{"id":77800,"date":"2025-01-11T06:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T11:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=77800"},"modified":"2025-01-10T23:39:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-11T04:39:32","slug":"australian-open-day-1-mens-predictions-nishikori-monteiro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/11\/australian-open-day-1-mens-predictions-nishikori-monteiro\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Day 1 Men’s Predictions Including Kei Nishikori vs Thiago Monteiro"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first round of the Australian Open kicks off on Day 1 with 16 men\u2019s matches scheduled for Sunday. There should be some incredible action Down Under, and\u2013as always\u2013we here at LastWordOnTennis share our thoughts on every singles match. We split the day\u2019s 16 matches between four articles. The other articles feature Alexander Zverev vs Lucas Pouille<\/a>, Casper Ruud vs Jaume Munar<\/a> and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Juncheng Shang<\/a>. Predicting this set of matches are Ateet Shrivastava, Ismael Gonzalez and Yesh Ginsburg. Who do you think will advance?<\/p>\n

Australian Open Day 1 Men’s Predictions<\/h2>\n

Hugo Gaston vs Omar Jasika<\/h4>\n

Ateet<\/em>: Hugo Gaston doesn\u2019t have a good record on hard courts and the Australian Open is his worst Slam when it comes to win percentage. However, he faces wild card Omar Jasika, who has just one tour-level win to his name. Jasika will get the crowd support but I am not sure if that would be enough to beat Gaston.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction: Gaston in 4<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Ismael<\/em>: Gaston has only won one match in his last four tournaments, but he is a crafty player whose variety can be challenging for lower-ranked opponents. Jasika has a modest record at the Challenger level, and was forced to retire against Hijikata a few days ago. Although local wildcards often elevate their level, this is a favorable draw for Gaston, and he should be able to capitalize.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction: Gaston in 4<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Yesh<\/em>: Jasika looks to be rapidly finding his legs at lower levels, but facing a player like Gaston at this stage is probably a bridge too far. Maybe the crowd can help him, but it’s definitely a step more than he’s used to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction: Gaston in 4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Arthur Fils vs Otto Virtanen<\/h4>\n

Ateet<\/em>: Arthur Fils made a winning start to his Australian Open career last year and will look to go much further this time around. Otto Virtanen is finally in the main draw after failing to qualify in the last two years. Virtanen didn\u2019t play any lead-up tournaments but he poses a threat on this surface. But I can\u2019t see him winning the match.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction: Fils in 4<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Ismael<\/em>: Virtanen is not the type of player who needs a lot of rhythm, but it was an odd choice to skip all preparation tournaments. Fils played Hong Kong, losing to the eventual champion,\u00a0 Muller. The pair faced off at an indoor Challenger in 2023, and Arthur was able to prevail under ideal conditions for Virtanen. He should manage to do so again, although Otto is a big server and it could be tight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction: Fils in 4<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Yesh<\/em>: Fils has been somewhat quiet in recent months, which is surprising given his trajectory. No time like the present to remind the world that he’s a future elite, though.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction: Fils in 3<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>