We’ll be treated to 20 men’s matches on Day 3 as the Australian Open wraps up its first round. As always, we here at LWOT share our thoughts on all the matches. We split the day’s 20 matches between five articles. In addition to this article, the other four feature Carlos Alcaraz vs Richard Gasquet, Casper Ruud vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Alexander Zverev vs Dominik Koepfer, and Grigor Dimitrov vs Marton Fucsovics. Predicting these matches are Jack Edward, Jason Fernandes, and Jordan Reynolds.
Australian Open Day 3 Men’s Predictions
Dan Evans vs Lorenzo Sonego
Jack:
Dan Evans is such a sneakily great tennis player. He possesses some of the most varied and exciting tennis on the tour but his lack of huge weaponry make him less effective agains the best in the world. There’s no reason he can’t get under Sonego’s skin to set up a likely blockbuster loss against Alcaraz.
Prediction: Evans in 4
Jason:
One of the most competitive round one matches on paper for sure with both men ranked inside the world’s top 50. Sonego has the forehand while Evans has the backhand. Purely based on Sonego winning their previous two encounters, he has a very slight edge here.
Prediction: Sonego in 5
Jordan:
It is hard to predict matches involving Evans, as he can be spectacular in one tournament and awful in the next. The general game plan of both players will be similar in the rallies: attack with their forehands and try and find their opponent’s backhand. Which of them will do it better? My instinct is telling me it will be the Italian.
Prediction: Sonego in 4
Sebastian Ofner vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Jack:
Whilst Kokkinakis will be backed by the home crowd, Ofner has shown he’s not content with just breaking the Top 40. His game is seriously good when he’s on so I’m trusting him to keep climbing the rankings.
Prediction: Ofner in 5
Jason:
The Australian may be a home favourite here but coming off three losses in a row and an injury concern, we don’t know what we’re going to get. The Austrian on the other hand already has four wins this year and his solid gamestyle should prevail in making it five.
Prediction: Ofner in 4
Jordan:
Both players have made a lot of progress in recent months. Ofner has improved immensely on hard courts, while Kokkinakis reached a career high ranking after his most consistent season to date in 2023. Kokkinakis lost an epic and crazy five setter to Andy Murray last year. I am going to back him to turn the tables and do that this time to Ofner.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 5
Tallon Griekspoor vs Roman Safiullin
Jack:
Safiullin is probably the less consistent with the higher peak of the two players. His recent form has been better than Griekspoor’s, however, so he should be able to tap into those peaks often enough to come through a difficult first round.
Prediction: Safiullin in 4
Jason:
You never know which Safiullin is going to show up on court, it could be the one who blows players away or the one who beats himself. Meanwhile, with Griekspoor you more or less know what you’re going to get even before his matches, a good demeanour with solid baseline play. Purely because of the Russian having a great run in Brisbane and playing great, I give him the edge.
Prediction: Safiullin in 5
Jordan:
Both players had their best seasons to date last year. Safiullin started the season strongly with a semifinal in Brisbane. He has lost in the first round in Melbourne in the last two years, which is slightly surprising since his style is well suited to the conditions at the Grand Slam. I think he will end that run in this match though.
Prediction: Safiullin in 4
Holger Rune vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Jack:
It doesn’t feel as though Rune has gotten any free rides recently. His game is so diverse and varied, it looks as though he sometimes can’t choose what to do. His biggest problem is definitely his fitness, however, which shouldn’t be a problem early doors and he should have the answers to whatever Nishioka throws at him.
Prediction: Rune in 4
Jason:
As solid as Nishioka has become the last few years, there’s still very few weapons in his game. Add to that this is his first match of the year with the eighth seed coming off a final in Brisbane, the Dane should serve and outhit the man from Japan off the court easily.
Prediction: Rune in 3
Jordan:
It is always interesting to watch Rune play, but it will be particularly fascinating with his star studded team of Boris Becker and Severin Luthi alongside him. The Dame will be made to run a lot and work hard by Nishioka, but the greater firepower of Rune should shine through over the course of the contest.
Prediction: Rune in 4
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
