The 2020 Australian Open day 2 features Dominic Thiem looking to get off to a great start against Adrian Mannarino, while South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo seeks a maiden slam main draw win against Nikoloz Basilashvili. David Gertler, Damian Kust, and Harsh Bhoot offer their predictions.
Dominic Thiem vs Adrian Mannarino
Damian: Dominic Thiem was a bit up and down at the ATP Cup and he’s never really done that well in Australia. Mannarino’s flat smartly-angled shots can be a nightmare for a player lacking baseline rhythm. But with Thiem probably still very high on confidence, he should have more than enough to get through. Thiem in 4
David: Thiem leads the head to head with Mannarino 7-0 and has won the last 13 sets against the Frenchman. This is a nightmare matchup for Mannarino. His flat game doesn’t bother Thiem at all and Thiem can overwhelm Mannarino with his power from the baseline. Thiem’s serve is also significantly better than Mannarino’s. Thiem wins this one easily. Thiem in 3
Harsh: Dominic Thiem hasn’t gone past the fourth round in Melbourne and that stat has to change sooner or later. The Austrian was a much improved player on hard courts in 2019 and should be looking for a strong start here. There’s a visible power difference when Mannarino plays Thiem which has translated to a 7-0 head to head in the favour of the Austrian. Expect Thiem to play with freedom and nab a win against the Frenchman who’s winless in 2020 so far. Thiem in 3
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Andreas Seppi
Damian: Seppi has peaked during the Australian summer for the past couple of years. No matter whether it’s down to the surface, the conditions or the atmosphere, the Italian loves playing here and might outwit the much less experienced youngster. Seppi in 4
David: Kecmanovic had a very strong start to the season, reaching the semifinals of Doha without losing a set before falling to Andrey Rublev. Kecmanovic is a very clean ballstriker. Seppi is a player you never want to count out, he’s a really consistent player that can crank up the power when necessary. He’s 1-2 on the season, however. Seppi is much more experienced than Kecmanovic, but Kecmanovic is playing better tennis right now. Kecmanovic should win this match, but Seppi’s not going to go away easily. Kecmanovic in 5
Harsh: This should be a good watch. They’ve never played before and with the Serb looking strong in Doha, Kecmanovic knows he’s in with a solid chance here. Seppi hasn’t had a good start in 2020 losing early in Auckland and taking on a young rising star won’t be an easy task. Expect the Italian to fight till the end but the consistent Serb should emerge victorious. Kecmanovic in 4
Kwon Soon-woo vs Nikoloz Basilashvili
Damian: Despite a high ranking, Basilashvili is always a possible upset alert. No one hits the ball quite as hard as the Georgian and rarely can he keep a steady level for a longer period of time. Still, Kwon has a good shot but only if Basilashvili throws a stinker of a performance (which isn’t that unlikely). Basilashvili in 4
David: Kwon Soon had a breakthrough season in 2019, flying up the rankings. Kwon Soon is a very solid player. Basilashvili is known for absolutely uncorking on groundstrokes and playing high-risk, scintillating tennis. This match will largely be on Basilashvili’s racquet. However, Basilashvili wasn’t great during ATP Cup, going 1-2 (although one of those matches was to Nadal). This one will be very close, but expect Basilashvili to have just a little too much power for Kwon Soon to handle. Basilashvili in 5
Harsh: Kwon did reach the quarter finals in a challenger event in Canberra but taking on the hard hitting Georgian is different challenge altogether. Basilashvili didn’t have a particularly good ATP Cup but his powerful game should be good enough for the young South Korean. Expect the Georgian to not have it easy but the aggressive gamestyle should pay dividends. Basilashvili in 4
James Duckworth vs Aljaz Bedene
Damian: This should be a close one. Bedene has really improved his aggressive game lately and it will certainly help him to keep up with Duckworth’s all-court style. But it’s the Australian who usually excels at playing with home crowd support. Bedene feels like a more reliable pick but this won’t finish in straight sets. Bedene in 5
David: Bedene played great tennis to end the 2019 season. He’s very consistent from the baseline and, despite not being the biggest guy, has a sneaky big serve. Duckworth won the Pune Challenger to end 2019. Duckworth tries to stand on, or in front of, the baseline and play an aggressive style of tennis. Duckworth leads the head to head in this one 2-1, but they haven’t played since 2012, so not much to take from that. While Duckworth will have the crowd with him, expect Bedene to have a little too much consistency for the Aussie to handle. Bedene in 4
Harsh: This match rests on whether the crowd support can push Duckworth over the line or not because at the moment Bedene is the more complete player. Bedene reached the last eight in Doha and looked in decent touch while Duckworth lost early in Adelaide. The Aussie did beat Bedene in their only previous meeting but that was way back in 2013. This should be a long one but the consistency of Bedene’s game should be the differentiating factor. Bedene in 5
Main Photo:
