The Australian Open second round of men’s singles finishes on Day 5. 16 matches are on the slate as players look to move into Round 3. Which players have the advantage on Day 5? As always, our writers here at LWOT share their thoughts. We split the day’s matches between this and three other articles. Those articles feature Holger Rune vs Arthur Cazaux, Alexander Zverev vs Lukas Klein, and Daniil Medvedev vs Emil Ruusuvuori. Predicting these matches are Jack Edward, Damian Kust, and Jordan Reynolds.
Australian Open Day 5 Men’s Predictions
Tallon Griekspoor vs Arthur Fils
Head-to-Head: Griekspoor 0-1 Fils
Jack:
Griekspoor might be feeling it after his four-hour epic against Safiullin and he hasn’t been in the greatest form anyway. The prodigal talent of Arthur Fils should be enough to take advantage of any shortcomings from the 28th seed.
Prediction: Fils in 4
Damian:
Griekspoor’s comeback against Safiullin was an insane fighting effort but his draw is so tough. He now gets to play another of the most dangerous unseeded players in the draw. Fils can be rushed in quicker conditions and Safiullin likely would have capitalized on that. Griekspoor is a slightly more comfortable matchup, but this is going to be close.
Prediction: Fils in 5
Jordan:
Fils won comfortably in the opening round, while Griekspoor managed an epic comeback from two sets down against Roman Safiullin. The Dutchman certainly cannot afford to give Fils an advantage like that. Griekspoor will try to be aggressive and mix up his game, but I doubt he can stop Fils. The young French star is improving rapidly and looks confident in Melbourne.
Prediction: Fils in 4
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-Head: Struff 2-0 Kecmanovic
Jack:
Neither player has been particularly great at the Slams but it’s Struff that’s generally been capable of the better results. There won’t be much in it but just a touch more experiencing has me leaning towards the German.
Prediction: Struff in 5
Damian:
Kecmanovic has been playing above his overall standard of late and we’ll have to see how long that lasts. It does have shades of his early 2022 peak though when he was a real scary player for a while. Struff can still play decent stuff (pun intended), but he seems to be headed in the opposite direction overall.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 4
Jordan:
Struff’s final-set tiebreak win against Rinky Hijikata seemed to slip under the radar somewhat. It was actually one of the most dramatic opening round matches, and the German did remarkably well to hold his nerve in front of a partisan crowd for Hijikata. I think Struff will win again. The quick courts suit his game, and Kecmanovic is better on clay than hard courts.
Prediction: Struff in 4
Juncheng Shang vs Sumit Nagal
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Jack:
This is a huge moment for Indian tennis. Sumit Nagal became the first Indian to defeat a seeded player at a Grand Slam in 35 years. I could see Nagal being inspired enough to take out the incomplete talent of Juncheng Shang.
Prediction: Nagal in 5
Damian:
Nagal beat Bublik in a pretty horrible performance from the Kazakh, but now that he’s in the second round this isn’t a bad matchup. He knows he’ll be in the rallies and his serve won’t be exposed. Shang probably deserves a slight nod purely on talent level and his upside in the future.
Prediction: Shang in 5
Jordan:
It was incredible how comfortably Nagal defeated Bublik. The Kazakhstani was below his best, but Nagal played superbly throughout. Shang also got a great victory against Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round. It is a hard one to call. My instinct is that Shang will just about manage to stop Nagal’s run.
Prediction: Shang in 4
Carlos Alcaraz vs Lorenzo Sonego
Head-to-Head: Alcaraz 0-1 Sonego
Jack:
Sonego has enough quality in his game to push Alcaraz in every set they play. There may even be a wobble for a set but we’ve no reason to doubt the world #2 comes through regardless.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Damian:
Alcaraz was briefly pushed by Gasquet in the opening set, but the French veteran didn’t have anything left after that. The conditions in Australia probably aren’t perfect for the World No. 2, which still shouldn’t matter to a player of this caliber, at least not yet. Sonego might snatch a set though.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Jordan:
Sonego’s power is underrated, and he will need to hit his spots absolutely perfectly on serve and from the baseline against Alcaraz. The world No. 1 is sure to pounce on any drop in level from Sonego. I doubt the Italian can be good enough to win over five sets against Alcaraz, but I feel he will claim a set in this contest.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
