Marin Cilic and Stefanos Tsitsipas look to keep up their winning ways on day 4 of the Australian Open as second round play will complete in Melbourne. Our panelists have predictions for every second round match including Daniil Medvedev vs Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner’s match vs Steve Johnson.
Maxime Cressy vs Tomas Machac
Damian Kust: Two players who have had an insane start of the year. Maxime Cressy’s baseline game has never been steadier, but Tomas Machac is so high on confidence right now he can keep it close for sure. Pretty much a toss-up. Cressy in 5
Ryan Schick: Cressy flew onto the radar of a lot of tennis fans after making the Melbourne final and giving a good fight to Rafael Nadal. Machac had to go through qualifying to make the main draw, but he has played well, winning nine of his last ten sets here including the qualifying draw. Their lone meeting last year went to a final set tiebreak, but Cressy has improved a lot since and continues to ride the momentum from his first ATP final. Cressy’s big serve helped him upset Isner in the first round and it will help carry him to his first third round appearance Cressy flew onto the radar of a lot of tennis fans after making the Melbourne final and giving a good at a major. Cressy in 4
Jethro Broughton: Cressy won the battle of the big servers against John Isner, and continues to show that he’s a genuine threat on the ATP tour. His chaotic style of tennis can be a lot to handle, and Machac may struggle to deal with it. The Czech did excellently to qualify and beat Cerundolo in Round One, but this will probably be where his tournament ends. Cressy can be erratic and won’t play the perfect match, but he should be good enough to advance to the Third Round. Cressy in 4
Norbert Gombos vs Marin Cilic
Damian: Two players who can go from peaking to missing everything in just a matter of games. The former runner-up’s ceiling and floor are both significantly higher though. Cilic in 4
Ryan: After looking like he was heading toward retirement in late 2020, Cilic found an excellent run of form in 2021 to reestablish himself as a dangerous player in the game. He had a strong showing in both Adelaide tournaments leading to his 5-2 record on the year. Though he has struggled against elite players, his serve an experience help him win most of the matches he is supposed to win. Gombos snuck through qualifying winning twice in final set tiebreaks and will have to play far better against Cilic. Cilic will dispatch his second qualifier in a row almost as easily as he did the first. Cilic in 3
Jethro: Gombos had an almighty run in qualifying, beating some great players in very tight matches, and was rewarded with a pretty winnable first round. Cilic, however is of a different calibre to his previous opponents. The former US Open champion may not be the player he once was, but he’s still far too good to lose these matches this early. Cilic should power his way through to the Third Round here. Cilic in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Sebastian Baez
Damian: Sebastian Baez is performing on hard courts far better than previously expected and while he’s going to be forced to defend more than he likes here, he’s certainly equipped to do that. Still, the offensive arsenal of Stefanos Tsitsipas should be too broad. Tsitsipas in 4
Ryan: This match would be intriguing on clay, both player’s best surface but a surface that is much more a specialty for Baez. Tsitsipas though best on clay is a great hard court player, making the semifinal here in Melbourne in both 2019 and 2021. He dropped his first match of the year at the ATP Cup but looks to have forgotten that when he cruised to a straight-set victory in the first round. Baez had an impressive first round win over Ramos-Vinolas but had to go five sets to get there. Tsitsipas is one of the best players in the world and having less court time will be more than enough for him to prove his skills and win convincingly. Tsitsipas in 3
Jethro: To the casual viewer this may seem a straightforward match for Tsitsipas. However, Baez is a really exciting prospect and has the potential to become a more aggressive version of his compatriot Diego Schwartzman. He can punch way above his weight and is very solid from the back of the court. Tsitsipas is still in a different class however, and should win this- especially considering how he looked in Round One. The World #4 should win, but it won’t be easy and he’ll have to play well. Tsitsipas in 4
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Kamil Majchrzak vs Alex de Minaur
Damian: Despite contracting COVID-19 at the ATP Cup, Kamil Majchrzak played very well to dispatch Andreas Seppi. Alex de Minaur is a different beast at home though and seems to have found a lot of confidence again after a disappointing second half of the 2021 season. de Minaur in 4
Ryan: de Minaur will be the big favorite in this match with his immense talent in addition to the home crowd behind him. He had a tough 2021, losing far too many matches he should win, but seemed to bounce back with a strong showing at the ATP Cup to start the year. Majchrzak is a good player trying to break into the top-100 who had a good amount of success last season. de Minaur is simply too good and his athleticism and powerful shotmaking will give him more than enough to win easily. de Minaur in 3
Jethro: de Minaur was outplayed in the first set of his opening round with Musetti, but he found another gear and didn’t look back. The Aussie is electric around the court and his raw speed is a real weapon in these conditions. Majchrzak is going to be the underdog here, but he cruised past Andreas Seppi in straight sets in Round One, which is not easy to do in Melbourne. de Minaur needs a big run here and the home crowd will be backing him passionately as they always do. I think he’s due some big moments this week and I can’t see him losing to a player ranked so much lower than him. de Minaur in 3
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