We’ll see the end of the second round on Day 5 of the Australian Open, which means 16 exciting men’s matches on the schedule. Who do you think will win on Thursday in Melbourne? As always, our writers share their thoughts on all of the matches. We split the day’s 16 matches between four articles–the other three feature Jannik Sinner vs Tristan Schoolkate, Holger Rune vs Matteo Berrettini, and Gael Monfils vs Daniel Altmaier. Predicting this match are Damian Kust, Tope Oke, and Ateet Shrivastava. Who will reach Round 3?
Australian Open Day 5 Predictions
Hubert Hurkacz vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Damian:
Hurkacz pushed past Griekspoor in straight sets, avoiding what looked like a potential trap. Kecmanovic can be tough to play against with how resilient he is off the ground and it won’t be easy for the Pole to dominate the rallies here. Could be a longer match, but the favorite seems relatively clear at the moment.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 4
Tope:
Hubert Hurkacz has added a bit of flair and movement to his renowned serve and volley plot, and he was evident as he secured a composed straight-sets win over the defiant Tallon Griekspoor. However, matches with Kecmanovic haven’t usually been smooth sailing. The Serbian reached the semifinal in Adelaide before arriving in Melbourne, where he made it to the 4th round last year.
This will be a lengthy match, and Kecmanovic can win if he turns the big Pole’s serves into rallies where he’ll have a slight advantage, but I think Hurkacz will win this the longer the match goes.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 5
Ateet:
Hurkacz started the year looking far from his best but now he is back to playing some top tennis. He got a great win against a dangerous Tallon Griekspoor in the first round. Kecmanovic is also playing some good tennis but the difference in serve is big between these two and that will be a key factor.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 4
Francisco Cerundolo vs Facundo Diaz Acosta
Damian:
Diaz Acosta survived a physical battle with Bergs and he’s not quite as poor on hard courts as some might think. But he’s not the better player on this surface in this all-Argentinian clash and Cerundolo only needing three sets against Bublik might only extend that advantage further. Very nice chance to keep progressing for the seed.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 4
Tope:
This all-Argentine encounter is poised to light up Melbourne as two familiar opponents meet each other for the fifth time in their careers, with honors even. However, it’s their first encounter on hard courts. This should be a win for Cerundolo, considering his emphatic win over Alexander Bublik in round one. Still, I won’t be carried away by his defeat of the jaded Kazakh and back Acosta, who was more diminutive to navigate a superb comeback win over the in-form Zizou Bergs.
Prediction: Diaz Acosta in 5
Ateet:
Facundo Diaz Acosta is enjoying his best period of tennis on hard courts and will fancy his chance against his compatriot Francisco Cerundolo, who can have off days from time to time. However, I will back the favourite in this match as Cerundolo looked solid and will want to go further than he did here last year.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 4
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Marcos Giron
Damian:
Etcheverry was much stronger physically than Cobolli and ended up taking the win in four. Giron is not an opponent he can’t beat on hard courts, even if it’s a more natural surface for the American. Physical domination won’t really be the way to win here, but you can easily make the case that his heavy topspin forehand is far more dangerous than anything his opponent has in his arsenal. It’s a nice opportunity for Etcheverry to match his result from last year.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 5
Tope:
Both players had to go through similar routes to achieve a comeback win in their opening matches, which suggests that this one will reek of grit and spirit. It is, however, quite ironic that as good as a player Marcos Giron is, especially on hard courts, he hasn’t gone past this stage in Melbourne, and with a difficult, younger opponent in Etcheverry, I think his woes will continue as the Argentine took out a more challenging Flavio Cobolli in the previous round.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 5
Ateet:
After failing in his last five attempts, Marco Giron is into his first second-round appearance at the Australian Open. He started slowly against Yannick Hanfmann but got better from the second set onwards. Etcheverry’s improvement on hard courts is commendable and he has a good shot to make the third round again.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 5
Taylor Fritz vs Cristian Garin
Damian:
Garin won the clash of two out-of-form players against Coric in straight sets and who knows, maybe he’s right about to find something of his past gear again. But it’s probably a little too early against someone like Fritz, who will have to be pushed to the absolute brink to get eliminated with how solid and efficient he is of late.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Tope:
Taylor Fritz produced a statement win over the returning Jenson Brooksby to reiterate that he was on a mission to go the farthest in Melbourne. He didn’t face a break point as he yielded only five games to his compatriot in a truly emphatic win.
Cristian Garin has also been impressive since arriving down under and will undoubtedly put up much of a fight against the Americans, but the possibility of him winning this is very remote.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Ateet:
Cristian Garin defeated Borna Coric in the first round, winning his first Grand Slam match since the 2022 US Open. However, he will face Taylor Fritz in the second round, and I don’t see him winning. Fritz should win this in straight sets.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
