll get. Zverev in 4
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