The second round of men’s singles starts on Day 4 of the Australian Open. We get 16 matches as players look to move on to Round 3. Which players will those be? As always, our writers here at LWOT share their thoughts. We split the day’s matches between this and three other articles. Those articles feature Andrey Rublev vs Christopher Eubanks, Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Machac, and Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jordan Thompson. Predicting these matches are Jack Edward, Jordan Reynolds, Damian Kust, and Tope Oke.
Australian Open Day 4 Men’s Predictions
Pavel Kotov vs Flavio Cobolli
Jack:
The physical work that Pavel Kotov has put in recently is abundantly clear in the weight of his shot. That work is already translating to results in a very healthy win percentage over the past few months. Neither player will be feeling particularly fresh in the legs and I think Cobolli would lose a war of attrition to Kotov.
Prediction: Kotov in 4
Jordan:
Both men got to the second round via five-set epics. Cobolli managed a great victory against Nicolas Jarry. Kotov nearly let a two set lead slip against Arthur Rinderknech but eventually came through. Cobolli will need to absorb a lot of pressure from Kotov, but his contest with the huge-serving Jarry will be good preparation for this. I think the Italian will get another impressive win.
Prediction: Cobolli in 4
Damian:
One of the underrated ties of the round with Cobolli making so much progress on hard courts the past two months, while Kotov is in amazing form and really found his footing at the ATP level. So hard to pick a winner here, the Italian being the more energetic player but not having that one defining weapon like his opponent’s flat forehand.
Prediction: Kotov in 5
Tope:
This promises to be another long, hard-fought match as both previous matches between both players have gone the distance and so did their first-round match. Tough to pick a winner in a match that will be close and flinty but I will go with Flavio Cobolli to edge this. If he could outlive Nicolas Jarry’s serve in the previous round, then he should defeat Kotov.
Prediction: Cobolli in 5
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Karen Khachanov
Jack:
Underrated at the Slams? No longer. Khachanov is rightly being recognised as a player that steps up for the majors. Kovacevic’s fitness will be put under scrutiny against the powerful Russian.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
Jordan:
These two also had tough battles in the first-round. Kovacevic in five sets against recent Auckland champion Alejandro Tabiko, while former semifinalist Khachanov won in four very tight sets against Daniel Altmaier. 25-year-old Kovacevic is immensely talented, but Khachanov should still get this done. The Kovacevic one-handed backhand could particularly break down in this contest.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Damian:
Kovacevic has probably done enough to secure that Top 100 debut after the Australian Open and everything else will be a bonus from here. He’s grown a lot as a match player and showed it again vs Alejandro Tabilo, waiting him out with the slice and tuning in the backhand return as the match went on. Khachanov can sometimes struggle against low-bouncing shots with his forehand technique, maybe the American finds the right recipe again?
Prediction: Kovacevic in 5
Tope:
The American subjected Alejandro Tabilo to the jinx of losing the next match after a title win when he defeated the Chilean in five sets. He has won all his matches this year but he is up against a Top 20 player in Karen Khachanov. The Russian hasn’t been particularly impressive – needing two tiebreakers to defeat Daniel Altmaier in a match that could have gone either way.
Kovacevic has looked more solid and if he can stay on his feet, he can upset his opponent.
Prediction: Kovacevic in 5
Lorenzo Musetti vs Luca Van Assche
Jack:
Neither player is a natural on hard but, in my opinion, it’s Van Assche that’s shown the most promise being aggressive on the surface. The number of losses Musetti has sustained recently will only add to the likelihood of the Italian being a bit more passive than the 19-year-old.
Prediction: Van Assche in 5
Jordan:
Both players battled through in the previous round. Van Assche in five sets against James Duckworth, while Musetti won in four sets against Benjamin Bonzi, with two of those being won on tiebreaks. I think Musetti will get through this. Van Assche does not yet have the power or heavy spin to target the Italian’s more vulnerable backhand, which will help him.
Prediction: Musseti in 3
Damian:
Musetti is never too consistent in these matches as the favorite, especially off-clay, but this is a solid opportunity for him. It might be going unnoticed for now, but he has improved his first serve and maybe over time he can start winning matches like this without much of a hustle. For now, he still probably has enough to get through.
Prediction: Musetti in 4
Tope:
First meeting between both players and it promises to be a slugfest. Musetti hasn’t won consecutive matches since last September, while the Frenchman is playing superbly. I’ll back Lucas Van Assche to edge out a win and continue his breakthrough in the sport.
Prediction: Van Assche in 5
Novak Djokovic vs Alexei Popyrin
Jack:
Djokovic came through a proper battle with Prizmic in the first round, the Croat playing with nothing to lose. Popyrin generally relies on his serve a bit more than the 18-year-old, however. With that strength likely neutralized against the warmed up 10-time champion, this should be fairly straightforward.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Jordan:
This will be a very different challenge to the first round for the defending champion. The impressive 18-year-old Dino Prizmic was happy to get into long baseline exchanges with Djokovic. Big-serving Australian Popyrin will try to keep the points as short as possible. Expect Djokovic to hold his service games comfortably and find enough opportunities in all the sets.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Damian:
Djokovic struggled against Prizmic and maybe that physical dip around the third set could be perceived as worrisome. Popyrin probably doesn’t push him into that mode though. The Australian has the weaponry to snatch a set if he redlines, but it’s a style the World No. 1 enjoys countering, especially with the opponent’s subpar backhand.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Tope:
The World #1 often loses a set in the earlier stages of tournaments before he settles in to dominate the field on his way to another title. The stage is set again and the support of the home crowd for Alexei Popyrin will be futile.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
