Australian Open Day 3 picks, including Karlovic vs. Kyrgios and Tomic vs. Kohlschreiber

The Grandstand’s Ricky Dimon and Jared Pine of the Second Serb preview and pick four of the best men’s singles matches on Wednesday at the Australian Open. Fellow Aussies Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic are back in action.

Nick Kyrgios vs. (23) Ivo Karlovic

Ricky: You don’t often see a player improve his baseline game at 35 years old. But you also don’t often see a player who is 6’11”. Karlovic does not seem to have a lost a step in his advanced age (in tennis life, of course) and even if he had, his game is not exactly predicated on movement. The world No. 27 served Ruben Bemelmans out of town in easy straight sets on Monday. Kyrgios needed five to get past Federico Delbonis. The crowd favorite did well to persevere through a back injury, but going to five with Delbonis is not encouraging. Karlovic’s improved ability to win timely points with something other than his serve could be the difference in what is sure to be at least a couple of tiebreakers. Karlovic in 4.

Jared: Karlovic has once again put together an impressive start to a season. He knocked off Novak Djokovic in Doha and nearly did the same to David Ferrer. The 6’11” Croat cruised into the Aussie Open second round with a straight-set victory over Bemelmans. On the other hand, Kyrgios lost his season-opening match to Jerzy Janowicz and struggled past Delbonis on Monday while also fighting a back issue. The good news for Kyrgios is that the points will be short. He is a great tiebreak player and will have the crowd behind him to help him summon his highest level in the big moments. This match will be determined by a few points–and Kyrgios is going to win those points. Kyrgios in 5.

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(22) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Bernard Tomic

Ricky: Kohlschreiber’s first two weeks of the season were a disaster. So to say his first-round win over Paul-Henri Mathieu was much-needed would be an understatement. Unfortunately for the German, the 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 scoreline probably says a lot less about him than it does about Mathieu. Part of Kohlschreiber’s slow start to 2015 can be attributed to none other than his Wednesday opponent. Tomic just thrashed him 6-3, 6-4 in the Sydney second round. The 22-year-old Aussie always plays his best tennis at home and he had little trouble with Tobias Kamke on Monday. There is no reason to think Kohlschreiber will turn the tide so drastically in the span of one week. Tomic in 4.

Jared: Just last week the pair met and Tomic scored a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win. The Sydney conditions are nearly identical in Melbourne, so the only difference will be that this match is best-of-5. Kohlschreiber finally got his first win of the year on Monday, but he won’t be ready to rebound from what happened in the tuneup event. Australians were on fire the first two days in Melbourne, and Tomic is going to keep that up. Tomic in 3.

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Sam Groth vs. (WC) Thanasi Kokkinakis

Ricky: Kokkinakis is coming off the win of his career, a five-set thriller against Ernests Gulbis in which the 18-year-old Aussie saved four match points. In a raucous atmosphere amidst home fans, it may have been even more emotionally draining than physically. As history shows, players rarely follow up such monumental wins with similar performances in the next round. It won’t help that Kokkinakis is denied the same adrenaline from the crowd–which will be the case since he is facing another Aussie. Groth is serving huge, as always, and playing arguably the best tennis of his career right now. Groth in 4.

Jared: Kokkinakis won what is so far the best match of 2015 to beat Gulbis in the first round, saving four match points–including one with a scorching forehand winner in the fourth set. The fans were completely behind him as he took out the No. 11 seed. However, when he takes on fellow Australian Groth, the crowd won’t be so one-sided. There is likely to to be an emotional letdown for Kokkinakis, and with his serve Groth can take the match out of his opponent’s hands. Unlike in Kokkinakis’ first round, this match will be all about what Groth is able or unable to do. Groth in 4.

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(20) David Goffin vs. Marcos Baghdatis

Ricky: Credit to Baghdatis for sticking around and building his ranking back up through the Challenger circuit. If he did not truly love the game, he would be long gone by now. Cleaning up at the lower levels helped the Cypriot climb back into the top 100 with room to spare (currently 78th) and gain direct entry into this major. Baghdatis beats people due to superior ball-striking, but he won’t be able to do that against a player like Goffin. A “plan B” will have to be employed; right now, the former world No. 8 has no such two-dimensionality. It does not help that he is coming off a five-set war against Teymuraz Gabashvili. Goffin in 4.

Jared: Goffin enters the year’s first major in great form after going on a tear in 2014 post-Wimbledon, setting the stage for a potential run to the top 10 this season. However, the Belgian couldn’t have been handed a tougher draw, landing in the same section of as Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, and Roger Federer. Before he even has to face them, though, he must get through Baghdatis–the finalist at this event in 2006. Baghdatis has been on a comeback after seeing his ranking drop as low as 155th almost a year ago. He has returned to the top 100, settling in at No. 78 prior to the Australian Open. But he isn’t back to the form he needs to slow down Goffin. Goffin in 4.

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