Day 4 at the 2017 Australian Open should feature some excellent shotmaking on the men’s side of play, as we have players such as Gael Monfils, Alexander Zverev, and Rafael Nadal in action. Day 3 featured some upsets, and perhaps day 4 will feature the same. Here to take us through are Steen Kirby, Yesh Ginsburg, and Jacob Billings.
(6)Gael Monfils vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov
Steen: Monfils has a perfect 3-0 h2h in this matchup and got off to a hot start against Jiri Vesely in round 1. Dolgopolov clawed past Borna Coric in four sets and also showed signs of his shotmaking prowess. Monfils is in better form, along with being a better mover though, and should prevail in this entertaining match. Look for Gael to continue his good run of play, in the past year he’s leaped over players such as Dolgopolov. Monfils in 3 sets
Yesh: I’m a little surprised Dologopov won his first-round match, but not shocked. He’s very talented, but has major consistency (and sometimes health) issues. I think Monfils wins this one, as long as he can stay interested in the match. Monfils in 4
Jacob: Monfils was very convincing in his opener against Vesely, dropping only seven games and showing us he is fit. Dolgopolov got his first win of the season over Coric. He did well, but Monfils looked much better, and is the clear favorite. Head-to-head doesn’t give Dolgo much hope either, as he is 0-3 and won only one set. Despite all that, if Dolgopolov’s game is on and if Monfils will want to win, it will definitely be a match you should watch. Monfils in 4
(24)Alexander Zverev vs. (Q)Frances Tiafoe
Steen: A battle of promising teens. Zverev has risen much higher in the past year, and is the seed, while Tiafoe had to go through qualifying. The German youngster was sloppy against Robin Haase for part of his round 1 match, but did pull through in five sets. Tiafoe won his fourth Melbourne match in a row, showing great poise against a veteran in Mikhail Kukushkin. Tiafoe has more than a punchers chance in this matchup, but Zverev will likely edge him out. Zverev in 5
Yesh: The older Zverev brother just took out the top American, and the younger Zverev brother should be able to do the same to a talented up-and-coming American who still has a lot to work on in his game. Zverev in 3
Jacob: Tiafoe has a great win over Kukushkin, so his confidence must be riding pretty high. However, he is 0-2 against Top 30 players. Zverev might have looked pretty shaky against Haase, but he seemed to snap out of it in the last two sets, and I think that’s the game he will continue playing against Tiafoe. Zverev in 3
Marcos Baghdatis vs. (9)Rafael Nadal
Steen: Baghdatis avoided a lengthy match in round 1 as his opponent Mikhail Youzhny wasn’t feeling well and retired. Nadal dominated Florian Mayer, with a newly aggressive approach to his tennis. This match should feature aggressive hitting on both sides, but Nadal’s groundstrokes will likely break down the former AO finalist Baghdatis. Baghdatis struggles with Rafa’s spin production and has just one win in nine attempts against the Spaniard. Nadal is showing promise on hard courts if he continues to take the ball this early and take it to his opponents. Nadal in 3
Yesh: Rafael Nadal returned to play in Round 1 and wasn’t troubled at all by anything that “funky” Florian Mayer could send at him. Baghdatis is well past his prime where he could challenge players like Nadal. Nadal in 3
Jacob: Nadal started with a straight set win over Flo Mayer, and Baghdatis with a retirement in second set from Youzhny, so both players will be coming into the match pretty fresh. The deciding factor is definitely the fact that Nadal owns Baghdatis’ head-to-head 8-1, with the Cyprian’s only win coming back in 2010. If Baghdatis has an amazing day and Nadal has an absolute horrible one, Baghdatis could win, but not over five sets. Nadal in 4
Gilles Muller vs. (3)Milos Raonic
Steen: Muller has a h2h win against the higher ranked Raonic, and they both play a similar style of tennis. Expect powerful serves and crisp volleys, likely leading to tiebreaks in this matchup. Muller won his sixth match in a row, dismissing Taylor Fritz in straight sets. Raonic was untroubled by Dustin Brown, who plays a similar style to Muller, in round 1. Muller is in great form, and thus should provide more resistance than Brown did, but Raonic is still likely too strong to lose this match, or the relevant tiebreaks. Raonic in 4
Yesh: This is an excellent battle between two huge servers. If it hits five sets, it may never end. Raonic is better from the baseline though, which should lead to a few decisive breaks. Raonic in 4
Jacob: Milos Raonic took care of business in his first round against Dustin Brown, which was a potentially tricky match-up, but more follows in Round 2. Muller won Sydney and beat Fritz in straight sets. Muller lead the head-to-head 2-0, but the matches happened in 2012 and 2011, when Raonic was 21 and 22. If he has a good serving game, he could definitely be a threat to Raonic, but if Raonic keeps solid on serve and gets a couple of breaks in, he should be good. Raonic in 5
(Q)Radek Stepanek vs. (11)David Goffin
Steen: Goffin beat Stepanek in five sets when they met a some time ago, and he now faces the serve and volleying veteran after a grueling five set contest in round 1. Stepanek has started his season 8-1, in fantastic form, as he came through the qualifying. Goffin’s pure ball striking was just enough against talented young gun Reilly Opelka in round 1. Goffin didn’t crack under pressure in his first round match, and although I expect this match to be close, the Belgian is the better player and should prevail. Goffin in 5
Yesh: Radek Stepanek has the game and talent to cause problems for the always-solid David Goffin, but Stepanek hasn’t played at that level in years. It wouldn’t shock me to see Stepanek do something special, but I’m not holding my breath. Goffin in 3
Jacob: Goffin was pushed by young Opelka into five sets, while Stepanek dealt with Tursunov in straight sets. Goffin leads 1-0 in head-to-head over Stepanek, and is the favorite to win the match. I’m not saying the 38 year-old can pull off the upset, I’m just saying that his playing style will make it a lovely match to watch. Goffin in 4
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