(3) Roger Federer vs. (14) Stefanos Tsitsipas Aproximate Time- 7 PM AEDT, 3 AM EST While Federer has cruised easily through his first few matches, this one should up the difficulty level a lot. Tsitsipas has a similar style of game, however their forehands are very different. Tsitsipas is also a bit bigger and likes to serve bigger as well, which should be able to throw Federer off a little bit. Stefanos has the most developed game out of the Next Gen, but he should still not be able to stop the Fed Express here in Melbourne. Prediction- Federer 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
(2) Rafael Nadal vs. Tomas Berdych Aproximate Time- 3 PM AEDT, 11 PM EST Nadal has looked unstoppable this week so far. His forehand has been hitting some of the biggest balls of this later stage of his career, and even the serve, a traditional weak point, has been much more effective due to the reworking he did to it over the offeseason. However, Berydch will be a formidable opponent as well. He has made a roaring return to the Tour after being out with a back ailment for the latter part of 2018, but he has been hitting well from both wings, especially his backhand. Although this will be a good match to end the day session, Rafa should stay on track to meet Fed in the semis. Prediction- Nadal, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Come back tomorrow for a packed day of coverage, with wrap ups of the Coffee Bowl Junior G1, Koblenz Challenger, and a Day 7 Review!
Djokovic showed too much consistency for the youngster today,
with Shapo committing a large number of unforced errors throughout the match.
Djokovic got a bit frustrated in the third set, and his level dropped dramatically
to give the Canadian the set but returned to form to bagel the decider.
Djokovic’s level will need to come up soon, as none of his first three matches
have given us any indication of him being able to win a Grand Slam.
He faces Medvedev Monday.
(28) Pouille d. (WC) Popyrin
7-6(3), 6-3, 6-7(10), 4-6, 6-3
This was a very fun match to watch, especially as a neutral.
For the first couple of sets, Pouille made sure to finish points well, however
almost blew the match, especially after having match points in the third set
breaker. Popyrin should go home with a lot of encouraging positives, with his
ball striking getting very clean, especially with one of the shots of the tournament
with the smash winner off of a smash. However, he really did almost come back,
which he is going to be disappointed in not doing so.
Pouille plays Coric Monday.
Popyrin’s shot of the day above.
(23) Carreno Busta d. (12) Fognini
6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
This was a let down from Fognini, as he had been looking pretty
in form through the first two rounds. Carreno Busta got a lot of unforced errors
to get to the first two sets, however he gave up the break at love at 1-2 in the
third to throw away the third set. However, Fognini returned to his normal, error
prone ways for the fourth set after throwing away a 3-0 lead in the set, and Carreno
Busta cruised to a second fourth round in a row by breaking at love.
He plays Nishikori next.
(4) Zverev d. (WC) Bolt
6-3, 6-3, 6-2
Bolt finally met his match, as Zverev got a good respite in
the third round to cruise on to the second week, a rarity for him. Bolt’s lefty
forehand was completely absorbed by the Zverev backhand which did not let him
hit the winners he needed to to get the win over the German.
Shapo has a lot of flair and is developing some real top level weapons, but Djokovic should have enough in the tank to put the youngster away.
Prediction-
Djokovic 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
(4) Zverev vs. (WC) Bolt
Bolt has played well, but this quality will be a step up, and so will the occasion. Zverev should make quick work of him here.
Prediction-
Zverev, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2
(15) Medvedev vs. (21) Goffin
Medvedev has big weapons that suit Australia very well. Goffin, however does not. The Russian should be able to push through the defensive play of Goffin into the Round of 16.
This played out almost exactly as expected. Federer, getting
a extra advantage with the roof being closed on RLA, completely dictated play
throughout the first and most of the second set. Multiple errors early from Fritz
gave Fed two breaks, which he coasted on all the way to 4-4, where at deuce,
Federer, under pressure in his service game was able to outlast Fritz in a 25-shot
rally, then break him at 5-5 to take the second set. The third set was about
the same as the first, the baseliner in Fritz not able to handle the changes of
pace and spin Federer added in. Fritz’s day will come, but today was not that
day.
Federer plays Tsitsipas tomorrow.
(6) Cilic d. (26) Verdasco
4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(8), 6-3
Ohhh Fernando
Fernando Fernando. Why do you do this time and time again?? Obviously the
disaster of a third set did not help him, but after getting Cilic to miss a
backhand into the net for a mini break and a match point at 8-7, he double
faulted. His look tells it all.
From there, Cilic took the fourth set and rode the wave of momentum
to the win. Truly disappointing from Verdasco, a match he really should have
won. His level of play was very high in the first couple of sets, especially
serving well with 27 aces during the match (how ironic).
Cilic gets RBA tomorrow.
(2) Nadal d. (28) De Minaur
6-1, 6-2, 6-4
The predictions were a bit off with this one, to say the
least. The lack of a weapon that was discussed in the prediction was really
exposed against Rafa today. Rafa’s forehand was on fire from the start, with De
Minaur having to expend lots of energy very early to win a couple points. Nadal’s
ability to keep DeMin’s serve in play helped him as well, making sure Alex had
to play very hard from the start. Good performance from the Spaniard.
Nadal plays Berdych on Sunday.
(14) Tsitsipas d. (19) Bashilasvili
6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4
Lots of great ballstriking on tap for this match, one which
was very fun to watch. Niko is one of the most underrated ballstrikers on tour,
especially when he gets into a groove during a rally. After splitting sets,
Tsitsipas thought he had won the third when a confusing let was called on his ace
to finish the set, allowing Bashilasvili to break and get to 5-5 in the set.
However, Tsitsipas showed great fortitude to hold on into the breaker and
clinched the set on a nice dropper and then lob. Bashilasvili seemed to be
about out of gas by then, needing a trainer and going pretty quietly into the
night.
Tsitsipas plays Federer next round.
(22) Bautista Agut d. (10) Khachanov
6-4, 7-5, 6-4
RBA gets a straight sets win! Khachanov looked sluggish and tired
at times during this match, and RBA took full opportunity to get to the fourth round,
a rarity for him. The Spaniard was dictating play for most of the match,
especially with his backhand.
RBA plays Cilic next round.
Berdych d. (18) Schwartzman
5-7, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Tiafoe d. Seppi
6-7(3), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
(20) Dimitrov d. Fabbiano
7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4
Check back soon for a Day 6 Preview, and continued coverage of the tennis world!
While the Australian Open has been captivating much of the tennis world over the past week, there has still been some minor league tennis going on in Koblenz, Germany for the 80 point challenger. Taking a look at the quarterfinalists, we see a young Swede who has started the year very well, and a lot of unseeded players.
The site of the 2019 Koblenz Open, held indoors.
Quarterfinalists-
(14) Tallon Griekspoor (NED) vs Kaichi Uchida (JPN)
(3) Alexey Vatutin (RUS) vs Gianluca Mager (ITA)
Carlos Taberner (ESP) vs Pavel Kotov (RUS)
(7) Mikael Ymer (SWE) vs Ruben Ortega-Olmedo (ESP)
Prediction-
Even though Ymer has fought through two tough matches (d. Piros, d. Safullin), he should still have enough in the tank, combined with his wonderful form and the fast hard courts of Koblenz, to win his half. While the other half will most likely come down to Griekspoor or Vatutin, Ymer should go home with his second title of the year.
Score Prediction- Ymer d. Vatutin (6-1, 4-6, 6-3)
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(3) Roger Federer vs Taylor Fritz Aproximately 1 PM AEDT, 9 PM EST Fritz has played well so far, chalking up wins against a hot Cameron Norrie and the ever-present Gael Monfils. However, this one may be a little too much for the young guy, with Federer and Rod Laver Arena looming. Fritz can boher Federer with his powerful groundstrokes, but he is prone to occasional lapses which can allow Federer to narrowly take each set. It should be a fun display of shot making, but it shouldn’t take too long. Prediction- Federer 6-3, 7-6, 7-6(2) Rafael Nadal vs (28) Alex de Minaur 7 PM AEDT, 3 AM EST This is the blockbuster clash of today, with the level of play possibly being better than yesterday’s marquee match between Wawrinka and Raonic. Nadal has been striking the ball very well, and his new service motion has contributed to a little more power which is getting him free points. However, such “free” points will be hard to come by when playing “the Demon”. His hustle and athelticism are matched by very few on the tour, which will make Nadal work for many more points. However, Alex doesn’t really have a winning shot that he can go to, like Nadals forehand, so it will be hard for him to get three sets, even in front of the Australian crowd. Prediction- Nadal, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4
(10) Karen Khachanov vs (22) Roberto Bautista Agut Approximate Time- 2 PM AEDT, 10 PM EST RBA has played two very tough opponents this week in Murray and Millman, however there have been a few things that seem to suggest an exit today. First, the sheer length of both matches, with them clocking in at about 4 hours a piece. Secondly, the drop off in RBA’s game after going two sets up has been worrying. He has remedied those things in the fifth sets by taking control of the match and stepping up to hit his groundstrokes, but Khachanov doesn’t allow players to get to the baseline because of his sheer power off both wings. Khachanov will get going early and hardly have a blip in this one. Prediction- Khachanov 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 6-2
Come back tomorrow for a round up of all the matches, and looking ahead to the weekend in Melbourne!
In a very tight match, Milos Raonic stepped up in the tiebreaks to win today in 4 sets. Wawrinka hit a crisp backhand winner to get the mini break, and cruised from there in the first set tiebreak, but his game fell off into the last three sets. Mistakes were made by Stan at crucial junctures in the match, like the unforced error at 11-11 in the third set tiebreak that set up a set point for Raonic. Of course, don’t look away from the fact that Raonic played outstandingly, hitting 39 aces and 84% of his service points, and getting to the net consistently to win points. Raonic plays Herbert tomorrow.
Nishikori d. Karlovic
6-3, 7-6(8), 5-7, 5-7, 7-6(10-7)
A very odd match, one Nishikori almost blew, however he recovered well in the fifth set to grab the win. Kei was cruising after winning the first two sets, however at 5-5 in both the third and fourth sets, Dr. Ivo was able to break at love both times, then proceed to serve out the sets. It looked like he would do it thrice at 4-4 in the fifth, but Nishikori got Karlovic to miss 3 balls to get to deuce, then take the game, and match in the tiebreak. Nishikori has Joao Sousa next up.
Zverev d. Chardy
7-6(6), 6-4, 5-7, 6-7(6), 6-1
Zverev looked very sharp, and ready to demolish Chardy and go home. Slapping serves and groudstroke winners, including a huge backhand on set point in the first. However, the Frenchman had no such desire to go quietly, and fought back at 6-5 to get some Zverev misses, including a strange double and a couple of forehand shanks to grab the third. Chardy came with huge grounstrokes in the 4th set tiebreak, getting Zverev to miss three times for the set, however in the fifth, Zverev decided it was time to go home. Reeling off breaks left and right, he pulled away to a 6-1 win. He plays wild card Alex Bolt next.
Djokovic d. Tsonga
6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Fairly routine performance from Djokovic, still looking to round into form. However, Tsonga wasn’t really going to win on this night. Djokovic plays Shapovalov next.
Popyrin d. Thiem
7-5, 6-4, 2-0 ret.
Thiem looked gassed from his match against Paire, however Popyrin played very well. Lots of good ground strokes from the youngster, who took advantage of a couple error prone Thiem service games to get in the lead. Popyrin plays Pouille next.
(11) Jiri Lehecka took home the Boys Title in the Traralgon G1 this week
A star-studded field in Traralgon, including 2018 Junior US Open Finalist Lorenzo Musetti and Orange Bowl Champ Otto Virtanen was blown apart by the third round, clearing the way for Jiri Lehecka (CZE) to win his first Junior title in 6 months, over Zane Khan (USA) in the final. Both players were blessed to have the draws open up for them, Khan with the losses of Musetti and Virtanen, while Lehecka was helped by not having any seeded matchups til a quarterfinal matchup with #4 seed Rinky Hijikata. However, Lehecka showed he was the better player with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 win over Khan, while his compatriot Tomas Berdych took a commanding win over Robin Haase in Melbourne.
(7) Dominic Thiem vs (WC) Alexei Popyrin Not Before 2 AM EST, 6 PM AEDT Thiem has gone through what feels like two matches in one rounds in his five set thriller vs. Benoit Paire on Tuesday night. One may worry about his physical condition with the oppressive heat and humidity bearing down on him, but he will have another chance to play an evening match against the youngster Popyrin. Popyrin gave a thorough hiding to Mischa Zverev in the first round, pounding 16 aces and an UNREAL 60-13 winner to unforced error ratio. Popyrin has the talent to beat Thiem, but Thiem has the GS experience, and the more consistent game to dodge the plucky youngster’s bullet. Prediction- Thiem, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
(1) Novak Djokovic vs (WC) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Aproximate Time- 4:35 AM EST, 8:35 AEDT The nightcap on RLA tonight will recreate a past final, one from 2008, where these players were in similar positions. Djokovic as the world #1, and Tsonga as an unseeded player, this time being ranked 35 spots lower, at 73 in the world. Tsonga battled well past Martin Klizan in straight sets, using his trademark serve and forehand to win his points. However, Djokovic has been too good for almost everyone (we see you Karen Khachanov!) since August of last year. The Djoker will ride the wave of his game over Tsonga in a delightful spectacle for the Melbourne crowd, but don’t be surprised if this one goes the distance. Prediction- Djokovic 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6Stan Wawrinka vs (16) Milos Raonic Approximate Time- 830 PM EST, 1230 PM AEDT This. This is the match, that if you’re trying to get to bed at a fairly reasonable hour, that you should watch if you’re in the United States. Wawrinka, the former Grand Slam champion, has been getting into his rhythm lately, only losing in Doha to the eventual champion, the on-fire Roberto Bautista Agut. He only had to play one set against Gulbis on Tuesday, but was hitting his backhands cleanly enough, and winning points off of his first strike tennis. Raonic put in a very good performance as well, taking out King Kyrgios in straights in a hugely partisan crowd. His serves are firing well, and he even is moving well now, the back seems to be hurting him much much less. This should be an absolute stunner, one without a clear favorite.
Prediction- Raonic- 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4
As will be per usual, keep checking back every day for updates on not just the Grand Slams, but all ATP, Challenger, and certain ITF World Tennis Tour events!
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