2018 Women’s Australian Open Preview, Predictions Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
We have reached the first Grand Slam of 2018 as the Australian Open approaches. There will be plenty of sunshine and tennis to feast on over the next two weeks, and the womens draw looks as open as ever. Here is a rundown of what to expect in Melbourne.
Top Quarter:
Simona Halep enters a Grand Slam as the top seed for the first time in her career, and she opens as one of the favourites for the title. The Romanian has an interesting section with a few players who are capable of blowing her off the court. The world number one has shown she is vulnerable in early stages of major events when she is not firing, and with Petra Kvitova potentially waiting in the third round, we could see Halep exit another Grand Slam early. Combined with the fact you have in-form players such as Ashleigh Barty and Camila Giorgi, and young big hitters Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka and Oceane Dodin, the world number one will do well to come through this section.
Prediction: Halep def. Barty
Simona Halep
Karolina Pliskova is Halep’s projected quarter final adversary, and we do not know what her form is a like at the moment. The Czech lost to Elina Svitolina in Brisbane and did not look overly convincing in that match. We all know Pliskova can blow anyone off the court with her serve and effortless power, but she has not quite pulled it together during Grand Slams. That may open the door for Johanna Konta to make the last eight. The Brit has reached the quarter finals and semi finals in her two previous visits to Melbourne and if prior history has anything to do with it, she should make the last eight again.
Prediction: Konta def. Pliskova
Second Quarter:
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Garbine Muguruza heading into the Australian Open. The Spaniard withdrew from both her warm up tournaments with injury and there are doubts about how far she can go in Melbourne. She can not be happy with her draw either. Muguruza could face former champions Angelique Kerber and Maria Sharapova on the way to the quarter finals. Kerber in particular is in excellent form heading into the tournament. The other seeds in the section are Agnieszka Radwanska and Anastasija Sevastova, both are awkward opponents with variety in their games. This is undoubtedly the strongest section in the draw.
Prediction: Kerber def. Muguruza
Caroline Garcia finished 2017 in the form of her life and that has led to some lofty expectations for 2018. The Frenchwoman comes into the Australian Open as an outside favourite, but a back injury has left her short of preparation. She is still a heavy favourite to make the last eight though with her biggest test probably being Madison Keys. The American can blow hot and cold, but she often brings her best to the big events. Kristina Mladenovic has landed in this section too, and it will be interesting to see if she can end her losing slump. The Frenchwoman has not won a match since last August and is on a 14-match losing streak.
Prediction: Garcia def. Keys
Third Quarter:
Venus Williams is a defending finalist in Melbourne, but there are a few players in her section who can mount an upset. The American opens against Belinda Bencic in arguably the most anticipated round one match as the young Swiss is finding her best form after a long injury layoff. Julia Goerges is arguably the most in form player on the tour at the moment. The German has won her last three tournaments and is certainly a name to look out for in this tournament. However there are some dangerous floaters in this section too with Australia’s Daria Gavrilova, the ever dangerous Ekaterina Makarova and Hobart champion Elise Mertens looking to cause an upset in this section of the draw.
Prediction: Goerges def. Venus
Daria Kasatkina (Photo: Tony Callaio)
Elina Svitolina heads into Melbourne as the favourite to lift the trophy in the eyes of many people, and it is easy to see why after her run in Brisbane. The Ukrainian has a pretty soft draw to the last eight too, with the out of form Sloane Stephens being her projected last 16 opponent, though it may end up being Daria Kasatkina. None of the seeds in this section are In good form, so Svitolina will be a huge favourite to advance to the last eight from this section.
Prediction: Svitolina def. Kasatkina
Bottom Quarter:
Jelena Ostapenko (Photo: Tony Callaio)
Jelena Ostapenko is the seventh seed in Melbourne and heads into the tournament in poor form having lost her previous two matches. The Latvian has shown she is capable of producing her tennis on the big stage though, she proved that at the French Open last season. This section is full of unpredictable players who can easily go far, making this quarter one to look out for. Ostapenko opens against Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone and could meet the promising Anett Kontaveit in the third round. Upsets could leave the door open for Coco Vandeweghe, who heads into the tournament as the 10th seed. The American is capable of producing big tennis on her day, but she like many others can often blow cold too. With former finalist Dominika Cibulkova, Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig and veterans Cara Suarez Navarro and Sam Stosur in this section, this feels like a section that could do either way.
Prediction: Ostapenko def. Cibulkova
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki has never won a Grand Slam before despite being a former world number one, but with the way thing stand, this may be her best chance yet to end that duck. Wozniacki has been drawn into the lighter half of the draw and is heavily favoured to make the semi finals from this section. The Dane has some dangerous seeds in her section such as Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Magdalena Rybarikova, and that is where she could fall into danger territory in the fourth round, but apart from that it should be plain sailing for the second seed until the last eight.
This is a hard slam to predict as there is no clear favourite to win. Despite the rumours of courts playing pretty quickly, form favours the defensive players so we could end up with some long semi finals. Kerber is in good form and I believe she will go deep if she continues that into Melbourne, but I think the winner comes from the bottom half. Both Wozniacki and Svitolina have good draws until the semi finals where they should meet each other. Despite the Ukrainian’s head to head advantage, she could falter on the big stage here and I think Wozniacki’s experience will tell.
2018 Australian Open Preview and Predictions: Injury Concerns For Djokovic and Wawrinka Open Up the Draw Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
With Andy Murray (hip) and Kei Nishikori (wrist) totally out of the 2018 Australian Open, and Novak Djokovic (elbow), Rafael Nadal (knee), and Stan Wawrinka (knee) coming back from serious injuries, the 2018 Australian Open draw on the men’s side is significantly more open than it has been in recent years. Roger Federer remains the favorite, while Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios among the trendy picks that some see breaking through this slam and capturing the title. Here is your full preview, with predictions for AO 2018.
Rafael Nadal got an exo match in but he didn’t get a chance to play any ATP matches prior to his Melbourne debut. The one time AO champ will open with journeyman Victor Estrella, Leo Mayer/Nicolas Jarry will follow, with Borna Coric/John Millman or Paolo Lorenzi/Damir Dzumhur lurking in the third round. Nadal, presuming his knee is ok, should win his first two matches, the third round is the big question mark. Dzumhur probably isn’t fit, while Lorenzi is relatively weak on hard courts. I have Coric beating Millman and Lorenzi before falling to Rafa.
Diego Schwartzman doesn’t have a win in 2018 but he should defeat Dusan Lajovic. Young gun qualifiers Quentin Halys and Casper Ruud face off to reach round 2, and I have Schwartzman into the third round regardless. Alexandr Dolgopolov is one of my dark horse picks, he opens with Andreas Haider-Maurer, who is returning from a long injury layoff, John Isner/Matt Ebden will follow. Isner lost his match in Auckland while Dolgopolov won matches in both Brisbane and Sydney, he has the talent and presuming he’s fit he should take advantage of this open draw to beat Isner and Schwartzman and reach week 2.
Gilles Simon is another trendy dark horse pick for me. Simon won Pune and is a former AO quarterfinalist. He opens with Marius Copil, either Pablo Carreno Busta or Jason Kubler will follow. Kubler is a great story, he overcame serious knee problems that limited him to play only on clay for years, and is now posting great results on hard courts at the challenger tour level. PCB is a good player but his form seems a bit off this season, Simon is tough to break down so I’ll go with him in a second round upset. The section featuring Gilles Muller/Federico Delbonis is wide open, Muller is struggling but his serve is a threat, qualifier Sal Caruso is making his grand slam debut, while Malek Jaziri has talent but struggles for fitness. Simon over Muller is a reasonable pick for round 3.
Brisbane finalist Ryan Harrison opens with Dudi Sela, Mikhail Youzhny takes on Pablo Cuevas in round 1, Harrison should be favored to reach the third round regardless. Pune semifinalist Marin Cilic takes on qualifier Vasek Pospisil, Dustin Brown/Joao Sousa will follow. Cilic is steady enough to back him over Harrison in round 3.
Dimitrov’s Quarter
Grigor Dimitrov was a semifinalist in Brisbane and finished 2017 in fantastic form. Dimitrov opens with qualifier Dennis Novak, a young gun will follow, either Mackenzie McDonald or Elias Ymer. The first big test for Dimitrov should come in the third round, the winner of David Ferrer (semifinalist in Auckland), and Andrey Rublev (finalist in Doha) should defeat the winner of the battle between former AO boys champions Yuki Bhambri and Marcos Baghdatis to face off with Dimitrov. I’ll back Ferrer’s experience to reach round 3, despite Rublev’s talent, but Dimitrov should reach the second week.
Brisbane champion Nick Kyrgios is lethal when he’s focused and fit, he should blitz past Rogerio Dutra Silva, Viktor Troicki/Alex Bolt, and either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Stefanos Tsitsipas/Denis Shapovalov in round 3. Tsonga has had limited warm up, Shapovalov is struggling, and Tsitsipas is still a raw talent. Kyrgiso serve should bail him out of trouble and get him past Tsonga in round 3. Tsonga’s path includes qualifier Kevin King in round 1.
Kevin Anderson finished 2017 strong and reached the Pune final to kick off 2018 After a test against Kyle Edmund in round 1, he should serve past Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Denis Istomin, and Lucas Pouille in the third round. Pouille faces Ruben Bemelmans in round 1, then Gerald Melzer/Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Jack Sock is the top American hope, but I’m not convinced he’s fit as he had a retirement in the Hopman Cup and lost his first match in Auckland. Sock opens with Yuichi Sugita, Ivo Karlovic/Laslo Djere will follow, with Philipp Kohlschreiber/Yoshihito Nishioka (coming back from a serious injury) or Andreas Seppi/Corentin Moutet waiting in the third round. Seppi just won a challenger and I’ll back him to beat Moutet and Kohlschreiber, and then upset Sock in the third round. I’d pick Kohli do the same but his form is also in question.
Alexander Zverev’s Quarter
A poor Hopman Cup showing has left Alexander Zverev as the forgotten man at this year’s Aussie Open. He’s also yet to make the second week in Melbourne. His path is Thomas Fabbiano, Mikhail Kukushkin or countryman Peter Gojowczyk, and then one of Thanasi Kokkinakis/Daniil Medvedev or Hyeon Chung/Mischa Zverev. Gojowczyk started the season with a pair of quarterfinals, Medvedev took the title in Sydney, while Kokkinakis is a big talent. My trendy pick is Chung though, he reached the quarters in Auckland, the elder Zverev is not the best form, and Medvedev should be out of gas even if he beats Kokkinakis. I’ll go with Zverev the younger to beat Chung in the third round.
Novak Djokovic’s section has him starting with Donald Young, then facing Doha champion Gael Monfils or qualifier Jaume Munar. I’m not sold on Djokovic’s fitness at all, and Monfils is fit and in-form, that has the makings of an upset, and I’ll back Monfils to reach round 3 opposite Jared Donaldson. The young American faces Albert Ramos, then Alexei Popyrin/Tim Smyczek. Monfils is my pick to reach the second week.
Roberto Bautista Agut took the title in Auckland, and presuming he avoids an upset at the hands of countryman Fernando Verdasco, he should reach the third round. Neither Cedrik-Marcel Stebe or Max Marterer are tough matchups. Stan Wawrinka is also in this section, Wawrinka was a question mark about whether he would play, and although he has the edge over Ricardas Berankis and Jeremy Chardy/Tennys Sandgren, I have RBA nipping him in the third round.
Seeds Dominic Thiem and Adrian Mannarino have the inside track to meet in the third round, Thiem opens with Guido Pella, with Steve Johnson/Denis Kudla to follow. Mannarino takes on lucky loser Matteo Berrettini before facing a Czech, either Jiri Vesely or Vaclav Safranek. Pella reached the semis in Doha, but so did Thiem, Mannarino was a quarterfinalist in Sydney and had a great 2017. Thiem should take this section of the draw, with Johnson struggling.
Defending champion Roger Federer starts against Aljaz Bedene, J.L Struff or wild card Soon Woo Kwon will follow. Neither Bedene nor Struff are pushovers, but Federer remains as formidable as ever and should cruise into the third round for his first big test against Richard Gasquet. Gasquet opens with Blaz Kavcic, Robin Haase (a semifinalist in Auckland)/Lorenzo Sonego will follow. Federer didn’t lose a Hopman Cup match and should continue his strong showing by defeating Gasquet in round 3.
Sam Querrey has a great opportunity in the slot above Federer, Querrey opens with a tough contest against Sydney quarterfinalist Feliciano Lopez, Radu Albot/Marton Fucsovics will follow. Milos Raonic opens with Lukas Lacko, Nicolas Kicker/Jordan Thompson will follow. Raonic came back from an injury layoff with a loss in Brisbane, I have him beating Lacko and Thompson, then Querrey/Lopez in the third round, but Querrey, who I think will beat Lopez, has a great shot at the second week as well.
Auckland finalist Juan Martin Del Potro is formidable in his section of the draw, he should dominate Frances Tiafoe, Karen Khachanov/Peter Polansky, and then face off with either Alex De Minaur or Tomas Berdych in the third round. A finalist in Sydney and Semifinalist in Brisbane, De Minaur is 7-2 to start the season, and Berdych lost his opening match in Doha, thus I’ll go with De Minaur in the upset. Benoit Paire has a pair of ATP semifinals to start the year and should beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopz. ADM just beat him in Sydney though, while Del Potro beat Khachanov in Auckland. JMDP over ADM is my pick in round 3.
Sydney semifinalist Fabio Fognini faces Horacio Zeballos, Florian Mayer/Evgeny Donskoy will follow, with David Goffin awaiting in the third round. Goffin opens with Matthias Bachinger, Julien Benneteau/Taro Daniel will follow. Goffin should have an edge over Fognini in round 3.
Round of 16 Nadal d. Dolgopolov
Cilic d. Simon
Dimitrov d. Kyrgios
Anderson d. Seppi
Thiem d. Bautista Agut
Monfils d. A. Zverev
Del Potro d. Goffin
Federer d. Raonic
Nadal, Anderson, and Federer have relatively smooth paths to the quarters. Cilic lost to Simon in Pune but I’ll still back him in best of 5 tennis, I’ll probably be wrong but Monfils could make good on his talent and reach the quarters with a close win over Zverev. Del Potro’s form is good, and Thiem is a better shotmaker than RBA.
Quarters Nadal d. Cilic
Anderson d. Dimitrov
Thiem d. Monfils
Federer d. Del Potro
The Thiem/Monfils/Zverev/Djokovic section is quite open, but I’ll go with Thiem, the most accomplished of the young guns thus far to reach the semis. Nadal’s health is questionable but his injuries were not as serious as Wawrinka and Djokovic for example. Dimitrov is a trendy pick but Anderson’s big serve tennis is hard to get past, while Federer vs. Del Potro has much promise, with Federer the favorite to edge it.
It’s not exactly a risky pick, but Nadal vs. Federer still remains the most sensible pick for the final in my mind, with Federer having a clear edge over Rafa in that final.
Week 1 at the 2017 Australian Open is in the books, and what a week it’s been. World #1 Novak Djokovic fell to a stunning five set defeat in round 2 at the hands of qualifying wild card Denis Istomin, who started the tournament ranked outside of the top 100. That opens up the bottom half of the draw, and makes it more likely that we’ll have a new Grand Slam champion, and perhaps finalist as well. Here is your look ahead to week 2, with predictions for what’s to come.
Round of 16 matches
(1)Andy Murray vs. Mischa Zverev
Murray hasn’t dropped a set through three matches. Illya Marchenko and Sam Querrey both gave it a good effort, while teenager Andrey Rublev didn’t play quite as well, but regardless, the world #1 is the favorite to take his first ever Aussie Open title.
Zverev continues a late career breakthrough, he stunned John Isner 9-7 in a 5th set in round 2, and also earned wins over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Malek Jaziri. Zverev’s serve and volleying has been difficult to stop thus far, but Murray is a tremendous returner, and is a clear favorite in this match with a 3-0 h2h.
(17)Roger Federer vs. (5)Kei Nishikori
Federer has beaten Nishikori the past three times they met, and hasn’t dropped a set outside of his round 1 victory against Jurgen Melzer. Noah Rubin and Tomas Berdych were both dominated by the Swiss maestro, who is fit, and highly motivated at age 35.
Nishikori struggled with his serve, needing five sets to put away Andrey Kuznetsov in round 1, but has looked much better in matches against Jeremy Chardy and Lukas Lacko that were both completed in straights. Nishikori has the game to trouble Federer, but the Swiss veteran is a clear favorite, his aggressive ball striking should be superior in this one.
(4)Stan Wawrinka vs. Andreas Seppi
Wawrinka has won the last three meetings against Seppi, and although he’s had a shaky start, dropping sets in two of his three matches, he’s still a dangerous player left in the draw. Stan the man needed five sets against big hitter Martin Klizan, beat Steve Johnson in straights, and then narrowly avoided five sets against Viktor Troicki, winning a fourth set tiebreak. Seppi should be a bit exhausted as he dropped sets against both Paul-Henri Mathieu and Steve Darcis. In round 2, Seppi stunned Nick Kyrgios 10-8 in the 5ht set, coming back from two sets down to defeat the home favorite. Seppi’s steady play contrasted with Kyrgios roller coaster form, and eventually frustrated the young gun into defeat.
Seppi’s steadiness will likely trouble Wawrinka as well, but Wawrinka should tighten his game up and hit enough winners to prevail.
(12)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Dan Evans
The former AO finalist Tsonga got a huge win over Jack Sock in four sets in his last match, and he’s also defeated Thiago Monteiro and Dusan Lajovic to reach the second week. The in-form Evans is playing the best tennis of his career. The new top 50 player has won seven of his last eight matches, behind a powerful and versatile one-handed backhand. Evans upset Bernard Tomic, and also Marin Cilic in four sets, in consecutive matches, he also beat Facundo Bagnis in round 1.
Tsonga is a good attacking player, but Evans motivation has been something to watch recently. I’m going with an upset, and have Evans reaching a first ever slam quarterfinal.
(6)Gael Monfils vs. (9)Rafael Nadal
Nadal leads the h2h 12-2. Having lost weight, Rafa is playing better on hard courts than he has in recent years, and he looks fit, and newly aggressive on his groundstrokes, taking the ball earlier in rallies. The Spaniard needed five sets to defeat a powerful Alexander Zverev in round 3, as he outlasted the young gun with strong defensive play. Rafa also had easy wins against Florian Mayer, and Marcos Baghdatis in round 1 and 2.
Monfils has wins against Jiri Vesely, Alexandr Dolgopolov, and Philipp Kohlschreiber, dropping just a set to Dolgopolov. The Frenchman is playing quite well right now, but I don’t think he’s good matchup for Nadal, given Nadal’s top spin tends to push him back and away from the baseline.
(13)Roberto Bautista Agut vs. (3)Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic is suffering from flu, but leads the h2h 4-0 against RBA and is playing well, with his serve, volleys, and groundstrokes all clicking. Raonic defeated Dustin Brown, Gilles Muller, and Gilles Simon through three rounds, dropping just a set to Simon.
RBA dropped a set to David Ferrer, but he’s in a great form, having posted routine wins against Guido Pella and Yoshihito Nishioka. RBA is 7-0 to start the season, but unless his return game improves considerably, Raonic has to be the favorite.
(8)Dominic Thiem vs. (11)David Goffin
Thiem has won three of his last four matches against Goffin and the young Austrian continues to cement himself as a top 10 player. Wins against J.L. Struff, Jordan Thompson, and Benoit Paire allowed him to reach the second week, even though he dropped sets in all three matches.
Goffin is also a picture of steady tennis, after slipping past Reilly Opelka in five sets in round 1, he had no trouble with Radek Stepanek, and Ivo Karlovic, winning those matches in straight sets. The qualifier Opelka’s versatile game bothered Goffin, and Thiem isn’t the easiest opponent. That said, Thiem was having problems on serve in his last match, and seems to still be suffering from shoulder problems. Goffin is a clear favorite.
Outside of a bad set against Hyeon Chung in round 2, Grigor Dimitrov has been playing great, posting eight straight wins, including routine victories over Chris O’Connell and Richard Gasquet. Most people expected Gasquet to put up a better showing, but Dimitrov simply dismantled him, playing especially well on return games.
The draw has opened up, thanks to Denis Istomin. Istomin was nearly defeated in a pre-qualifier to gain a wild card to the AO, but instead he played the match of his life, handing Novak Djokovic his worst defeat since 2008 with a confident five set victory. Djokovic started the match slow, and never was able to gather momentum, Istomin’s great ball striking and confident serving allowed him to overcome leg cramps to win two tiebreaks, and the fifth set. Djokovic was especially poor on return and spewed errors. Istomin’s first victim was Ivan Dodig in round 1, and Pablo Carreno Busta lost to Istomin in round 3, falling in five sets, after taking the 4th set.
Istomin has proven that he may be set for a return to being an ATP regular, but Dimitrov is the more consistent and higher ranked player. Istomin’s run should end in the round of 16.
Predictions for the remaining rounds
Quarters Murray d. Federer in 4
Wawrinka d. Evans in 3
Raonic d. Nadal in 5
Dimitrov d. Goffin in 4
Murray will have a difficult match against Federer, but the fresher, younger, and better player at this point in their careers should prevail. Wawrinka’s backhand is better than Evans, and his experience should win out. Raonic and Nadal is a tough match to call, but on hard courts I’ll still go with Raonic. Dimitrov should have more upside than Goffin given his recent form.
Semis Murray d. Wawrinka in 4
Raonic d. Dimitrov in 5
Murray and Raonic should be clear favorites to reach the final, Dimitrov is a wild card to reach his first ever slam final though, depending on Raonic’s health.
Final Murray d. Raonic in 4
Raonic’s serve is a great weapon, but Murray’s elite return game neutralizes that. The World #1 should win his first ever Australian Open title, defeating Raonic just like he did in the Wimbledon final.
19 year old Russian/Kazakh Alexander Bublik has an entertaining style of play, and is making his grand slam debut after qualifying against French young gun Lucas Pouille. Despite Pouille being just 22, he has significantly more tour experience than Bublik, and that alone should give him an edge in this matchup that should feature entertaining shotmaking. Pouille retired in his last match though, so Bublik may have a shot if the Frenchman is unfit.
(5)Kei Nishikori vs. Andrey Kuznetsov
A three time and defending quarterfinalist in Melbourne, Nishikori has two previous wins over Kuznetsov, and they both came in slams last season. Kuznetsov continues to improve though and coming off of the semifinals in Sydney, perhaps he can take his first set in a slam against Nishikori. Kei dropped the final in Brisbane as his pre-AO warm-up.
(14)Nick Kyrgios vs. Gastao Elias
Kyrgios has made the quarters in Melbourne before, but knee problems have prevented him from playing any warm-up matches. Expectations are down for this controversial home favorite, while Elias pushed Dominic Thiem to a third set in Sydney, and perhaps could trouble Kyrgios in this one if he’s unfit. More than likely Kyrgios will dictate play with his serve.
(27)Bernard Tomic vs. Thomaz Bellucci
Tomic is defending fourth round points after a miserable run in his Australian summer. He’s lost twice previously to the big hitter Bellucci, and is in danger of losing this match after unexpected losses in his warm-ups. Tomic is apparently struggling with his diet, and while Bellucci isn’t in great form, I see Bernie crashing out in round 1 to Bellucci, who has never made it past the second round in Melbourne.
Both players are big hitters, and their careers have taken drastically different turns. Cilic has cemented himself in the top 10 and is a former AO semifinalist and slam champion. Janowicz, once in the top 15, has fallen from the top 200 and didn’t post a tour level win last season. Janowicz has the talent to pressure Cilic with aggressive play. Despite his poor start to the season, Cilic should win though.
(6)Gael Monfils vs. Jiri Vesely
A defending AO quarterfinalist, Monfils has a loss to Vesely in their only slam meeting and didn’t opt to play warm-ups before his first round match. That said, Monfils remains an athletic and talented threat, while Vesely, a quarterfinalist in Auckland, has power, but probably lacks the movement to get past Monfils in this match.
Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Borna Coric
Dolgo is a one time AO quarterfinalist who continues to play well below his potential and is outside of the top 50 in the rankings. Coric won their last h2h meeting, but after knee problems, and then knee surgery, he’s been struggling to get himself back to his talent level. At age 20, Coric still has a long career ahead, but Dolgopolov will probably win this encounter.
Mikhail Youzhny vs. Marcos Baghdatis
These over 30 veterans have met seven times in their careers, with Youzhny holding a 4-3 edge in the h2h. Youzhny made the quarters in Chennai, while Baghdatis made the semis in Auckland, showing they are in good form heading into this matchup. Baghdatis is a fan favorite and former finalist here, while Youzhny once made the quarters. Baghdatis attacking style likely gives him a slight edge in this one.
The first meeting between this pair of 20 year old talents. Neither have much tour level experience, but Medvedev is coming off of his first ever tour final in Chennai, while Escobedo came through qualifying. Escobedo has enough power to win this, but Medvedev should be the better, and fresher player right now.
(21)David Ferrer vs. (WC)Omar Jasika
A two-time semifinalist in Melbourne, Ferrer has fallen on hard times at 34, and after a rough 2016, has had a miserable 1-2 start to 2017. The 19 year old Jasika, a wild card, is one of the most promising young players in tennis. He just reached a challenger final and very well could made a match of this against Ferrer. I still can’t count against Ferrer’s grinding though, despite his decline in shotmaking ability and fitness.
Muller comes off of his first ATP title in Sydney, while Fritz is still seeking his first Grand Slam win after taking part in all four Grand Slams last year. The 19 year old will likely struggle with Muller’s effective serve, but if the veteran is fatigued, Fritz could gain a confidence boosting win.
Jordan Thompson vs. Joao Sousa
Sousa dispatched Thompson in the 2015 AO when they last met, and he comes off a run to the final in Auckland. Fatigue should play a part in this match though, and with Thompson garnering home support, he’ll have a punchers chance in this one. Thompson reached the quarters in Brisbane, and after a 3-2 warm-up record, I don’t count him out in this match as the underdog.
(28)Feliciano Lopez vs. Fabio Fognini
Lopez has won both of their meetings, which happened to take place in Slams. These veterans play entertaining tennis, and this match is a bit of a toss-up. Neither are in great form, but Fognini is probably a bit worse off, and presuming Lopez is fit he should serve and volley his way to a third victory in this matchup.
(11)David Goffin vs. (Q)Reilly Opelka
The big serving Opelka, who plays like a younger version of John Isner, will make his slam debut against the talented David Goffin. Opelka towers over Goffin on the court, but Goffin has crisper groundstrokes, and will probably win this match. The Belgian is defending fourth round points, and I doubt he’s happy to get this first round matchup.
(2)Novak Djokovic vs. Fernando Verdasco
A one time semifinalist, Verdasco once again gets the misfortune of a brutal early round matchup in Melbourne. Djokovic leads the h2h 9-4 and just saved multiple match points to defeat Verdasco in a Doha three setter to start the season. I don’t see Djokovic losing this one, but Verdasco can still make for a difficult, and entertaining matchup.
Murray’s Quarter:
For the first time, the new world #1 (Sir) Andy Murray gets the #1 seed slot in a Grand Slam. Murray will start his campaign against journeyman Illya Marchenko, and in round 2 he’ll either get the steady ball striking of Yen-Hsun Lu, or the more aggressive approach of qualifier Andrey Rublev, a hot shot young gun. Rublev could be a bit more troublesome, but either way Murray should slide into the third round, and then the fourth, as none of Sam Querrey/Quentin Halys/Gerald Melzer/Alex De Minaur is a threat to him. The 17 year old De Minaur has three wins already in 2017 and has a great shot at his first slam win against Melzer. Querrey should snap a six match tour losing streak against Halys, who isn’t as sharp on hard courts. I don’t count De Minaur to find form and reach the third round, but the veteran Querrey, who won a pair of exo matches, should fall to Murray at that stage.
John Isner is in a bit of a career decline but he still has a favorable draw early on. Isner faces Konstantin Kravchuk, who at 31, has just one tour level win in the last 3+ seasons. Mischa Zverev and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez face off below Isner, a loser of eight straight matches, GGL looks to be in no form to challenge Zverev, who should serve and volley his way into round 2, before falling to Isner. Pouille/Bublik will face Malek Jaziri or qualifier Go Soeda in round 2. This isn’t a strong section, but Pouille vs. Isner isn’t a bad third round match. Isner should have a slight edge to reach the second week due to his serve.
Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer look set for a star studded third round clash on Rod Laver, presuming Berdych handles qualifier Lucas Vanni, and serve and volleyer Nicolas Mahut or Ryan Harrison. Federer faces fellow veteran, Jurgen Melzer, a qualifier, then an American qualifier, either Bjorn Fratangelo or Noah Rubin. Federer isn’t the player he once was, especially after injury, but it can’t be discounted that the maestro has won his last five matches against the Czech. It’s not the biggest upset in the world, but I’ll go with Berdych’s form to reach round 4.
Nishikori/Kuznetsov look to be favorites to reach the second week as well, Jeremy Chardy or Nicolas Almagro await in round 2. Almagro leads the h2h 5-0, so I have him falling to Nishikori in round 2. Albert Ramos isn’t in great form, and could be troubled by qualifier Lukas Lacko, but I don’t trust Lacko at this point to make a run, and I have Ramos winning in round 1, before falling to the in-form veteran Dudi Sela in round 2. Sela opens with fellow veteran Marcel Granollers, and regardless, Nishikori should win in round 3. Sela is 8-1 to start the year with a challenger title.
Wawrinka’s Quarter:
Former champion Stan Wawrinka has a h2h win against his first round opponent Martin Klizan, and Klizan is in terrible form, having lost nine straight matches. Klizan is normally a tough matchup, but Wawrinka should beat him, and defeat Auckland semifinalist Steve Johnson in round 2, presuming Johnson eases past Federico Delbonis. Wawrinka faces Viktor Troicki, a Sydney semifinalist, most likely in round 3, as Troicki opens with journeyman Damir Dzhumur, with James Duckworth or Paolo Lorenzi to follow. At home I give Duckworth an edge in round 1, with Wawrinka beating Troicki in the third round for the eight time, in eight meetings (7-0 h2h).
Kyrgios or Elias will get a veteran, either Andreas Seppi or Paul-Henri Mathieu in round 2. PHM is in miserable form, so Seppi should win for the third straight time, with Kyrgios a favorite for the third round. Steve Darcis or Sam Groth are his likely third round opponent, Pablo Cuevas or Diego Schwartzman are also in this section. It’s hard to pick between Cuevas or Schwartzman, but I have Darcis serve and volleying past a struggling Groth, and then beating Schwartzman to reach round 3, before falling to Kyrgios. Darcis has been in good form as of late, and could be a dark horse if Kyrgios knee fails him.
Cilic or Janowicz will battle either Facundo Bagnis, or more likely Sydney finalist Dan Evans in round 2. Tomic or Bellucci likely await in round 3, unless Aljaz Bedene beats Victor Estrella, and then Tomic/Bellucci. This is a weak section, but I have Bedene over Bellucci, and then Cilic reaching the fourth round, despite his poor form.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has an easy early path, Thiago Monteiro, who is poor on hard courts, and neither Dusan Lajovic or Stephane Robert are likely to trouble him through the first two rounds. Both Lajovic and Robert are in poor form. The former Australian Open finalist looks set to face Jack Sock, the Auckland champion, in round 3. Sock opens with doubles specialist Pierre-Hugues Herbert in round 1, with Karen Khachanov or Adrian Mannarino to follow in round 2. Khachanov beat Mannarino at the end of last season, but either way, Sock should be the one to face Tsonga in round 3. Given the fatigue factor, I have Tsonga advancing into week 2.
Raonic’s Quarter:
The Canadian #1 Milos Raonic gets his own quarter of the draw after reaching the semifinals for the first time last year. Raonic will face fan favorite Dustin Brown to start, with Muller/Fritz to follow, and a struggling Gilles Simon most likely in round 3. Simon opens with Michael Mmoh, and Jared Donaldson or Rogerio Dutra Silva will follow. Simon is the seed, but his form hasn’t been great, I see Donaldson having a bright future,but I’m not quite sure he’s ready to beat Simon yet. Raonic should beat Simon in round 3.
Roberto Bautista Agut is a solid favorite in his own part of the draw. The Chennai champion opens with Guido Pella, with Yoshihito Nishioka or qualifier Alex Bolt to follow. RBA is defending fourth round points and will likely face a third round contest with his countryman Ferrer. I’m going with an upset though, and I have RBA facing Daniil Medvedev the third round, with Medvedev upsetting Ferrer. RBA should reach the second week.
One-time champion Rafael Nadal opens with Florian Mayer, Nadal’s form is a little shaky, but he should beat the veteran Mayer, and the Baghdatis/Youzhny winner, before facing off with talented young gun Alexander Zverev in round 3. Zverev opens with journeyman Robin Haase, and either Frances Tiafoe or Mikhail Kukushkin will follow. Nadal won his only meeting against Zverev, and the veteran should reach the fourth round. Zverev has the ability to beat Rafa, but Nadal’s quality should have an edge in best of 5.
Monfils/Vesely will face Dolgopolov/Coric, with Monfils likely to be opposite Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round. The veteran German faces Nikoloz Basilashvili, with Thomas Fabbiano or Donald Young to follow. Presuming Kohlschreiber is fit, he could test Monfils, but a healthy Monfils is the best player in his section. Monfils leads the h2h 12-2 over Kohli.
Djokovic’s Quarter:
Six-time and defending AO champion Novak Djokovic will do battle with Verdasco, then will face Denis Istomin or qualifier Ivan Dodig in round 2. Djokovic should ease past Dodig with Kyle Edmund likely waiting in round 3. Edmund opens with Santiago Giraldo, with Pablo Carreno Busta or Peter Polansky to follow. Edmund continues to improve, and although I see him defeating PCB in round 2, Djokovic should be a bridge too far.
Brisbane champion Grigor Dimitrov opens with wild card Christopher O’Connell, who is making his Slam debut. Dimitrov has been playing great tennis as of late, and should ease into the third round over Hyeon Chung, after Chung beats Renzo Olivo. Richard Gasquet, who opens with qualifier Blake Mott, looks to be fit, and should beat Mott and Radu Albot or Carlos Berlocq to setup a third round clash of the one handed backhands. Gasquet leads the h2h 5-1, but Dimitrov won their last meeting, and I back the Bulgarian to reach week 2.
Goffin faces Opelka, then the oft-injured Dmitry Tursunov or more likely 38 year old qualifier Radek Stepanek in round 2. Goffin could be tripped up, but I have him reaching round 3, and then dispatching Ivo Karlovic, who opens with Horacio Zeballos. Adam Pavlasek or wild card Andrew Whittington waits in round 2. Karlovic has reached Melbourne’s second week once before, but Goffin seems reliable enough.
Dominic Thiem opens with J.L. Struff, who reached a challenger final in his last outing. Thiem has struggled a bit to open the season, but he should beat Thompson/Sousa in round 2 before running into Lopez in round 3. Chennai semifinalist Benoit Paire is also in this section, opening with the ageless Tommy Haas. Lopez should beat Fognini and Paire before falling to Thiem.
Dark Horses (one for each quarter of the draw): Mischa Zverev, Steve Darcis, Daniil Medvedev, Feliciano Lopez
Zverev could upset Isner and Pouille to reach the second week of a slam for the first time. His brother Alex could also upset Nadal for a big result for the whole family. Darcis, another veteran, has reached the third round of a slam once before, he has a great shot at making it at least that far, and with Kyrgios knee in question he could reach the second week for the first time.
The young Medvedev needs to upset Ferrer and RBA to reach the second week, it’s a tough task, but doable given his talent. Lopez has reached the second week of slams before, and with Thiem and Paire a bit shaky in terms of form, he could well do so again.
Round of 16 Murray d. Isner (8-0 h2h)
Nishikori d. Berdych (4-1 h2h)
Wawrinka d. Kyrgios (2-2 h2h)
Tsonga d. Cilic (3-5 h2h)
Nadal d. Monfils (12-2 h2h)
Raonic d. Bautista Agut (4-0 h2h)
Goffin d. Thiem (5-3 h2h)
Djokovic d. Dimitrov (6-1 h2h)
Murray, Djokovic, and Raonic should be pretty safe to advance into the final stages, Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal should be tested, but I see them surviving. Tsonga should be in better form than Cilic, and Goffin is probably fresher than Thiem.
Quarters Murray d. Nishikori (9-2 h2h)
Wawrinka d. Tsonga (4-3 h2h)
Raonic d. Nadal (2-6 h2h)
Djokovic d. Goffin (5-0 h2h)
These four quarterfinals, if they come to fruition, should be quality matchups. Murray and Djokovic remain clear favorites, Wawrinka vs. Tsonga and Raonic vs. Nadal should be quality and tightly contested matches. Raonic and Wawrinka have had an edge in the past year, and that should continue.
Semis Murray d. Wawrinka (10-7 h2h)
Djokovic d. Raonic (8-0 h2h)
It’s hard to pick against the world’s top 2 players to reach a hard court Grand Slam final.
Final Djokovic d. Murray (25-11 h2h)
Djokovic won in Doha, Murray may be the world #1 for the time being, but Novak still has a clear edge in the h2h, and until Murray can beat him in Melbourne, I have to go with Djokovic over the five time AO finalist Murray.
2016 Australian Open Men’s Week 1 Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The Happy Slam is here again as the superstars of tennis will battle in Melbourne, Australia for a steamy two weeks. Here is a preview, with predictions, of the first marquee men’s event of the 2016 tennis calendar.
Australian Open
Grand Slam
Melbourne, Australia
January 18-31, 2016
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $44,000,000
Top 8 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (1)
2: Andy Murray (2)
3: Roger Federer (3)
4: Stan Wawrinka (4)
5: Rafael Nadal (5)
6: Tomas Berdych (6)
7: Kei Nishikori (7)
8: David Ferrer (8)
Richard Gasquet and Thanasi Kokkinakis are the only notable active players missing from this years tournament, both due to injury.
First round matchups to watch:
(1)Novak Djokovic vs. Hyeon Chung
The young South Korean Chung has little chance of stopping Djokovic’s seven match winning streak, but at 19 he continues to make strides, and this is a great form test for him. Facing off with the world #1 on a massive stage. Chung has yet to advance beyond an ATP quarterfinal and he has just one career grand slam win, but if he can capture a set, he’ll win a lot of new fans and admirers.
(28)Andreas Seppi vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili
Seppi is just 2-7 since last year’s US Open and this match has upset potential. The Italian in shaky form after upsetting Roger Federer and reaching the second week last year in Melbourne. Gabashvili comes off his first career ATP semifinal in Sydney and is a shotmaker capable of some surprising results. Seppi leads the h2h 3-1 on hard courts, and 2-0 in slams, but he looks to be a shell of himself right now.
Another match where the seed could be ousted. Simon is an experienced veteran who tends to perform well in grueling slam matches, but he lost his only ATP warm-up contest in Brisbane, and was 0-2 in the Kooyong exhibition as well. Pospisil won a match in Auckland but is just 1-2 in 2016. The Canadian will need to serve well and keep his composure to outlast Simon.
(WC)Omar Jasika vs. Illya Marchenko
The 18 year old Jasika is making his Australian Open main draw debut against Marchenko. Jasika has yet to win an ATP caliber match, but he’s quite the talent, and the home fans should rally behind him in this match against an unseeded opponent. Marchenko reached his first ever ATP semifinal in Doha, and appears to be in the form of his career. Assuming he can continue that good form, the Ukrainian veteran should prevail.
(26)Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu
A battle of crafty veterans, Mathieu is 2-0 on hard courts against GGL, and the Spaniard looks to be in average form as he tries to defend his round of 16 showing last year. GGL reached the quarters in Chennai, and then lost early in Auckland. Mathieu won a round in Doha, but went 0-2 in the Kooying exhibition. Garcia-Lopez should win this, but it could be quite the battle.
(7)Kei Nishikori vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber
This could be a danger zone match for Kei Nishikori, he looked rather brittle in his quarterfinal loss in Brisbane, and he faces an experienced opponent in Kohlschreiber. Peppo has declined a bit at 32, but he still possess a powerful backhand for their first ever meeting. Nishikori has a far superior all-around game, but he could tire in this baseline war.
You never know what you’re going to get with Dolgopolov, he reached the Hopman Cup final and lost in the Sydney quarterfinals, but all that tennis could be his downfall early on in Melbourne. Berankis doesn’t appear to be in great form, but he puts a lot of balls in play and counterpunches from the baseline, something that could cause Dolgopolov errors. Dolgo is the clear favorite, but don’t be surprised if he falls by the wayside.
(5)Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Verdasco
A long time rivalry with a clear favorite, Nadal is 15-2 in the h2h, and 2-0 in slams but Verdasco won their last hard court meeting in Miami last year. Verdasco has given his countryman many battles over the years. Nadal reached the final in Doha and looks to be playing better this year than last year. Verdasco by contrast is struggling, but this should still feature some great shotmaking. With Nadal likely advancing with relative ease.
(13)Milos Raonic vs. Lucas Pouille
Brisbane champion Milos Raonic still should win, likely in straight sets, but he can’t be happy to have this difficult of a first round match given his seeding. The Manitoba missile faces Pouille, who he just beat in Brisbane 6-4 6-4, as the Frenchman with a powerful forehand performed admirably against Raonic’s serve. Look for a tiebreak or two in this match, and Pouille to perhaps steal a set.
(25)Jack Sock vs. Taylor Fritz
18 year old Taylor Fritz is off to a great start with his professional career as he won a challenger in Australia, and then qualified to move to 8-0 heading into his first Grand Slam main draw match. Fritz is the next great American hope, but he may be exhausted against fellow rising American Jack Sock. Sock traveled the road Fritz is on, and reached the final in Auckland last week. He is suffering from the flu however, and his physical condition is also in question. I tend to expect this match to end in a retirement, with Sock’s experience and conditioning likely helping him through.
(WC)James Duckworth vs. (WC)Lleyton Hewitt
Two Australian wild cards in this one, however Hewitt is a former world #1, and two time Grand Slam champion, playing in his final professional tournament. Duckworth is a 23 year old journeyman who has never had an ATP record above .500 in his career. Duckworth will have his fans, but this match is all about Hewitt bidding goodbye to a tournament, and a sport, he’s contributed so many memorable moments to. Hewitt is a shell of the defensive counterpuncher he once was, but he’s always fought back after injuries, and his game is all about grit and tenacity. After a busy farewell tour in Australia, look for Lleyton to win this and keep his career alive for at least one more match in what should be a memorable night on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Muller is off to a 4-2 start in warm-up events, and his serve and volley game is well designed for this surface. Fognini reached the quarterfinals in Auckland and is looking to build on the promise he showed late last season on hard courts. Fognini is a talent as always, but his focus could be questionable, and Muller’s consistency should be enough to score him a seeded upset.
(2)Andy Murray vs. Alexander Zverev
Andy Murray handled the young gun Zverev at the Hopman Cup, and he should do so again. This is a form test for Zverev, like it is for Chung, and it’s nice to see young guns getting opportunities against the worlds best in slams. On hard courts I doubt Zverev has the game to handle Murray however, and hopefully this match will prepare the Scotsman well for later rounds.
Djokovic’s quarter:
Novak Djokovic, the defending, and five-time champion, has little chance of even dropping a set in his first three matches, after Chung he’ll face Ivan Dodig or Quentin Halys, a French wild card, who is 0-2 at this level in his career, and has yet to break the top 150, though he’s just 18. Dodig is 7-2 this year, and is off to a fantastic start as he looks to return to the top 50, he’ll be ousted by Djokovic in round 2 however. Gabashvili/Seppi are the favorites to reach the third round. The winner of that match will face Denis Kudla or Filip Krajinovic. Kudla is 2-2 this season and better on hard courts than his opponent. Both Gabashvili and Kudla could reach the third round, while Seppi needs to find form quickly. I’ll go with Gabashvili to find his way to the third round, and then lose to Djokovic.
Simon/Pospisil will face an easier opponent in Evgeny Donskoy or Inigo Cervantes in round 2. Donskoy is superior to Cervantes on hard courts. Look for Simon to face Jiri Vesely or Ivo Karlovic in the third round. Karlovic’s powerful serve should help him past Federico Delbonis, and then Vesely, who has the talent, but can underachieve at times. Karlovic has won the last two meetings against Simon on hard courts, and thus I have him advancing to the round of 16.
#9 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga faces an opening round opponent with a history of success in Melbourne, Marcos Baghdatis. The former AO finalists are in very different places in their careers now however. Tsonga is 5-0 at the ATP level vs. the Cypriot and comes off the semis in Auckland, showing his form is solid. Tsonga should go on to defeat Marchenko/Jasika to setup a third round meeting with charismatic countryman Benoit Paire. Paire, a semifinalist in Chennai, opens with young gun American Noah Rubin, and has Pablo Andujar/Pierre-Hugues Herbert after that. Herbert qualified and has shown signs of a breakthrough at the ATP level, but his success in doubles is far superior to his success in singles. The tall Frenchman should oust a struggling Andujar, but Paire is likely to have too much game. Tsonga is 3-0 against Paire, and though Benwa continues to rise, Jo’s experience should help him through.
Nishikori/Kohlschreiber will have an easier time in the second round against either Austin Krajicek or Di Wu. Neither Krajicek nor the qualifier Wu have much Grand Slam experience. Nishikori over Krajicek is my pick for the second round, with Kei to face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in round 3. The path for GGL after Mathieu is Daniel Brands or Victor Estrella. Estrella is struggling, while Brands is in great form as a qualifier, and on the path to return to the top 100 with his powerful game. Brands is 6-1 in 2016, but GGL is likely still a level above. Nishikori is 2-0 against GGL, and if he wins his opening round match he should have little to no difficulty reaching week 2.
Federer’s quarter:
The four time AO champion Roger Federer faces two potential roadblocks in his path before the second week. Federer, a finalist in Brisbane, should be untroubled by journeyman Nikoloz Basilashvili, with the winner of Berankis/Dolgopolov looming in round 2. Dolgopolov could test Federer with his shotmaking abilities, and force the Swiss to scramble a bit, but presuming Fed is over the flu he should prevail. Grigor Dimitrov would need to suffer a shock defeat to not end up facing Federer in the third round. The Brisbane quarterfinalist, and Sydney finalist, opens with recent challenger champion Paolo Lorenzi, and then the Jozef Kovalik/Marco Trungelliti winner in round 2. Both Kovalik and Trungelliti are in a slam main draw for the first time, enterting as qualifiers, with Kovalik seemingly better on this surface. Barring severe fatigue, it should be Federer vs. Dimitrov. Federer beat Dimitrov while sick in Brisbane, and prior to that Dimitrov hadn’t taken a set off of him, thus the Swiss legend should reach week 2.
#15 seed David Goffin has a draw that should allow him to reach the second week and continue his upwardly trending results as he bids to reach the top 10. The Belgian #1 has struggling serve and volleyer Sergiy Stakhovsky in round 1. After that he could run into British young gun Kyle Edmund, a quarterfinalist in Doha, if Edmund can defeat Bosnian Damir Dzhumhur. Goffin’s ball striking game should suit him well enough to reach round 3. #19 seed Dominic Thiem, another rising player, faces Doha quarterfinalist Leonardo Mayer, a veteran who knows the limits of his game, in round 1. Thiem reached the semis in Brisbane, and that recent success should inspire him to get past Mayer and either Nicolas Almagro or Julien Benneteau in round 2. Both Almagro and Benneteau are struggling formerly ATP caliber veterans, and one of them has to win. Thiem vs. Goffin should be one of the matches of the tournament, Goffin is slightly better on hard courts, and I’ll go with him to reach week 2.
#12 seed Marin Cilic could be one of the first big names to exit the tournament. He suffered a quarterfinal defeat in Brisbane, and though Thiemo De Bakker is no problem in round 1, Borna Coric in round 2 is a big problem. Coric should stretch Albert Ramos losing streak to seven in the first round, and then the Chennai finalist will set his sights on Cilic. Cilic has a bigger game than the crafty Coric, and Coric was dismantled by Cilic in Shanghai last year. Expect a close match, and possibly five sets, but I have to go with Cilic’s experience to get him into round 3. Auckland champion and Chennai quarterfinalist Roberto Bautista Agut is riding a wave of form, and possibly the haze of fatigue, against Martin Klizan in round 1. RBA is 2-0 against Klizan on hard courts, and the Slovakian is struggling, thus barring conditioning problems it should be Bautista Agut vs. Sam Querrey round 2 (Querrey opens with Dusan Lajovic). RBA has a h2h win over Querrey, and though Sam could reach round 3 if RBA is unfit, look for Cilic vs. Bautista Agut in the third round. Cilic is 2-0 on hard courts against Bautista Agut, and should be much fitter, giving him the edge to reach week 2.
Seeing anything but a Tomas Berdych vs. Nick Kyrgios third round matchup would be a huge disappointment for the tournament organizers. The Doha semifinalist Berdych opens with India’s Yuki Bhambri, a challenger level player, and then will face either Mirza Basic or Robin Haase. Basic qualified, while Haase is ATP caliber and likely has a minor edge in round 1, before falling to Berdych in round 2. Kyrgios, who has a great grand slam record for his age, spent his time on the exhibition circuit prior to the AO (won the Hopman Cup), hurting his foot in Kooyong, though he should be recovered in time for Melbourne. The combustible Aussie is their great hope and his campaign will start against Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. PCB has improved on hard courts over the past year, but Kyrgios aggressive game should still outwork him. The speedy Yoshihito Nishioka is NK’s likely opponent in round 2. Nishioka faces veteran Pablo Cuevas, who tends to prefer clay, in the first round. The young Japanese player is talented, but a healthy Kyrgios should rise on the biggest stage. Berdych and Kyrgios have never met, and that match could go either way. Kyrgios is known for winning big matches, but Berdych is more consistent and experienced. I have the Czech’s power game helping him reach the second week, as he’s a solid top 10 player, unlike NK as of yet.
Stan Wawrinka‘s quarter features the only other active AO winners besides Djokovic, and Federer. 2014 champion Stan the man is in a section that is easy going early on with Dmitry Tursunov, returning from a long time injury, as his first opponent, and then a qualifier in round 2, either Tatsuma Ito or Radek Stepanek. The veteran Stepanek can be a tricky opponent with his serve and volley game, but the Chennai champion should roll into the second week with wins over Tursunov, Stepanek, and either the Sock/Fritz or Lukas Rosol/Taro Daniel winner. There is an opening for Auckland quarterfinalist Rosol to reach the third round, as Sock/Fritz should be exhausted. I have Wawrinka over Rosol to reach the second week.
Raonic/Pouille will face Tommy Robredo or Malek Jaziri in round 2. Raonic’s 5-0 record against Robredo, who usually does well in slams, bodes well for his chances to reach the third round. The other seed in this section is #21 Viktor Troicki, the Sydney champion. Troicki is likely fatigued, and Canberra challenger semifinalist Daniel Munoz De La Nava, a rare Spaniard who prefers hard courts, is his first opponent. If Troicki wins, qualifier Tim Smyczek likely awaits. Smyczek faces dirtballer Daniel Gimeno-Traver in round 1. The American baseliner is unlikely to ever be a top 50 player, but he has enough ability to upset a fatigued Troicki and sneak into the third round. Raonic should roll into week two however, given the nature of the draw.
2009 AO Champion Rafael Nadal will face another veteran after Verdasco. In round 2 he’ll battle with either Benjamin Becker or Dudi Sela, both of whom lack the stature to defeat his defensive prowess. Sela reached a challenger final in Australia, while Becker has already gone through ATP qualifying to reach main draws twice this year. After most likely Sela, Nadal is slated to face Jeremy Chardy in the third round. The Doha and Sydney quarterfinalist Chardy rarely beats anyone he isn’t supposed to, but a struggling Ernests Gulbis isn’t as difficult of an opponent as he would seem to be in round 1. Doha quarterfinalist Andrey Kuznetsov will face qualifier Ryan Harrison in the opening round. The Russian is a slight favorite as Harrison has never made good on his potential. Chardy should outhit Kuznetsov, before falling to Nadal, who leads him in the h2h 2-0.
#11 seed Kevin Anderson has a favorable early draw, and then a difficult third round match looming against #23 seed Gael Monfils. Kev had a knee injury in Chennai, but won a match in Auckland to reach the quarterfinals, and this surface still suits him well. Anderson opens with former NCAA teammate Rajeev Ram (at the University of Illinois), the serve and volleying veteran actually has a positive h2h with the South African, but they haven’t played in 9 years. Anderson’s star has risen far higher than Ram’s in that time span as he’s grown into his big serving game. Anderson will then face either qualifier Stephane Robert, or lucky loser Bjorn Fratangelo. Robert is a 35 year old, lifetime Challenger tour battler, who tends to pop up in slam main draws, and occasionally grabs a win or two. Fratangelo is a young American on the rise. Anderson should handle either player easily with his serve.
Monfils hasn’t played a match this season due to a winter leg injury, and you never know how the acrobatic Frenchman is going to play. With that said he should handle qualifier Yuichi Sugita, and then Nicolas Mahut or Marco Cecchinato. The serve and volleying stalwart Mahut comes off the quarters in Sydney, while the Italian Cecchinato prefers clay. Monfils leads Mahut 3-0 in the h2h. Anderson trails Monfils 0-3 in the h2h, and it’s a big style contrast between his serve and forehand combo, with Monfils defense, shotmaking, and athletic speed. I’m going to go with Gael, knowing he could crash and burn, as I have him finding the second week and playing well this tournament. Everything is resting on his legs so to speak.
Andy Murray/Zverev will face either big server Sam Groth or Adrian Mannarino in round 2. Groth is in terrible form (0-5 in his last 5), though he’ll have home support. Mannarino won an early challenger title, and will likely get a rematch against Murray after pushing him to five sets at the 2015 US Open. Murray’s third round opponent is somewhat up in the air, but he’ll be a strong favorite against any opponent. Portugal’s #1 Joao Sousa lost his only warm-up match, Mikhail Kukushkin, his first round opponent, is 3-2 this year. Donald Young is unpredictable, and Santiago Giraldo is on an ATP losing streak. Sousa vs. Young is my pick for the round 2 matchup, with Sousa advancing based off his baseline game, before falling to Murray. This is a great chance for any of these four players.
A section featuring tank maestros Fabio Fognini and Bernard Tomic is almost certain to feature a tank, even in a Grand Slam. Tomic tanked in Sydney due to his “good draw” in Melbourne, criticism aside, the Australian has actually been playing reasonably well as of late, and he does have a shot to reach the second week. The Brisbane semifinalist will need to make Denis Istomin 0-3 to start the year in round 1, and then handle Simone Bolelli’s forehand in round 2. Bolelli will take on Brian Baker, playing under a protected ranking at age 30, in his first ATP level match since the 2013 US Open. Bolelli is on a four match losing streak, but nothing can be expected from Baker. Tomic should in fact make the third round, and likely be the last Australian remaining, depending on what Kyrgios does.
Fognini/Muller will face John Millman or Diego Schwartzman in round 2. DSS has improved on hard courts, while Millman will have home support. Muller/Fognini should beat either one, and I have Muller reaching the third round. Muller’s 4-0 h2h against Tomic makes him one of the few unseeded players with a great shot at reaching the second week, and I have him doing so.
John Isner opens with Jerzy Janowicz. Isner lost in his second match in Auckland, but he’s taking on an opponent who has disappointed given his level of talent, and prepared for the Australian Open by playing video games . Isner should go on to dispatch veteran Marcel Granollers after Janowicz, Granollers opens with journeyman wildcard Matt Ebden, an Aussie. The Spaniard comes off a challenger semi, but is not up to Isner’s level. #18 Feliciano Lopez got a lucky draw that should help him snap a four match losing streak. Lopez opens with qualifier Dan Evans, who might be capable of a big upset, and then will face either Guido Pella or Steve Darcis. Pella prefers clay and Darcis is a journeyman, making it likely it will be Isner vs. Lopez in an underwhelming third round matchup. Lopez leads Isner 2-1 on hard courts in the h2h, but I favor Isner to reach the second week with a strong tournament. Lopez played the Kooyong Exo.
David Ferrer struggled by his usual lofty standards heading into the Australian Open with a pedestrian 2-2 record, and a semifinal in Auckland. The Spaniard has little chance of being eliminated early however.His round 1 opponent Peter Gojowczyk is a qualifier ranked outside the top 200 these days, while the Duckworth/Hewitt winner results in Ferrer either facing a journeyman, or a worn out Hewitt in what will likely be the last match of his career. Surely Hewitt will put his heart into a night contest on Laver against Ferrer, but the matchup does not bode well for him given Ferrer’s grinding style, speed, and baseline play that should wear the veteran Aussie down.
#31 Steve Johnson is seeded, but he’s struggling to start the year, and that puts a damper on his chances to make a run in Melbourne. Johnson opens with Aljaz Bedene, who on the one hand reached the semis in Chennai, but at the same time retired a week later in Auckland, and may not be entirely fit. The winner of that will face either Thomaz Bellucci or Australian Jordan Thompson. Thompson has promise, while Bellucci has struggled to start the year, but the veteran Brazilian should find a way to win. Johnson over Bellucci is still my second round pick, though it’s the weakest section of the draw. Ferrer should dispatch anyone he faces and reach the second week.
Dark Horses (one for each quarter): Vasek Pospisil, Borna Coric, Gael Monfils, Gilles Muller
Pospisil reached the quarterfinal of a slam for the first time last season, and also has reached the third round in Melbourne twice. The Canadian bomber not named Raonic will need to get past Simon, but if he does, he’s facing a likely third round rematch with Karlovic, who he just defeated in Auckland, for a spot in the second week.
Coric could make his move this with this draw. He hasn’t made the second week of a major yet and Cilic is a round 2 obstacle, along with RBA in round 3, but the young Croatian has the game to get him that far and setup a meeting with Berdych/Kyrgios to start the second week. It’s just a matter of time before “The Borna Identity” makes his move.
Monfils hasn’t made the fourth round in Australia since 2009, and with a leg injury he’s a big question mark. His section is relatively open however with Anderson primarily in his way, and if he makes the second week he could challenge Nadal with his athleticism. Monfils is both talented and frustrating at the same time, and we’ll see which version shows up.
Muller has to beat Fognini and Tomic to reach the fourth round, like he did last year in Melbourne, I don’t see him getting past Murray, but stranger things have happened, and he’s a crafty veteran who knows what it takes to win. Should he serve well, he can maintain his ranking points this week.
Djokovic d. Karlovic
Tsonga d. Nishikori
Federer d. Goffin
Berdych d. Cilic
Nadal d. Monfils
Wawrinka d. Raonic
Isner d. Ferrer
Murray d. Muller
Karlovic is 3-0 against Djokovic on hard courts (including a win last year), and Djokovic can struggle against big servers, making this a dangerous match for him. The World #1 is far and above the best in the game right now though, and I’d still be shocked to see him lose such a crucial match.
Nishikori is 4-1 against Tsonga on hard courts, but Jo beat him in the French last year, and I favored the way Tsonga looked before the tournament compared to Nishikori, who could struggle if this is a day match in the heat.
Federer is 3-0 against Goffin, Nadal is 6-2 against Monfils, with Anderson perhaps more of a worry, though Rafa’s good recent results should secure him the confidence to win. Murray is 4-0 against Muller, Wawrinka is 4-0 against Raonic, though Raonic looked good in Brisbane, Wawrinka was just as good in Chennai.
Ferrer is 4-1 against Isner, but I have Isner winning due to Ferrer’s poor early results, it’s time for the American to turn the corner and get a big win, while the curtain could be closing for Ferrer’s consistent runs to quarters and semis in slams. Berdych is 4-2 against Cilic on hard courts, it’s a close matchup, but the Czech does better on hard courts than Cilic, who has a similar style.
Quarters: Djokovic d. Tsonga
Federer d. Berdych
Wawrinka d. Nadal
Murray d. Isner
Federer has won the last four (last three hard court) matches against Berdych, Djokovic is just 7-6 against Tsonga on hard courts, but recently he’s steered a course well above players that hover around the top 10.
Wawrinka vs. Nadal could be the match of the tournament, Nadal used to destroy Wawrinka, but their last four meetings on hard courts are tied 2-2, and Wawrinka has raised his level, while Nadal isn’t quite the same player he was. the AO suits Stan, and another semi looks to be in store for him. Murray, one of the best returners in the game, has a great draw to the semis, and should handle Isner (5-0 h2h) or Ferrer in the quarters.
Semis: Djokovic d. Federer
Wawrinka d. Murray
Djokovic vs. Federer is an enjoyable matchup, and they went an even 3-3 against one another on hard courts last season. Djokovic has won the previous three Grand Slam, best of five, matches though, and his conditioning and mental toughness has surpassed the now 34 year old Federer.
Wawrinka has won his last three meetings against Murray and appears to have cracked the code as to how to beat him. Either could reach the final, but I have a feeling Wawrinka will post yet another slam final and give himself a rivalry showdown with Djokovic.
Final:
Djokovic d. Wawrinka
Djokovic is 4-0 on hard courts since losing to Wawrinka at the 2014 AO, but it still stings for Novak that Wawrinka nipped him in that French Open final last year. Wawrinka denied him the calendar year Grand Slam with that win, and won his second Grand Slam title. This would be a competitive and enjoyable slam final, I just don’t see anyone being able to stop Djokovic and take three sets off of him in the next two weeks.
2016 Australian Open Women’s Preview Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
The first grand slam of the 2016 is upon us and it promises to be a cracker. The tour is wide open with potential winners, so let’s get down to it.
The Australian Open has been staged in seven cities throughout Australia and New Zealand since its launch in 1905. It moved to its present home named Melbourne Park in 1988, with the tournament also switching from a grass to hardcourt surface.
Defending champion Serena Williams has the Open Era record with six singles titles. Just two behind her with four victories are Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.
The Australian Open
Tier: Grand Slam
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Prize money: $ 40,000,000
Date: January 18th- January 31st
Top eight seeds (Ranking)
1. Serena Williams (1)
2. Simona Halep (2)
3. Garbine Muguruza (3)
4. Agnieszka Radwanska (4)
5. Maria Sharapova (5)
6. Petra Kvitova (6)
7. Angelique Kerber (7)
8. Venus Williams (10)
Lucie Safarova (injury) and Flavia Pennetta (retired) are absent from the tournament.
First round matches to watch
Camila Giorgi, Fed Cup
(1) Serena Williams vs Camila Giorgi
The world number one begins her title defence with a tough round one clash with the unpredictable yet dangerous Giorgi.
There are few players that can match Serena’s power on the court, Giorgi is one of them. The Italian is a big hitter and on her day can blast almost anyone off the court. The top seed is still a massive favourite for this match and the tournament as a whole, but if Giorgi turns up she could catch Serena off guard.
The American has not had much in terms of warm up for the first grand slam of the year, and one thing is for sure- she will not get much rhythm from the Italian.
(28) Kristina Mladenovic vs Dominika Cibulkova
There are not many potential upset matches in the opening round when it concerns the top seeds, but there is a nice match to look out for involving Mladenovic and Cibulkova.
The talented Frenchwoman is 0/2 in 2016 after back to back defeats to compatriots- she will be happy to see a Slovakian on the other side of the net. Cibulkova on the other hand has started the season well and is a former finalist at the Australian Open.
The Slovakian leads 5-0 in the head to head which is rather surprising. This one should be a lot closer than their previous meetings and It is possible that the seeded player could make an early exit.
(14) Belinda Bencic vs Alison Riske
Alison Riske (Photo: @Tennis_Shots)
60 places separate these two so if the American was to win this match it would be considered quite an upset.
In the WTA, anything is possible. Bencic is a much improved player since their last and only meeting in 2014 where Riske won in straight sets. However the Swiss lady has not looked at he best in the warm up events and there is a lingering chance of an upset.
That would require the world number 74 to bring her best tennis to the court, but big matches can often bring out the best in a lot of players. Bencic is the likely winner but it could be a close match.#
(17) Sara Errani vs Margarita Gasparyan
Errani is a very consistent retriever and a former grand slam finalist, however her gamestyle lets you play. It will be a good chance for the young Gasparyan to show her talents even if she does end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
The Italian is not as versed on hard courts as she is on clay, but she is not a player you can ever sleep on. The Russian will have to be game if she is to win the match, but it is winnable for her and a chance to claim a good scalp and make a good run.
Draw Analysis
Serena’s Quarter:
The world number one has been dealt with a fairly tough draw in her path towards the title. Giorgi is not the type of player you want to play first that’s for sure. From there it get’s a little more predictable with Anna Schmiedlova the projected round three opponent for the world number one. Schmiedlova is a solid player, particularly on clay, but unless Serena has a nightmare then the Slovakian will likely be brushed aside. The fourth round may see her face good friend Caroline Wozniacki. The draw to the round of 16 has been kind to the Dane and she will be majorly disappointed if she does not make it this far. Given the 10-1 head to head it is difficult to see Serena not making it through this match and through this section. Unless he has a real off day somewhere there is not a player after round one that could realistically match the power of the top seed.
It is not a familiar sight seeing Sharapova next to the number five, but Radwanska’s good form has knocked the Russian from the fourth seeding. Her reward?- Drawn in a quarter with the woman she has not beaten in over a decade. Her path to the potential clash with Serena is not an easy one either. Nao Hibino should be a comfortable opener, as should round two, but the third round potentially against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is a tricky one. It does not get any easier with the possibility of Bencic waiting in round four which could be a classic match. But Riske followed by possibly Heather Watson then Svetlana Kuznetsova is not exactly a good draw either. Bencic vs Sharapova is the safe bet and the Russian making it to the quarter finals is safer still, but there are banana skins.
If Radwanska had not made the Shenzhen open final then she would have been drawn in Serena’s quarter. With her victory in the Chinese event, the Pole has taken the fourth seed and has been drawn with a potentially injured Kvitova instead. Radwanska will play America’s Christina McHale in the opening round- not the easiest of draws but one she will be expected to win. That could lead to quite the round two clash against a rejuvenated Eugenie Bouchard who is looking more like her 2014 self in the early parts of the season. Sam Stosur is projected in round three but the Aussie has had issues playing in front of a home crowd. The round of 16 will likely feature either Roberta Vinci or an in form Sloane Stephens. Either one is a huge test for whoever they play and could upset the number four seed. Vinci of course is now famous for denying Serena a calendar year grand slam at the US Open.
Kvitova was forced to withdraw early in Shenzhen, then did not compete at all in her Sydney title defence. It leaves you wondering whether she is 100% ready for the Australian Open. The Czech is unpreditable at the best of times and if bad Petra shows up then she could be heading for an early exit. Round two is where the first test will likely come against Australia’s Daria Gavrilova. She is a rising talent in the WTA and will be pumped up to play in front of the home crowd. She is coming off victory with Nick Kyrgios at the Homan Cup. Round three will not get any easier with either Mladenovic or Cibulkova likely opponents. Carla Suarez Navarro might be the biggest beneficiary if Kvitova is not up to standard. The Spaniard has a fairly comfortable ride to the third round where she will face Andrea Petkovic. She could be the one that emerges to face Radwanska in the quarter finals.
After an impressive 2015 there is a lot of hype and expectation surrounding Muguruza, and this is a tournament you would expect her to do well in. She has had good results in Melbourne before and the courts seem to fit her game nicely. The opening two rounds seem fairly simple for the third seed, but it is in the round of 32 where things could get messy. Caroline Garcia is the projected seed, the talent Frenchwoman is unpredictable but she has a big game and matches up well with the Spaniard. But if she manages to get past the 32nd seed then she will meet a resurgent Victoria Azarenka who is fresh off winning the Brisbane title. This colossal round four match will could decide the finalist so keep an eye out for this one. The former two time champion must first make her way through a difficult third round against Elina Svitolina, but the Belarusian should match up well with the 20 year old.
Kerber could not translate her Premier level success into the grand slams in 2015, but her draw to the quarter finals here looks fairly promising. Barring a huge upset, Irina Begu will be her toughest challenge en route to round four where she projected to face Timea Bacsinszky. The Swiss however has not made the best of starts to the year and could be upset potential in the early rounds. Jelena Jankovic therefore might be the favourite to meet the German in the round of 16. With Muguruza or Azarenka likely for the quarter finals however, it is hard seeing either player progressing any further than the last eight.
Halep is still searching for her first grand slam title and she will feel that 2016 might just be her year. Her grand slam season opens pretty nicely with a qualifier then either Alize Cornet or Bojana Jovanovski. The third round against Lesia Tsurenko could be tricky but it is a match that Halep should win fairly comfortably. The fourth round is where things get interesting with Madison Keys or Ana Ivanovic likely to await the Romanian. Keys has a potential banana skin round two against Tsvetana Pironkova or Yaroslava Shvedova- both can be dangerous on their day. Ivanovic’s path to the third round is a little easier but nothing she should take for granted. Jarmila Wolfe could pose a test in front of her home crowd in round two. Halep is likely to make it out of this section but Keys and Ivanovic are more than capable of causing an upset.
Venus Williams’ resurgence was one of the many stories that gripped us in 2015. The 35 looks like a genuine contender for the big events again, even if she did lose her only match of the season thus far. Joanna Konta was another player who made headlines in 2015 but has made a poor start to 2016. The Brit is capable of an upset if she can perform to her summer 2015 level, but Venus likely prevails. In fact it is a fairly packed section with the ever dangerous Sabine Lisicki projected for round three. The German however is never a safe bet and could be dumped out early be Petra Cetkovska, Bethanie Mattek-Sands or Denisa Allertova. Karolina Pliskova was another name who played well but failed to make a deep run at a grand slam in 2015. However this could be the time she can finally make in roads at grand slam level. The Czech should make it to Ekaterina Makarova in round three at the very least. The winner likely plays Venus in round four- what a match that could be. Halep is the favourite to make it out of this quarter, but as you see there are many players who could trip her up.
If Azarenka is truly back, then she will likely make the final here. The Belarusian love these courts as evident with her two victories here. Serena will win the other semi final.
Tennis Atlantic’s hosts Steen Kirby and Courtney Massey were joined by Tennis Atlantic life on tour player Jean-Yves Aubone, Joey Hanf of The Tennis Nerds, and Valerie David of Tennis Inside Out to discuss the halfway mark of the 2015 Australian Open on the men’s and women’s side. Watch the crew break down all the action during the first week of the tournament, and analyze the week ahead in Melbourne, including picks for champion on both the men’s and women’s side. Nick Kyrgios, Tim Smyczek, Roger Federer’s loss to Andreas Seppi, Andy Murray, Denis Kudla, Madison Keys, and more were all topics of discussion among our analysts.
Thanks for watching and enjoy the rest of the Australian Open! We’ll be back next with a new panel and a break down of everything AO week 2.
2015 Australian Open Week 1 Men’s Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
2015 Australian Open Men’s Preview
Australian Open
Grand Slam
Melbourne, Australia
January 18-February 1, 2015
Prize Money: $40,000,000
It’s one of the more open Grand Slam draws in a while when it comes to the Men’s Aussie Open. The traditional “big four” of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, and Murray are all competing for the title, while other names could also put up great showings including defending champion Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, and Milos Raonic. Here is a preview of all that could take place down under come Monday.
Top 8 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (1)
2: Roger Federer (2)
3: Rafael Nadal (3)
4: Stan Wawrinka (4)
5: Kei Nishikori (5)
6: Andy Murray (6)
7: Tomas Berdych (7)
8: Milos Raonic (8)
Notable players missing in the draw include US Open champion Marin Cilic, former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, former top 10 player Tommy Haas, Juan Martin Del Potro, who came back last week but needs to rest his wrist again and pulled out of the draw, and young American Jack Sock, who are all injured.
RBA reached the round of 16 last year, his best result ever in a slam, and even with his top 15 seeding he likely won’t be pleased by his round 1 opponent Dominic Thiem. Thiem appears to be struggling with his fitness early in the season, as he was sick and lost weight in the offseason, thus RBA will be a favorite, but the young Austrian still has talent, and given RBA crashed out of Auckland with flu like symptoms, he may also not be feeling so hot himself. RBA should advance but it’s not a lock by any measure.
(12)Feliciano Lopez vs. (WC)Denis Kudla
Lopez lost his opening match in Chennai, and played poorly in both the Abu Dhabi and Kooyong Exos in preparation for the AO. He’s a top 15 seed but his form appears to be awful, and the USTA WC winner Kudla will have a chance of grabbing an upset win in this one. Lopez is the more talented player but he recently lost to lower ranked players Aljaz Bedene and Jordan Thompson, thus I’m making a gutsy pick and going with Kudla to advance. He’s 4-2 in 2015 and his form appears to be reliable enough to win this one.
One of the few R1 matches to watch that has any sort of h2h record: Querrey won a 4 setter over Pospisil on grass at Wimbledon in 2012, and Vasek is defending his best ever result in a slam, as he reached the third round here last year before injuring his back. Both players played well at times last year but only Pospisil has won a match this season, as he beat Andreas Seppi in Sydney. I give Vasek a slight edge to advance but this match is almost a pure toss-up.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs. Peter Gojowczyk
GGL appears to be in poor form going into this match, as he has lost a pair of matches to lower ranked players, given he slumped at the end of last season, the German Gojowczyk will have a good chance to advance. He’s a talented player who hasn’t reached his potential yet, having mostly played challenger level tennis, and I expect this one to go four or five sets as well.
(5)Kei Nishikori vs. Nicolas Almagro
The h2h for this matchup is split 1-1, and both times they met at the ATP level, the match went a full three sets. Nishikori is playing under the pressure of being the top Asian player in the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific while Almagro is returning from injury and still has rust. Nishikori is favored to advance and likely will, but it’s not the easiest R1 match-up for a number 5 seed in a slam and we could be looking at a four or five setter. Also watch out if this is a day match for Nishikori possibly wilting in the heat.
Victor Estrella vs. (Q)Jurgen Melzer
The almost 35 year old Estrella will face off with the 33 year old Melzer in round 1. Estrella is making his Aussie Open debut, as he reached a career high ranking inside the top 70 in 2014 and got himself into the main draw by the end of the season. Melzer once reached the second week in Melbourne but he struggled mightily last season and his ranking dropped low enough he had to qualify to get into the main draw. Both these guys are at the twilight of their careers, though Melzer has accomplished considerably more in his, and this will be a fun match to watch veterans do battle. Estrella isn’t a pushover on hard courts, but given Melzer is more talented and apparently rounding into some form, I have him winning this one.
A match between players who won ATP titles in Sydney and Auckland last week, which is quite rare in terms of occurrence, both are in great form, but given they won those titles as qualifiers, are likely very fatigued going into the AO. Vesely is a promising young gun who just broke into the top 40, while Troicki is a passionate competitor who has had a tremendous comeback. This match could be great, but at the same time, if they meet during the day in difficult conditions, I would almost expect a retirement if the match starts swinging one way or another depending on the physical condition of the players coming into the match. It’s a hard pick with all that in mind, but I feel Troicki is actually the better player right now, and I have him winning this one.
(26)Leonardo Mayer vs. (WC)John Millman
A match with great potential for an upset, Mayer is a top 30 player but he is far superior on clay than on hard courts, and though he made the semifinals in Sydney, I still think the Aussie wild card Millman will notch the upset. Millman is a talented player who is 11-1 in his last twelve tournament matches, with that lone loss coming to Roger Federer. Given this is hard courts, and Millman will have support from the home crowd, he should feed off that and use it to fuel him to a victory.
(11)Ernests Gulbis vs. (WC)Thanasi Kokkinakis
Gulbis has lost three straight tournament matches going back to least season and he struggled mightily in his only warm up test this year against Jiri Vesely in Auckland. He rarely plays well at the AO and he will be facing a home young gun player in Kokkinakis. The lanky Kokkinakis lost to his countryman Bernard Tomic in the second round of Brisbane in his only tournament tune up. Once again Gulbis is a top 15 seed, but upset potential exists depending on the type of form the Latvian is in. I’m not over confident in Kokkinakis but he’s due for a big win and I have him through to round 2 in my own bracket.
The only time this pair met, on clay in 2012, it went 3 sets, and though Dimitrov reached the quarters in Brisbane, he wasn’t super impressive there. Brown is an erratic player who play lights out tennis on rare occasion, and otherwise is a challenger level player, I still feel Dimitrov will win, possibly in straight sets, but I don’t feel enough people are looking at this matchup as one to watch. If Dreddy shows up playing like a human highlight reel, and Dimitrov gets off to a slow start, we could at least be looking at a four or five setter. Expect some talented shotmaking by both players here.
(25)Jeremy Chardy vs. Borna Coric
Chardy, a former quarterfinalist here, will take on the confident young gun Coric who is 1-2 in his ATP tune up matches this season, while Chardy is 2-2. Coric has a lot of talent but his pedestrian performance against clay courter Pablo Carreno Busta in Auckland demonstrates he’s far from reliable at this stage in his career, thus Chardy, the veteran Frenchman, is probably a slight favorite. This one could go either way depending on which Coric shows up, but I personally have Chardy going through to round 2.
The four time Australian Open champion Djokovic will open with an in-form Aljaz Bedene who qualified for the AO after reaching the Chennai final, then should get another easy match against Andrey Kuznetsov/Albert Ramos before a likely third round meeting with former AO semifinalist Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco, who comes off a pair of wins in the Kooyong exhibition, will need to defeat journeymen James Ward and Go Soeda/qualifier Elias Ymer to get that far. Ymer is a promising young Swede and he should beat Soeda but I don’t feel he has enough ability to beat Verdasco. Djokovic is 3-1 against Verdasco on outdoor hard courts in his career and I don’t see any particular reason why Novak won’t make the second week based upon his potential draw. Bedene is in great form but he’s played so much tennis as of late Novak should wear him down.
The RBA/Thiem winner will face Gilles Muller or Pablo Carreno Busta in round 2. The big serving Muller comes off the semis in Sydney and he’s 5-2 in 2015. With that in mind, given the surface, and RBA in questionable form coming off illness, I’m calling an upset in this section and putting Muller through to the third round. He’s had a great comeback over the past year and he’s due for a solid slam result. Muller/RBA/Thiem will face most likely John Isner in round 3. Isner has a good draw if he doesn’t lay an egg here, with qualifier Jimmy Wang, and qualifier Laurent Lokoli or Andreas Haider-Maurer on tap in the first two rounds. Isner is 3-0 in his career against Muller, with all of those wins coming on hard courts and given their similar styles of play, with Isner being better at the one two serve/return combo, the American should make the second week, even with poor history in Melbourne. If RBA were to be fit and healthy and get to the third round, I would have him beating Isner but that’s a big if.
Milos Raonic, who comes off the final in Brisbane, will be trying to break through in a slam this year, and he should at least make the second week, as his path is qualifier Ilya Marchenko, Donald Young or qualifier Tim Puetz, and one of Julian Benneteau/Benjamin Becker/Lleyton Hewitt/Ze Zhang to get to the round of 16. Raonic is 2-0 against Auckland quarterfinalist Young, while Benneteau should beat Becker, who he is 2-0 against, with Becker not having won a match in 2015. Lleyton Hewitt is struggling but he’s still a strong favorite against the Chinese wild card Zhang and given Benny won their H2H meeting last year, I expect home hero Hewitt to be ousted in round 2, and a Benneteau vs. Raonic third round match. Raonic is 3-1 in his career against Benneteau, and in good form, so he should reach the round of 16.
The Lopez/Kudla winner is slated to face Blaz Rola, or Auckland finalist Adrian Mannarino. Mannarino has been in great form in 2015, but Rola has talent and they are similar level players as a general rule. With Mannarino likely fatigued, even with Rola in poor form, I have a Kudla vs. Rola round 2 matchup, with a great opportunity for third round points for the winner. Kudla and Rola have never met, but Kudla is playing better tennis right now, so I have him into round 3 in my own bracket. Jerzy Janowicz, or Hiroki Moriya, who took Del Potro’s place in the draw as a lucky loser will face Gael Monfils or wild card Lucas Pouille in round 2. Pouille was a semifinalist in Auckland as a lucky loser while Monfils hasn’t had any match prep before the AO. I expect Pouille to be fatigued, but he did play some great tennis in Auckland, so perhaps that match will stretch out, that said I have Monfils over Janowicz in round 2. Monfils beat JJ last year, and I feel that style matchup favors the acrobatic Frenchman, after that Monfils should beat Kudla/Rola or someone else in round 3 to reach the round of 16 from this section. Janowicz has been decent this year, but not good enough to get past round 2.
The defending champion Stan the man will face Marsel Ilhan in his first match on his quest to repeat as the champion. After Ilhan it will be qualifier Marius Copil or Pablo Andujar, and then most likely Jarkko Nieminen or a qualifier in round 3, in what is very weak early draw for Wawrinka, as he should face little in the way of tough competition. Nieminen, who qualified in Sydney, will need to dispatch Andrey Golubev, and then Pablo Cuevas or qualifier Matthias Bachinger to reach the third round. Cuevas much prefers clay, so Bachinger, who is 5-1 in 2015, will also have a nice chance at round 2, but regardless Wawrinka should defeat Nieminen in round 3, as he comes off taking the Chennai title and is in great form. Also look for an in form Copil to defeat Andujar, the Romanian is 6-1 in 2015 and qualified by beating Aussie teen Omar Jasika in straight sets.
Fabio Fognini is slated to face Alejandro Gonzalez in round 1, the Italian is seeded 16th but has been playing well below the level of a top 50 player for quite some time. Thus Gonzalez, even though he prefers clay, may have just enough ability to notch an upset victory, given that unlike Fognini, he’s known for fighting hard in matches. The winner of Fognini/Gonzalez will face Garcia-Lopez/Gojowczyk in round 2, and I have Gojowczyk getting into the third round as a surprise. At that stage, expect the Pospisil/Querrey winner to defeat him, or another opponent, to reach the round 16. The winner of Pospisil/Querrey is slated to face Alex Dolgopolov or dirtballer Paolo Lorenzi in round 2. With Dolgopolov coming off an injury, though he should still defeat Lorenzi, who mostly plays hard court tournaments to collect a check. Dolgo has great talent but with that injury in mind, Pospisil/Querrey, most likely Pospisil should beat him, and eventually reach the second week. It’s possible Dolgopolov may withdrawal, and it’s a shame he’s not healthy because otherwise this would be a great draw for him all in all, if he withdraws and one of the lucky losers replaces him, I still favor that LL over Lorenzi.
Nishikori/Almagro will face Ivan Dodig or Joao Souza in round 2, with neither of those players being in particularly impressive form, I expect Nishikori to setup a round 3 encounter with American Steve Johnson. Johnson, an Auckland quarterfinalist, has qualifier Kyle Edmund first up, and then Santiago Giraldo or qualifier Jan Hernych, with Giraldo in poor form right now (He was rolled over in his first Auckland match) Johnson has the advantage, as he’s also more accomplished than Edmund. Nishikori beat him in Brisbane, and I expect the same result, with Nishikori making the round of 16.
Doha champ David Ferrer will face the laggard Thomaz Bellucci, with Dusan Lajovic or Sergiy Stakhovsky on deck, Ferrer is a near lock for the fourth round, as his third round opponent is most likely Gilles Simon, who appears to be struggling with a knee injury. Simon has had AO success before, and he still should reach the third round as the legendary choker Robin Haase, and then the Stephane Robert/Marcel Granollers winner are his path, with Granollers in awful form in his own right. Overall this section is weak and Ferrer is far superior to anyone else here.
Nadal is another player that is in terrible form going into the AO, but he has a round 1 opponent who is in even worse shape than he is, that being the veteran Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Youzhny has four career hard court wins against Rafa but none since 2008, he’s lost four straight matches going back to last season. Even though Nadal is 4-4 in his last eight with losses to the likes of Michael Berrer in Doha, Martin Klizan in Beijing, and Borna Coric in Basel, he still should beat Youzhny given this is a slam. After Youzhny, Nadal will face qualifier Tim Smyczek or Luke Saville, an Aussie wild card. In the third round, Lukas Rosol, who famously beat him at Wimbledon, is a possible opponent but I personally have JL Struff getting through to that stage instead to be Nadal’s opponent. Struff opens with Israeli veteran Dudi Sela, Sela hasn’t played any warm up events in 2015, while Struff is 2-2 in 2015 with wins over solid competitors Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Dominic Thiem. Rosol faces Kenny De Schepper first up, the Frenchman qualified and won a round in Auckland, while Rosol is on a four match losing streak.there may be some upset potential there but De Schepper is a one dimensional player built around his serve so I’m not sure he has enough to win. Struff beat Rosol last year on grass, and given current form, I have Struff over Rosol as I mentioned earlier. I’m deeply tempted to pick Struff over Nadal, but that would be quite a shocking pick, and I’m not confident enough to make it. Smyczek should defeat Saville as he’s the more accomplished veteran and plays some of his best tennis at the AO, Saville has yet to win a match in 2015 while Smyczek has won four and has more confidence.
The fourth round opponent for Nadal/Struff/Rosol is most likely to be either Auckland semifinalist Kevin Anderson, or Richard Gasquet, who made the quarterfinals in Doha. Anderson faces off with Argentine Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in round 1, Schwartzman much prefers clay, so it is almost certain to be Anderson against Igor Sijsling or Ricardas Berankis in round 2. Berankis has had some success in Australia, while Sijsling qualified in Sydney, I favor Berankis getting through over the one dimensional Sijsling. His match with Anderson is quite interesting, he is 2-0 in the h2h record with both those matches taking place at the challenger level, and Anderson may have some level of fatigue, with that in mind I’m going with an upset and placing Berankis in the third round. Richard Gasquet should safely defeat Carlos Berlocq, and then either Blaz Kavcic or home Aussie James Duckworth to reach the third round. Duckworth and Kavcic played a legendary match at the 2013 Australian Open, Kavcic won in five sets, 10-8 in the fifth, and had to get an IV after the match because it was played in white hot conditions. Kavcic qualified in Doha, and Duckworth made the quarters in Brisbane most recently, with home support, I feel like Ducky will get through to round 2. Expect Gasquet to take out Berankis in round 3 to reach the round of 16.
Doha finalist Tomas Berdych will face Alejandro Falla in round 1, then the winner of Estrella/Melzer, Berdych should safely reach the third round and face either Troicki/Vesely or the Millman/Mayer winner at that stage. I’m predicting a great tournament for Millman, as I have him beating Mayer, and then a fatigued Troicki/Vesely in round 2 to reach round 3, before falling to Berdych, who occasionally has lapses in form, but appears to be in good form.
The Gulbis/Kokkinakis winner is slated to face Filip Krajinovic/Sam Groth in round 2, Groth has a great shot at the third round, he plays well at home in Australia and Gulbis isn’t in great form here, while Kokkinakis still hasn’t fully matured, while the big serving, one dimensional Groth made the quarters in Brisbane. I have a Groth vs. Bernard Tomic third round matchup slated, Tomic just beat a struggling Kohlschreiber who has lost three straight, in Sydney and he is likely to face him again in the second round. Assuming Kohli beats Paul-Henri Mathieu and Tomic beats Tobias Kamke. Tomic and Groth have yet to play each other, but with Tomic being more well rounded and normally playing well on home soil, Bernard should reach the round of 16 to face off with Berdych.
Four time AO champ Federer will open with Rendy Lu, who is a solid hard court player but doesn’t have near enough weapons to take out the Swiss, who most recently won the Brisbane title. Federer is likely to face Simone Bolelli in round 2 as Bolelli faces a slumping Juan Monaco in round 1. Though he recently made the quarters in Sydney, it’s highly unlikely Federer will face any trouble in his first two matches. In round 3 it will be Chardy/Coric or Denis Istomin/Andreas Seppi as the opponent for Federer. Seppi and Istomin have a back and forth h2h history and Seppi leads it 2-1 on hard courts with a pair of Grand Slam wins that went five sets. The recent Doha semifinalist Seppi should beat Istomin who hasn’t won a match in 2015. Chardy beat Seppi at the 2013 AO and I feel he will do so again before losing to Federer who he famously beat on clay last year but is 0-2 against otherwise.
The fourth round opponent for Federer is most likely to be Ivo Karlovic, Karlovic upset Novak Djokovic in Doha and reached the semifinals. If his serve is clicking, he should defeat qualifier Ruben Bemelmans, then dirtballer Federico Delbonis or Nick Kyrgios, the promising young Aussie who seems to be struggling with a shoulder injury. Kyrgios probably has enough talent to beat Delbonis on a hard court, but with an injury, Karlovic should defeat him as Kyrgios may have trouble reading the Croats serve. Tommy Robredo has an abductor injury but he plans on playing anyway. The Spaniard will face Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Round 1 and perhaps Mikhail Kukushkin, who was a finalist in Sydney, in round 2. Kukushkin would need to defeat Malek Jaziri. I have Kukushkin into the third round before falling to Karlovic. ERV could also upset Robredo but the Frenchman isn’t playing well right now so I’m not risking it in my own bracket, even with Robredo less than 100%.
Andy Murray, who hasn’t lost a match in 2015 (Hopman Cup and Abu Dhabi exo singles) faces qualifier Yuki Bhambri, then qualifier Alexander Kudryavtsev or Marinko Matosevic in his first two matches. I don’t expect much trouble for the three time former AO finalist in the first two rounds, especially given Matosevic is slumping. Brisbane quarterfinalist Martin Klizan could be trouble in the third round though. Klizan, who opens with Tatsuma Ito, has been in great form recently, and his round 2 opponent will be either Aussie wild card Jordan Thompson or Joao Sousa. Thompson is a promising young player who took Jerzy Janowicz the distance last year at the AO, but I don’t feel he has matured enough to deal with the powerful shotmaker Klizan. Murray and Klizan have never met, but it will be a high quality third round matchup if it takes place, and isn’t likely to be straight sets. Murray has been in good form since the second half of 2014 and he is working hard to get back into the top 5. Given Murray is best at defense and returning the ball, while Klizan is a bit of a ballbasher, the matchup favors Murray.
Murray/Klizan are set to face either the Dimitrov/Brown winner or David Goffin in the round of 16. Goffin, a semifinalist in Chennai, who has played some high quality tennis since the second half of 2014, will need to beat qualifier Michael Russell who continues to grind away on tour, then Marcos Baghdatis or Teymuraz Gabashvili to reach the third round. I expect him to do so and set up a highly anticipated clash with Dimitrov, that should have basically even odds. However, Dimitrov beat Goffin at last year’s US Open and is 4-0 overall against him in the h2h. That h2h record gives me enough reason to pick Dimitrov to reach the round of 16. Dimitrov’s path to round 3 is Brown, and Lukas Lacko or Maximo Gonzalez in round 2.
Dark Horses (one for each quarter of the draw): Gilles Muller, Peter Gojowczyk, Bernard Tomic, and David Goffin
Muller has a potential path to the round of 16. He will need to beat an inconsistent Bautista Agut, and Isner, who can tire and do poorly in slams, to get there. I don’t see him having a shot against Djokovic, but a second week showing for a player who has a great comeback story from injury is still inspiring.
Gojowczyk has a great path to the third round, and could also make the round of 16. To do that he will likely need to defeat Pospisil/Querrey but that is a doable proposition given they aren’t known for being the most reliable players.
Tomic could even reach the quarterfinals, but on home soil he should at least be good enough for the round of 16. The seeds in his section, Gulbis and Kohlschreiber, are both in poor form and he would face Berdych in the round of 16. He must be pleased with his draw as he seeks to prove to his home country that’s he’s truly serious and committed to being successful at the top level of tennis.
Goffin will have his big test against Dimitrov in round 3. If he can pull that upset off, he can also make the second week, and this is still a good draw for him to make a run.
Djokovic d. Isner
Raonic d. Monfils
Wawrinka d. Pospisil
Ferrer d. Nishikori
Berdych d. Tomic
Nadal d. Gasquet
Murray d. Dimitrov
Federer d. Karlovic
Isner has won twice against Novak on hard courts, and the Serb does tend to struggle with big servers, but Novak plays some of his best tennis at the AO and thus should advance, perhaps dropping a set or two. Monfils is 2-0 in his career against Raonic but I feel the Canadian is clicking right now, and he’ll be able to pull through in a best of five sets format. Monfils tends to get distracted at points in matches, and if Raonic can maintain his serve that should be enough.
Wawrinka was slated to meet Pospisil last year at the AO but Vashy hurt his back and had to withdraw. Wawrinka is the better player, and though Vashy may trouble him, I don’t expect an upset. Ferrer-Nishikori should be a great matchup and I could see it going either way. Nishikori has an overall h2h edge but on outdoor hard courts they are split 2-2, and Ferrer won the only time they met in Australia back in 2013. Ferrer is one of the fittest players on tour and appears to be in great form. I have a feeling if this is a daytime match, that Nishikori, who struggles with heat, could be negatively impacted, and that will be enough of a difference to give Ferrer the edge.
Berdych has beaten Tomic in consecutive years at Wimbledon, and on a hard court. Berdy should be favored and anything is possible but Berdych is likely to overpower Tomic. Nadal could lose to Gasquet depending on his health, and form, but Rafa has destroyed Gasquet every time they have met including three times since 2013. With that in mind, I have to play it safe and pick Nadal into the quarters.
Murray is 3-0 against Dimitrov on an outdoor hard court, and 4-2 overall in the h2h. They tend to play exciting, competitive matches yet I feel like Murray has more motivation right now and is playing better recently thus I have him through. Federer has won his last six meetings against Karlovic and given he looked good in Brisbane, I don’t expect him to have any trouble reaching the quarterfinals.
Picking the rest of the way
Quarters: Djokovic d. Raonic
Wawrinka d. Ferrer
Berdych d. Nadal
Murray d. Federer
Djokovic is 4-0 against Raonic. he tends to struggle against big servers, but still I don’t feel Milos has enough game to beat him. Wawrinka-Ferrer is a highly anticipated matchup in my estimation, Nishikori-Wawrinka likewise, the business end of the tournament will put a lot of pressure on Wawrinka as he seeks to defend his title, but I feel he’s talented enough to beat Ferrer as he has the last three times they have met.
Berdych hasn’t beaten Nadal since 2006 and always plays poorly against him, but even though I feel Rafa will be weakened enough to lose this match, it’s a random guess, and I would never pick Berdy over Nadal in a neutral situation, but something appears wrong with Nadal. Federer is 2-1 against Murray at the AO alone, and both players have had success against each other, again this match could go either way, but I’m backing a motivated Murray who appears to want to prove the doubters wrong and get back into the Grand Slam discussion.
Semis: Djokovic d. Wawrinka
Murray d. Berdych
Wawrinka and Djokovic have played multiple classic matches, and I have Novak winning this one given the 16-3 overall h2h and the fact Novak is 5-1 since 2013 in their h2h meetings. Wawrinka shockingly beat Djokovic last year here, 9-7 in the 5th en route to the title and five sets is certainly possible, but I feel the winning trend will return again in favor of Djokovic.
Berdych actually has a 6-4 h2h edge against Murray and he won their last two meetings in 2013. That said, I still feel Murray is the better player and will get through given current form.
Final: Djokovic d. Murray
Murray went 0-4 against Djokovic last year and is 0-3 against him in Australia, including losing two finals. With that in mind, Djokovic is a clear favorite to win yet another AO title.
Episode 2 of Tennis Atlantic/The Grandstand’s Courtside Videocast Discussing the Australian Open Men’s and Women’s Draws and More! Staff, Tennis Atlantic
In our second episode of the Courtside Videocast, in partnership with The Grandstand, Steen Kirby, Courtney Massey, Niall Clarke and Chris de Waard, all from right here at Tennis Atlantic, were joined by Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand and Joe Craven of the twitterverse and Mens Tennis Forums to discuss the Australian Open Mens and Womens draws, along with some of the tennis that took place this week. The videocast is below and we hope you enjoy, as always, comments, questions and feedback are welcome.
Tennis Atlantic is proud to partner with Ricky Dimon’s The Grandstand to bring you a brand new ATP/WTA discussion show, the Courtside videocast. Episodes will be centered around the biggest events on the yearly tennis calendar, including the slams, and are set to feature as hosts Tennis Atlantic’s Steen Kirby and Courtney Massey, along with Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand.
In addition to the expertise and talent of our hosts, a rotating panel of tennis analysts will be joining the videocast to discuss interesting and popular topics around the tennis world, including on and off court news, results and headlines from the ATP and WTA tour and more.
In our inaugural Google Hangout episode, held yesterday afternoon, Steen, Courtney and Ricky were joined by journalists Niall Clarke and Jeff McMillan, both from Tennis Atlantic, and Jared Pine of Second Serb. They discussed some pre-draw Australian Open predictions, talked about some of the action on and off the court from the first week of the 2015 pro tennis season, broke down the ATP Sydney and Auckland draws, and discussed some solutions to the issue of star players pulling out of smaller ATP and WTA tournaments, in order to prioritize the Grand Slams and other big events, made notable by the situations of Eugenie Bouchard and Hong Kong last year, and David Ferrer and John Isner with the ATP Auckland tournament this week.There was also some discussion of injured players like Juan Martin Del Potro returning to the ATP tour and thoughts about what the future holds for them.
Please check out the hangout below, and we plan to have our next one after the Australian Open draw is released. Feel free to contact us here, or on Twitter if you have questions, comments, feedback or anything else to share with us about the Videocast.
Thanks for watching!
*The tweet mentioned by Steen during the broadcast was this one from our own Chris de Waard.
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