{"id":11716,"date":"2019-01-20T00:16:42","date_gmt":"2019-01-20T05:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=11716"},"modified":"2019-01-20T00:24:21","modified_gmt":"2019-01-20T05:24:21","slug":"australian-open-best-of-5-day-8-predictions-including-alexander-zverev-vs-milos-raonic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2019\/01\/20\/australian-open-best-of-5-day-8-predictions-including-alexander-zverev-vs-milos-raonic\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Best of 5 Day 8 Predictions Including Alexander Zverev vs Milos Raonic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>The 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/australian-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Australian Open<\/a> round of 16 will conclude with Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev seeking quarterfinal berths. Our panelists break down all the action.<\/div>\n<h3>Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1084897922\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1084897922?et=MBtMie2DQ85LmCQnZSGJrw&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=PBUcMm4M4OCeSi3AMKrpLHeVddb9Xs-y54orf1BUXT4=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>Steen Kirby: Medvedev is in red hot form but defeating Djokovic is a herculean task and I&#8217;m not sold he&#8217;s up for it. Shapovalov chipped into Djokovic&#8217;s glass ceiling in the last match but Novak found another level to shut the door before things get out of hand. Medvedev will keep it competitive but I doubt he wins. <strong>Djokovic in 3<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span class=\"_5yl5\">Dave Adair: In the 2017 Davis Cup, a rawly talented Medvedev had Djokovic on the ropes. Taking the first set by reading the Serb&#8217;s serve and getting the ball back in play. Before injury set in &#8211; forcing Medvedev to retire when 2-1 in sets down. Medvedev has grown and matured a great deal since then. If there is to be a NextGen&#8217;v old master victory this round, then this match-up could well provide it. <strong>Medvedev in 5<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div>Tracey Essex:\u00a0Medvedev will be able to frustrate Djokovic with his serve and his ability to use the whole court. Yet, it won\u2019t be enough to win the match. Against Shapovalov, Djokovic played a loose third set that got away from him, only to come back and take the fourth set in just 26 minutes. Djokovic has another level he hasn\u2019t yet had to pull out. He\u2019ll do it against Medvedev \u2013 if he has to \u2013 though I doubt he will. <strong>Djokovic in 3<\/strong><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"_1i1j\">Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kei Nishikori<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1092062746\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1092062746?et=B-GqSndmQs9GCagaeLIQsg&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=21iV7l2SJRZzafwLvCAiqY8s5z5GTcaGi_wPrC5uHNM=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>Steen: Nishikori should find himself here as he hits the business end of the tournament. PCB is a solid player and would love a quarterfinal result, but Nishikori is the better all arounder between them. <strong>Nishikori in 4<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1i1j\">David: Nishikori has been a bit of an enigma this tournament, looking labored in the first two rounds. However, he came alive against Sousa and should have too much for the Spaniard. <strong>Nishikori in 4<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>Tracey:\u00a0Carreno Busta No doubt Pablo Carreno Busta is an accomplished player. He\u2019s earned his place in the Round of 16. But, with his service struggles, I think he\u2019s gone as far as he can. Coming off his Brisband International win, Kei Nishikori\u2019s shown a smoking hot return of serve. Combine that with a forehand that\u2019s has been firing, generating more than 20 winners, and we will see the Japanese Superstar take this match in straight sets. <strong>Nishikori in 3<\/strong><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"_1gyw _55lt\">Borna Coric vs Lucas Pouille<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1094697136\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 72.72727% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1094697136?et=Y8n1V8p8SoNJ7et7qm2fMw&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=phdv4jchHcPzhbTkgmjL888s5P_UZRkKKwn2wF7Xb7Y=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"432\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>Steen: I like Coric&#8217;s form here. Pouille has impressed as he was in terrible shape heading into this tournament, however, Coric is also playing well and he&#8217;s the better player all things considered. <strong>Coric in 3<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1gyw _55lt\">David: Borna Coric is sliding under the radar a little. He is just one win away from beating his best ever Slam performance (round 4 US Open 2018). Slam performance haas clearly been his focus in the off-season. It&#8217;s difficult to see the French man causing Coric too many problems, especially after coming through a grueling five setter in the last round. <strong>Coric in 4<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>Tracey:\u00a0The Croatian superstar has been in outstanding form, hitting the ball cleanly. With all his recent success, Coric should be very confident and ready to move onto the quarterfinals. Pouille has had a magnificent run, but against a higher ranked and higher skill player in the form of Coric, his dream run will come to an end. <strong>Coric in 4<\/strong><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"_1gyw _55lt\">Alexander Zverev vs Milos Raonic<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1096641408\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 70.70707% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1096641408?et=JRk3CQ-RRptYKP_5lsEX7w&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=Digt6bdzm-O6KPcaIRoJtd_Zs7zLX03KGP4BmYBC1c0=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>Steen: Both players have been (mostly) solid this tournament and this is a clash of two highly talented players who can reach an elite level. Raonic&#8217;s serve will keep him in the match, while Zverev has enough of a return game to get breaks and win the match regardless. I&#8217;ll back Zverev to fight off his mental demons and rise to a win. <strong>Zverev in 4<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1gyw _55lt\">David:A ferocious serving battle awaits. Raonic is building fitness nicely. Wimbledon may ultimately be his best shot at Slam success, but there is ever chance he can overcome Zverev here. <strong>Raonic in 5<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>Tracey:\u00a0Winning over 80% on his first serve and dominating tiebreaks, Canadian Milos Raonic will be hard (if not impossible) to beat. Combine that with the fact that Zverev historically comes up short against the game\u2019s biggest players, Raonic should be showing up in the quarterfinals. If by some chance Zverev finds the consistency and talent that\u2019s there, it&#8217;ll take Raonic five to win but Zverev won&#8217;t quell his critics during this Slam. <strong>Raonic in 5<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Main Photo:<\/div>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1095469776\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 68.51852% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1095469776?et=5xF2OzGVR6xykpkjii1DFg&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=qzpGDeunCz8SKb4Ogkvxz3uo-d-kR3cEfR32hqmGma0=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"407\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2019 Australian Open round of 16 will conclude with Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev seeking quarterfinal berths. Our panelists break down all the action. Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev Embed from Getty Images Steen Kirby: Medvedev is in red hot form but defeating Djokovic is a herculean task and I&#8217;m not sold he&#8217;s up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1442,"featured_media":11719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,3,2,69],"tags":[85,4494,4484,2363,346,146,134,20,22,91,2373,2369],"class_list":["post-11716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australian-open","category-atp","category-featured","category-predictions","tag-alexander-zverev","tag-australian-open-day-8-mens-predictions","tag-australian-open-day-8-predictions","tag-australian-open-predictions","tag-borna-coric","tag-kei-nishikori","tag-lucas-pouille","tag-milos-raonic","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-pablo-carreno-busta","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}