Day 2 of the Australian Open sees most of the first round completed, with a whopping 28 men’s singles matches on the cards. As always, our writers here at LastWordOnTennis share their thoughts on the matches with you. We split the 28 matches between seven articles. In addition to this article, the others feature Novak Djokovic vs Pedro Martinez, Daniil Medvedev vs Jesper de Jong, Tommy Paul vs Aleksandar Kovacevic, Stan Wawrinka vs Laslo Djere, Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Nuno Borges, and Andrey Rublev vs Matteo Arnaldi. Predicting these matches are Yesh Ginsburg, Zain Mustafa, and Ilemona Onekutu. Who do you think will win?
Australian Open Day 2 Predictions
Alexei Popyrin vs Alexandre Muller
Yesh:
I’m still waiting for Alexei Popyrin to put together the run that I know he’s capable of. With his talent, he should be going deep in hard court Slams. It hasn’t happened yet, and maybe it never will. But this is as good a time as any for him to find the range on his powerful ground strokes.
Prediction: Popyrin in 3
Zain:
Muller is a dangerous opponent given his heavy skill set. But while Popyrin hasn’t quite been able to string together consistent weeks of tennis recently, behind a home crowd he should have enough to pull off a nail-biter here.
Prediction: Popyrin in 5
Ilemona:
Popyrin’s serve and forehand suit these courts perfectly, while Muller may struggle to consistently neutralize that power. Short points should favor Popyrin.
Prediction: Popyrin in 3
Marin Cilic vs Daniel Altmaier
Yesh:
Cilic is far from the man who won a US Open over a decade ago, but he shows flashes of brilliance at times. He still has the power and variety to beat just about anyone, but it’s been a long time since he put things together, really.
Prediction: Cilic in 4
Zain:
Altmaier’s heavy single-handed backhand can cause trouble for players who don’t have the best coverage, something Cilic, at this age, does not have. But still, on a shot-for-shot basis, the Croatian has a clear advantage and should get yet another victory Down Under.
Prediction: Cilic in 4
Ilemona:
Altmaier’s defense will be tested by Cilic’s ability to finish from both wings. If Cilic’s serve holds up, he should control most sets.
Prediction: Cilic in 5
Reilly Opelka vs Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
Yesh:
Budkov Kjaer will be a strong player someday, but he doesn’t have the experience to deal with a serve like Opelka’s yet. As long as the American is serving well, he should win without too much trouble.
Prediction: Opelka in 3
Zain:
Budkov Kjaer showed some solid tennis at both the Next Gen ATP Finals and in qualifying here at Melbourne Park, but Opelka has the ultimate equalizer in his serve. In a match that should have a, if not multiple, tiebreaks, experience might triumph here.
Prediction: Opelka in 5
Ilemona:
Opelka’s serve alone changes the shape of matches on hard courts, especially early in tournaments. Breaking him will be a major challenge.
Prediction: Opelka in 3
Denis Shapovalov vs Yunchaokete Bu
Yesh:
Like all Shapovalov matches nowadays, this match will hinge on the Canadian. If he keeps his power in check and has a good rhythm, he can beat basically anyone. But that almost never happens anymore. Bu is more solid, and I wouldn’t be surprised by an upset here.
Prediction: Bu in 4
Zain:
Shapovalov starts many matches on his racket given his uber-aggressive playstyle. This means Bu will have more than enough opportunities to make this a competitive match, but ultimately I see Shapovalov landing more balls in than out for enough time to take at least three sets.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 4
Ilemona:
Bu can strike the ball cleanly, but Shapovalov’s shot-making and willingness to attack second serves should create momentum swings. If he manages his errors, he should come through.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
