The 2024 Slam season is officially upon us as the Australian Open begins on Sunday with 16 ATP singles matches and 16 WTA singles matches. We at LWOT have previews and predictions for every Australian Open match, led by Novak Djokovic vs Dino Prizmic in this article. Damian Kust, Jordan Reynolds, and Shane Black offer their insights and predictions.
Australian Open Day 1 Predictions
Francisco Cerundolo vs Dane Sweeny
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Damian: Cerundolo was wildly off in a 0-6 1-6 loss to Muller last week. This is a favorable draw for him, but it’s not like he can afford to play like this again. Sweeny is one of the fastest players on the circuit and was able to get inspired by the crowd support in the qualifying. Expect him to find some magic again, but the quality gap will be too much. Cerundolo in 4
Jordan: Sweeny is an Australian ranked outside the Top 200, and came through qualifying to reach a maiden Grand Slam main draw. Cerundolo is a seeded player, but he has been out of sorts so far this season, losing both matches in straight sets. I think the Argentine will come through, but feel this might be a match that is closer than some may expect it to be, with Sweeny’s home fans pushing him on and almost helping him to an upset. Cerundolo in 5
Shane: Cerundolo is coming off far and away the best season of his professional tennis career. The Argentine won 38 ATP matches last season, including his second title in Eastbourne. That said. he is 0-2 in 2024 and 2-6 dating back to mid-October. The 22-year-old Sweeny advanced through qualies and is playing in his first Slam main draw. The young Aussie should have a breakthrough in 2024, but he does not have the experience or firepower to knock off a top-30 player. Cerundolo in 4
Jaume Munar vs Alexander Shevchenko
Head-to-Head: Munar 1-0 Shevchenko
Damian: It seems like there’s one clear favorite of this match on hard courts at the moment. Might be a bit of a grindfest with Shevchenko generally preferring a more power-rallying oriented playstyle, but over the last 12 months he’s just gotten a lot more comfortable across all surfaces. It won’t be a 90-minute beatdown though. Shevchenko in 4
Jordan: There are two very contrasting styles in this one. Munar is one of the most defensive players on tour, while Shevchenko looks for every opportunity possible to hit a winner. Shevchenko’s level can fluctuate a lot, which gives Munar hope of drawing mistakes if he puts enough balls into court. But Shevchenko is the higher ranked player, and on a hard court he is a big favourite against the Spaniard with his extra firepower. Shevchenko in 3
Shane: Munar has never seemed to achieve his full potential on the ATP Tour, and has especially struggled on hard courts. He was 1-5 in ATP hardcourt matches last season. Shevchenko, on the other hand, excels on this surface and is coming off a career-year in 2023. The 23-year-old holds a career-high ranking of world No. 48 and is playing with supreme confidence. I see the Russian blasting his way into the second round. Shevchenko in 4
Jesper de Jong vs Pedro Cachin
Head-to-Head: de Jong 1-0 Cachin
Damian: That’s a great draw for De Jong, who qualified through a massive physical battle against Ugo Carabelli to overcome a 0-3 record in his final qualifying round appearances at Slams. He’s back in shape after the injury that finished his 2023 season and will feel like he’s playing with house money at the moment. Cachin loves serve +1s and short attacking combinations even on clay, so he’s not as poor on hard courts as some think. The Dutchman is still the favorite though. de Jong in 4
Jordan: This is a tough one to call. Cachin is the higher-ranked of the two by a considerable margin. However, he is a pure clay court specialist, with all 36 of his Futures and Challenger finals coming on the dirt. De Jong came through qualifying, with his final match to reach the main draw being decided in a final set tiebreak. I feel he can ride that momentum and find enough in his game to prevail against the clay court specialist Cachin. de Jong in 4
Shane: De Jong fought his way through qualies and will play his first Slam main draw match on Sunday. He won 28 matches at the Challenger level last season and comes into this match with confidence. Cachin is 0-6 dating back to October 2023 and does not have much juice coming into this match. Give me the Dutchman in a tight one. de Jong in 5
Novak Djokovic vs Dino Prizmic
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Damian: Djokovic against a qualifier was always going to be rough for the latter, but this one might be a bigger demolition than against most of them? It’s just the fact that Prizmic, while an extremely solid hitter and exceptional athlete, hasn’t developed the weapons he could use to hurt Djokovic just yet. Getting experience like this is great for him, but this shouldn’t be a long match. Djokovic in 3
Jordan: This should be fun to watch. 18-year-old Prizmic is a French Open juniors champion, and came through qualifying to reach this point. Hopefully, nerves don’t overwhelm him and he can show some of that talent. A win for the 10-time champion seems obvious, but expect some nice shotmaking from Prizmic along the way. Djokovic in 3
Shane: Prizmic is a supreme young talent, but this is his first Grand Slam main draw match. This will be Djokovic’s 410th Slam singles match (he has won 361). Prizmic does not have the weapons to puncture the 10x Australian Open champion. Djokovic in 3
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
