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, Andrey Rublev vs Matteo Arnaldi, Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Nuno Borges, and Denis Shapovalov vs Yunchaokete Bu. Predicting these matches are Tope Oke, Zain Mustafa, and Ilemona Onekutu. Who do you think will win?
Australian Open Day 2 Predictions
Casper Ruud vs Mattia Bellucci
Tope:
Casper Ruud has already lost two matches this season after beating Alex de Minaur in the United Cup. Regardless, he will still have too much quality against the inconsistent Italian, Bellucci, who has won just once in his last seven matches.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
Zain:
Ruud has had a strange start to 2026 after an up-and-down 2025 season. The Norwegian hasn’t had much success down under in his career, and Bellucci can make this match tight. But I still think Ruud should have enough baseline stability to win this one.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Ilemona:
Bellucci’s flair is dangerous, but Ruud’s depth and court positioning should force longer rallies than Bellucci prefers. That reliability should carry him through.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Valentin Vacherot vs Martin Damm
Tope:
Valentin Vacherot’s giant strides in 2025 rightly place him as the favourite against Martin Damm, with whom he was ranked closely this time last season. The Monegasque’s big serve may eventually pull him through, but don’t be surprised if the American wins this, too. He’s shown he is capable in the qualifiers.
Prediction: Damm in 5
Zain:
Vacherot has now shown that his level in that tournament run in Shanghai was once-in-a-lifetime stuff. Damm showed some great tennis in qualifying, which should make this a closely contested match.
Prediction: Vacherot in 5
Ilemona:
Damm’s athleticism and serve give him weapons, but Vacherot’s cleaner baseline patterns may prove more dependable. Expect the steadier hand to prevail.
Prediction: Vacherot in 4
Jacob Fearnley vs Kamil Majchrzak
Tope:
A year ago, Jacob Fearnley would have been the favorite heading into this encounter, but things are much different now, with the Englishman struggling for consistency, coinciding with the time Majchrzak is showing signs of recovery from the injuries that plagued him for most of last season. I expect the Pole to eke out a solid statement win here to level their head-to-head.
Prediction: Majchrzak in 3
Zain:
This matchup will quite likely be determined by which player has the more productive serving day. Apart from that, Majchrzak just has the upside in his groundstrokes that Fearnley does not, which makes him my pick to win this one.
Prediction: Majchrzak in 4
Ilemona:
Fearnley’s aggressive instincts and willingness to step forward suit the conditions well. If he maintains first-serve pressure, he can keep Majchrzak on the back foot.
Prediction: Fearnley in 4
Stan Wawrinka vs Laslo Djere
Tope:
With two players who will have question marks about their fitness the longer the match goes on, I’ll lean towards the more reliable Wawrinka, who will be looking to end his final Australian Open on a high.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 4
Zain:
In his last-ever Australian Open, 2014 champion Wawrinka enters this match with enough match practice in recent weeks to make a real push. Djere, while a solid baseliner, does not quite have the endurance of years past, and I think Wawrinka could prolong his stay in Melbourne by a few days if he stays aggressive and rides the crowd energy.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 4
Ilemona:
Djere’s consistency could test Wawrinka physically, but the faster surface favors Wawrinka’s ability to finish points with authority. If his timing holds up, he should edge it.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 4
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
