Day 4 of the Australian Open will feature 16 men’s matches are we are finally fully caught up from Tuesday’s rain. Thursday will see the end of the second round, and as always we will share our thoughts on all the matches. We split the day’s matches between four articles. One features Jenson Brooksby vs Casper Ruud, the second headlines Jeremy Chardy vs Dan Evans, and the third features Andy Murray vs Thanasi Kokkinakis. Predicting this match are Josh Hall, Yesh Ginsburg, and Damian Kust.
Australian Open Day 4 Men’s Predictions
Alexander Zverev vs Michael Mmoh
Josh:
Mmoh could potentially be licking his lips at this match; there is not a better time to play Zverev. The German is on the comeback trail and needed 5 sets to get through Varillas. However I think he may have needed that to dust off the cobwebs.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Yesh:
Michael Mmoh had a comeback win for the ages in his opening round. For that, he is rewarded with a matchup against Alexander Zverev while the German is struggling for match fitness and rhythm.
Prediction: Mmoh in 5
Damian:
Zverev looked so shaky in his opening round against Varillas, but Mmoh didn’t leave a lasting impression either, pulling off a crazy comeback against Lokoli. The American has been in good form recently and could have a chance here, but his first-round performance doesn’t exactly strike you with belief that he’ll deliver.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Holger Rune vs Maxime Cressy
Josh:
A difficult match here for Holger Rune. Cressy, with his serve and volley tactics, can be a problem for anybody. Rune has started the year slowly compared to how he finished it last year, I think Cressy will certainly take this deep. Quality should prevail in the end and Rune will make the next round.
Prediction: Rune in 5
Yesh:
This should be such a fun match. Well, every Cressy match is a fun match. Holger Rune has really shown a breakthrough in the last six months. Is that enough to handle the weirdness of Cressy? I’ll say yes.
Prediction: Rune in 4
Damian:
Cressy is always a rough matchup, not giving you any rhythm and making it so unique with the constant serve-and-volleying. Rune usually finds the right timing on return against big servers, but it’s not gonna be pleasant and could potentially end in disaster if he isn’t clutch on the few break point opportunities for both sides.
Prediction: Rune in 5
Andrey Rublev vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Josh:
This is very closely-matched in my opinion. Rublev is a bit of a tough player to get right these days. I like the style of Ruusuvoiri in this match up, he has a cool head and will not be frustrated if thing don’t go his way.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in 5
Yesh:
Rublev’s form was a question mark coming into this tournament, but he had plenty of answers in the first round. Unless his level drops, Ruusuvuori won’t have a chance.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
Damian:
Hardly a pleasant draw for Rublev. Expect some extreme hard-hitting in this one as both players love to go at the opponent with their linear power off the baseline. Ruusuvuori had a pretty rough performance against Purcell in the opening round and the Russian seems to be the more in-form competitor at the moment.
Prediction: Rublev in 4
Andy Murray vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Josh:
Maybe the best matchup of the second round. Two hugely popular players down under. Murray put so much into that first match against Berrettini he could barely walk. Kokkiankis will be the fresher man and if he can get that serve firing again, I like him to progress here.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5
Yesh:
Andy Murray looked spectacular early in his first match, then he showed his trademark grit to grind out a difficult win over #13 seed Matteo Berrettini. Assuming his body has recovered enough in two days (not a safe assumption with him nowadays), he shouldn’t struggle with Thanasi Kokkinakis, who presents a similar matchup.
Prediction: Murray in 4
Damian:
Murray won’t really have to adjust his game plan from the opening round, once again going after the opponent’s vulnerable backhand. Kokkinakis has been on fire in Australia this month and has the weaponry to gain the upper hand in the rallies. This is a great opening, but he will need a great serving day.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5
Main Photo from Getty.
