{"id":96395,"date":"2026-01-21T05:25:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=96395"},"modified":"2026-01-21T02:37:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T07:37:56","slug":"australian-open-predictions-djokovic-maestrelli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2026\/01\/21\/australian-open-predictions-djokovic-maestrelli\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Day 5 Men’s Predictions Including Novak Djokovic vs Francesco Maestrelli"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 5 action at the Australian Open<\/a> continues with a strong slate of second-round matchups featuring all-time greats, established contenders, and rising talents. Novak Djokovic resumes his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, while Taylor Fritz looks to build momentum after a strong opening performance. Elsewhere, intriguing baseline battles headline matches involving Eliot Spizzirri, Yibing Wu, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Tomas Machac. Offering their insights and predictions<\/a> are Ilemona Onekutu, Steen Kirby, and Zain Mustafa. Who will advance?<\/p>\n

Australian Open Day 5 Men\u2019s Predictions<\/h2>\n

Novak Djokovic vs Francesco Maestrelli<\/h3>\n

Ilemona: Djokovic\u2019s first round<\/a> was businesslike, minimizing errors and conserving energy while still controlling patterns from the baseline. Maestrelli played freely to advance, but sustaining that freedom under Djokovic\u2019s relentless pressure is unlikely.<\/p>\n

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

Steen: Djokovic hasn’t lost since the Shanghai semifinals, at 38, and with some fitness concerns, he’s still one of the best in the world. Maestrelli came through qualifying and built himself up through the ATP Challenger Tour where he was 40-23 last season. He likely has a bright future ahead, but this is still Djokovic’s moment to shine, especially on hard courts.<\/p>\n

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

Zain: A ten-time champion in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic started this tournament the way he ended 2025, playing exceptional, top-three-in-the-world-caliber tennis. Francesco Maestrelli will be greatly overmatched in both baseline exchanges and the serve-return dynamic as Djokovic continues his hunt for a record 25th Major.<\/p>\n

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

Taylor Fritz vs Vit Kopriva<\/h3>\n

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

Ilemona: Fritz served exceptionally well<\/a> in round one, keeping his service games short and authoritative. Kopriva\u2019s consistency helped him advance, but Fritz\u2019s first-strike tennis should prevent the match from settling into long exchanges.<\/p>\n

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

Steen: Kopriva is a Challenger Tour level player most days, but Fritz isn’t entirely fit. With Fritz struggling, he’s unlikely to compete for this title, but he likely still has enough to serve past Kopriva.<\/p>\n

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

Zain: If Vit Kopriva manages to extend rallies against a less-than-100% Taylor Fritz, he can cause some damage. Ultimately, Fritz\u2019s superior serve and overall ball quality should see him come through comfortably.<\/p>\n

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

Eliot Spizzirri vs Yibing Wu<\/h3>\n

Ilemona: Spizzirri showed composure<\/a> beyond his experience in his opening win, managing momentum swings well. Wu\u2019s power was evident in round one, yet if forced into extended rallies, Spizzirri\u2019s discipline could tilt the balance.<\/p>\n

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

Steen: Wu came through qualifying and has shown fits and starts of talent but never consistency. Spizzirri has broken into the top 100 and was a stunning 40-17 on the ATP Challenger Tour last year. He upset Joao Fonseca in round 1 and looks set to go much further here. This is a great opportunity for the American.<\/p>\n

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

Zain: Eliot Spizzirri had a solid showing in the first round, taking care of a physically hampered Joao Fonseca. Against Yibing Wu, it should be a baseline-heavy contest, and Wu\u2019s consistency\u2014built through qualifying\u2014should give him the edge.<\/p>\n

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

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Tomas Machac<\/h3>\n

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

Ilemona: Tsitsipas looked sharp in his opener, particularly when stepping forward and finishing points at the net. Machac struck the ball cleanly in round one, but Tsitsipas\u2019 heavier forehand patterns should wear him down over time.<\/p>\n

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

Steen: Tsitsipas endured a poor season<\/a> last year and though improved, was not completely lights out in round 1. Machac won Adelaide, and is already in some of his best ever career form. Tsitsipas is a bigger name, but on current form, Machac is a better ball striker and more mentally consistent.<\/p>\n

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

Zain: One of the most exciting second-round matches on the men\u2019s side sees Stefanos Tsitsipas take on Tomas Machac<\/a>. Tsitsipas has looked improved compared to 2025, but fitness will be key for both players. If they remain healthy, Machac\u2019s more consistent baseline ball quality off both wings could be the deciding factor.<\/p>\n

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

Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 5 action at the Australian Open continues with a strong slate of second-round matchups featuring all-time greats, established contenders, and rising talents. Novak Djokovic resumes his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, while Taylor Fritz looks to build momentum after a strong opening performance. Elsewhere, intriguing baseline battles headline matches involving Eliot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1442,"featured_media":81545,"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":[205,2363,18998,18999,17712,18294,22,15556,304,15417,347,15712,2373,2369,11064,16447,16344,16345,17785,18082],"class_list":["post-96395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-predictions","tag-australian-open","tag-australian-open-predictions","tag-eliot-spizzirri","tag-eliot-spizzirri-predictions","tag-francesco-maestrelli","tag-francesco-maestrelli-predictions","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-novak-djokovic-predictions","tag-stefanos-tsitsipas","tag-stefanos-tsitsipas-predictions","tag-taylor-fritz","tag-taylor-fritz-predictions","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions","tag-tomas-machac","tag-tomas-machac-predictions","tag-vit-kopriva","tag-vit-kopriva-predictions","tag-yibing-wu","tag-yibing-wu-predictions"],"modified_by":"Steen Kirby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96395","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=96395"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96398,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96395\/revisions\/96398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}