Men’s third round play concludes in Melbourne on day 6 and our panel of Steen Kirby, Brett Margolies, and Yesh Ginsburg reviews the best men’s matches of the day, and offers up their predictions, including for the veteran matchup between Juan Martin Del Potro and Tomas Berdych.
Dominic Thiem vs. Adrian Mannarino
Steen: Thiem is 6-0 against Mannarino in his career and already showed his mettle in round 2 by coming back from 2 sets down against Denis Kudla. Thiem isn’t entirely comfortable on hard courts yet, but he has more power than Mannarino and I’d be surprised if the Frenchman managed more than a set. Thiem in 4
Brett: Dominic Thiem showed what he was made of coming back from 2-0 down to defeat Denis Kudla in the second round. I don’t think he’ll fall behind this time. Mannarino’s tricky game will cause him some problems, but not enough to win. Thiem in 4
Yesh: Thiem flipped a switch and finally started playing well in the third match of his set against Kudla. If Thiem can play that well again, he should win this match. Otherwise, he will be sent to a quick exit. He can’t afford another sloppy start. Thiem in 3
Max Marterer vs. Tennys Sandgren
Steen: Both players have reached career best results in slams this time around, and a true breakthrough awaits the winner. Marterer is coming off a five setter while Sandgren has yet to drop a set. Both players are relatively evenly matched, but Sandgren has a better peak game and that gives him the edge. Both players are playing with house money so expect them to put it all on the line. Sandgren in 4
Brett: This match will be a great opportunity for one of these two players to reach the third round at a slam for the first time in their career. Sandgren’s win over Wawrinka was impressive, I expect him to be able to follow it up with another win. Sandgren in 5
Yesh: The aptly-named Tennys Sandgren is finally living up to it with a third-round appearance here. He gets a lucky matchup against Max Marterer, and might be able to move into his first-ever Slam second week. Sandgren in 4
Hyeon Chung vs. Alexander Zverev
Steen: Hyeon Chung is playing really well and has yet to drop a set, but Zverev is a step up and this match is very promising. It’s hard to pick, but I’ll go with Chung in an upset, he seems fresh and his clean, steady game should trouble Zverev. Chung in 5
Brett: Hyeon Chung will attempt to take out both Zverev brothers. After defeating Mischa in the first round, he now has the tough task of playing Alexander. They’ve already played three times with Zverev holding a 2-1 lead H2H, this is a matchup we’ll be seeing a lot in the future as well. I like Zverev to move on to the round of 16. Zverev in 4
Yesh: Chung has already taken out one Zverev brother, but the younger one is the more difficult of the two. Alexander Zverev has struggled in Slams, though, and Chung is finally ready to make his Major breakthrough. Chung in 4
Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Tomas Berdych
Steen: Del Potro and Berdych have split the h2h, and both have dropped sets early on this tournament. Del Potro is the better player, but Berdych will not be easy to put away with his power. My gut says Del Potro so I’ll stick to that. Del Potro in 4
Brett: Tomas Berdych has done well to get to the third round after many had him losing his first round match to De Minaur. The two time Australian Open semifinalist will now face his toughest opponent yet in Del Potro. This match should be fun with two of the hardest hitters on tour, I think Berdych wins a close one. Berdych in 5
Yesh: Del Potro’s draw seems unfair, and getting a big hitter like Berdych will be rough. Del Potro is more talented and more consistent, so I think he can see this one through. Del Potro in 4
Richard Gasquet vs. Roger Federer
Steen: Roger Federer has dominated Richard Gasquet historically (16-2 h2h) and given his solid tennis early on I don’t think he’ll have that much trouble. It’s been a good showing for Gasquet thus far but it would be shocking if he got over the hump of beating Federer in a slam at this stage in his career. Federer in 3
Brett: This H2H isn’t as bad as Djokovic-Monfils but it’s close with Federer holding a 16-2 record against Gasquet. Federer has been taking care of business early on and I expect him to do the same against an opponent who’s given him no trouble throughout his career. Federer in 3
Yesh: This match has the potential to be an absolute classic, but Gasquet has fallen off a bit in recent years. He has looked good in this tournament, but so has Federer. Federer in 4
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