The entire second-round lineup in Adelaide will be played on Wednesday, when defending champion Thanasi Kokkinakis is taking the court. Kokkinakis has a tough matchup on his hands in the form of No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev.
(1) Andrey Rublev vs. (WC) Thanasi Kokkinakis
Rublev and Kokkinakis will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Adelaide International on Wednesday. This should be a fun matchup between the top seed (Rublev) and the defending champion (Kokkinakis).
But will it be competitive? The Australian faithful certainly hope that turns out to be the case. Kokkinakis is a considerable underdog given that he is ranked more than 100 spots lower than his opponent at 110th, but the 26-year-old is off to a decent 2-1 start to the season following a 6-0, 6-7(5), 7-5 first-round victory over Maxime Cressy. Rublev will be well-rested after losing right away last week and then getting a bye at this event. The sixth-ranked Russian needs to get some matches under his belt in advance of the U.S. Open and should be inspired to turn in a solid performance.
Pick: Rublev in 2
(8) Tommy Paul vs. Jack Draper
This has all the makings of the best match of the day and perhaps the best match of the tournament. Both Paul and Draper are firmly on the rise and looking to build on impressive 2022 campaigns. Paul comes in at 35th in the world and the 40th-ranked Draper has a chance to pass him with a victory on Wednesday followed by a few more later in the week.
The left-handed Brit won 19 ATP-level matches last year, having previously won two in his entire career. He kicked off his stay in Adelaide by routing Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-2, while Paul defeated Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 7-5. This could obviously go either way, but in relatively quick conditions Draper may have a slight upper hand thanks to his big serve and overall powerful game.
Pick: Draper in 3
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