{"id":95987,"date":"2026-01-17T07:26:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T12:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=95987"},"modified":"2026-01-17T11:43:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T16:43:03","slug":"australian-open-mens-day-1-predictions-alcaraz-walton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2026\/01\/17\/australian-open-mens-day-1-predictions-alcaraz-walton\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Men\u2019s Day 1 Predictions Including Carlos Alcaraz vs Adam Walton"},"content":{"rendered":"

It promises to be an entertaining first day at the Australian Open with 16 men\u2019s first round matches on the slate at Melbourne Park. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Alexander Bublik vs Jenson Brooksby<\/a>, Alexander Zverev vs Gabriel Diallo<\/a>, and Frances Tiafoe vs Jason Kubler<\/a>. But who will reach the second round?<\/p>\n

Australian Open Day 1 Predictions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Carlos Alcaraz vs Adam Warton<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Nurein: Will there be nerves and jitters as Carlos Alcaraz plays his first match without the services of Juan Carlos Ferrero? That\u2019s the question on everyone\u2019s mind, but the six-time Grand Slam champion should seize control in what will generally be a harmless opener.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Alcaraz in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Jordan: The world #1 should be very comfortable here. Walton has not won a main draw match this year, and does not possess the weapons to challenge Alcaraz. It would be surprising if this went beyond three sets.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Alcaraz in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Zain: Alcaraz begins his quest to complete the career Grand Slam against Aussie Adam Walton. While Walton’s serve and forehand can cause trouble for many on a faster court, Alcaraz is entering the tournament with such positive momentum that any result other than a straightforward win seems unlikely.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Alcaraz in 3

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p><\/em><\/p>\n

Corentin Moutet vs Tristan Schoolkate<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Nurein: Corentin Moutet is one of the players in a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open. He withdrew from both warm-up events before coming to Melbourne. Tristan Schoolkate has a great chance of picking up his second main draw win at his home slam if the Frenchman doesn\u2019t fully recover from his injury.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Schoolkate in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Jordan: This could be a fiery encounter. The notoriously hot-headed Moutet needs to ensure Schoolkate\u2019s home Australian Open fans do not get under his skin. The Frenchman is backed to prevail, but this could go to the wire.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Moutet in 5<\/em><\/p>\n

Zain: Schoolkate famously won a set against Sinner at the Australian Open last year, largely thanks to his varied style of play. But up against Moutet, who lives on variety, things could get interesting, but not enough for an upset.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Moutet in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Marton Fucsovics vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Nurein: Camilo Ugo Carabelli remains winless in 2026 and Marton Fucsovics\u2019 solitary win before the Australian Open came this past week in Adelaide. The Hungarian has often fared better on hard courts and more so in this Grand Slam. Fucsovics\u2019 hard-court pedigree should help him ease to victory.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Fucsovics in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Jordan: The experienced Fucsovics will be the aggressor in this matchup. Carabelli, who plays his best tennis by far on clay, is a decent opening round draw to receive. Fucsovics\u2019 greater comfort on hard-courts makes him the favourite.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Fucsovics in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Zain: Staying healthy has been Fucsovics’ biggest challenge in recent years, as his game, when healthy, is solid enough. Ugo Carabelli, on the other hand, is a player who has only won a handful of hard-court matches on tour, and Fucsovics’ floor should be able to see him through.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Fucsovics in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Jaime Faria vs Alexander Blockx<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Nurein: Alexander Blockx was given a reprieve after his retirement in the third round of qualifying. He has received entry into the main draw as a lucky loser but the big question mark is whether he will be fit to play. Drawing Jaume Faria in the first round is not expected to be a stroll for the in-form Belgian. Fitness permitting, Blockx should be the favorite.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Blockx in 5<\/em><\/p>\n

Jordan: Blockx retired in his final qualifying match, but is in the main draw as a lucky loser. There are still some lingering doubts about whether he will be fully ready for this contest. That gives Faria a good chance of taking full advantage.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Faria in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Zain: In a battle between a qualifier and a lucky loser, both players here are playing with house money. Faria should like his chances against a physically hampered Blockx, who had to retire mid-match in qualifying. But if the Belgian is now closer to 100%, a victory here, given his higher ceiling, is there for the taking.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Blockx in 4<\/em><\/p>\n

Main photo credit: Albert Cesare\/The Enquirer \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It promises to be an entertaining first day at the Australian Open with 16 men\u2019s first round matches on the slate at Melbourne Park. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Alexander Bublik vs Jenson Brooksby, Alexander Zverev vs Gabriel Diallo, and Frances Tiafoe vs Jason Kubler. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2815,"featured_media":88815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_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":[69],"tags":[19080,41806,41701,41702,2363,16692,17687,5729,15513,6340,15515,41972,41971,3692,15664,2373,2369,13762,42148],"class_list":["post-95987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-predictions","tag-adam-walton","tag-adam-walton-predictions","tag-alexander-blockx","tag-alexander-blockx-predictions","tag-australian-open-predictions","tag-camilo-ugo-carabelli","tag-camilo-ugo-carabelli-predictions","tag-carlos-alcaraz","tag-carlos-alcaraz-predictions","tag-corentin-moutet","tag-corentin-moutet-predictions","tag-jaime-faria","tag-jaime-faria-predictions","tag-marton-fucsovics","tag-marton-fucsovics-predictions","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions","tag-tristan-schoolkate","tag-tristan-schoolkate-predictions"],"modified_by":"Jim Smith","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95987","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\/2815"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95987"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96010,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95987\/revisions\/96010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}