Australian Open Day 1 picks, including Tipsarevic vs. Hewitt and Benneteau vs. Dimitrov

Steen (Tennis East Coast): This is a marquee match between a couple of guys that really aren’t in great form, as Verdasco failed to win a match in any of his AO prep events and Goffin suffered second and first-round losses in both of his prep events, to similarly ranked opponents. In short, Verdasco may be slumping with age and Goffin may be slumping with added pressure against better competition. Verdasco at least has some positive history at AO as a former semifinalist, while the youngster Goffin is playing in his first Aussie Open main draw after a breakout 2012. That being said, the ball-striking in this match should be exemplary and both guys have the energy to keep a high level of play up for more than just three sets. Goffin 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.[polldaddy poll=6826333]

Ricky: This one, meanwhile, should be both competitive and high-quality. Dimitrov finished runner-up in Brisbane (before tanking in Sydney) and Benneteau reached the Sydney semifinals (before squandering two match points and losing to Kevin Anderson in a third-set tiebreaker). The Bulgarian leads this head-to-head series 2-0, but both matches last season went to three sets. Benneteau has far more experienced at the Grand Slam-level and a five-setter should give him more of an advantage. Dimitrov will steal the show with his flashy play, but the rock-solid Benneteau will prevail in the end.Benneteau 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Steen: You have to feel a bit sorry for Benneteau, who always seems to get a tough shake with these things. After winning enough to get himself seeded for the AO, he is going to have to face one of the most dangerous unseeded players in the draw in the form of Dimitrov, who mesmerized en route to the Brisbane final and was able to at least hold his own against Andy Murray along with showing his mettle in a third-set-tiebreaker semifinal victory. Dimitrov, like his usual comparative Bernie Tomic, has been criticized in the past for poor results, work ethic, shot selection and more, because of all his youthful talent. But like Tomic, he at least seems to be getting things together and coming into his own. Benneteau just made the semis in Sydney, but he is going to have a rough time against a better-rested Dimitrov. Dimitrov 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.
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Ricky: For USA-based tennis fans, if there has ever been a first-round AO match worth waking up for, this one is it. Night session. Rod Laver Arena. Hewitt. Tipsarevic. Nothing spells “instant classic” more accurately than that. I don’t care that Hewitt is 31 years old and in the twilight of his career, and generally I don’t care about exhibition result. But Hewitt won the Kooyong Classic and beat big names in the process. It’s not that he won the thing so much as that he stayed on his feet for three matches. Still, this is yet another rough draw for the veteran. Tipsarevic, the Chennai champion, in stellar form and his No. 8 ranking is–contrary to the opinion of many–not a fluke. Hewitt is still kicking, but of late he has lost more thrillers than he has won. Tipsarevic 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Steen: Three things now define Lleyton Hewitt: grit, determination, and age. The Aussie fighter has went through a whole lot physically and mentally just to keep himself going and ready to play in yet another AO. While nowhere near as much is expected from him anymore from the home fans, he is still a fan favorite–the Aussie version of Andy Roddick–and the home fans would love to see him get possibly one last big match win in a slam. Many thought his final AO would be last year, when he took down Roddick and Milos Raonic then played tight with Novak Djokovic and managed to take a set. This isn’t the best of news for Tipsarevic, who–in addition to holding a losing head-to-head record with the Aussie–isn’t the most consistent and will be under a lot of pressure. Still, he has a great draw ahead if he can get through this. His confidence will be helped by the fact he won Chennai and he is solid with his baseline play, to the point where Hewitt may not be able to hurt him by simply counter-punching. Plus, Tipsy can move better than the bionic veteran. Tipsarevic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

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Ricky: It’s never a good thing when you leave an Olympic Games with more temper tantrums that wins, but that’s what Harrison did after being taken care off by Giraldo in straight sets. Of course, that should not have come as a big surprise. The Colombian is a master at letting opponents self-destruct, and that wasn’t the first time Harrison has done it. Also worth noting is that Giraldo destroyed the American 6-2, 6-1 at the Sunrise Challenger. Harrison has improved greatly since that, but not enough to get over the hump. Giraldo 6-3, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Steen: Harrison doesn’t have the best of draws this time and it will be interesting to see how his focus level is for this match against the consistently consistent Giraldo, who beat him at the Olympics. Both guys could certainly use the ranking points here and Harrison would love to keep up with the rest of his age group–the likes of Dimitrov, Tomic, Goffin, Jerzy Janowicz, and others. On a hard-court surface I’ll take Harrison in five. Harrison 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Ricky: This is the second straight slam in which Almagro gets an up-and-coming American in the early rounds. The Spaniard face Jack Sock–one of Johnson’s best friends on tour–at the U.S. Open and needed four extremely competitive sets to advance. Johnson survived an epic qualifying opener and impressively went on to book a spot in the main draw. He has the game to compete to with top players, but this is too big of a step up in competition.Almagro 6-4,7-6(5), 6-3.

Steen: Johnson has to be commended for the performance he put up in qualifying, making it through three matches–including a brutal first-rounder that went to 17-15 in the third. Unfortunately for him, he gets the world No. 11, whom you would have to assume will not mess around too much in this match. A fresher Almagro has the clear edge. Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Ricky: Five years ago, if you had told me Brian Baker and Alex Bogomolov would be facing each other in the first round of the 2013 Australian Open, I would have made a face similar to that of Andy Roddick’s Twitter background. Both had completely disappeared from the tennis world due to injuries (and Bogomolov in part due to a suspension). The difference now is that Bogomolov’s re-emergence has already come and gone; Baker’s is in our midst. Baker 7-6, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Steen: A battle of the veteran comeback kids is on tap in this one. Baker, who is playing in his first ever AO main draw and will be looking to get enough points to crack the top 50 for the first time, will take on fellow crafty vet Bogomolov–who experienced a precipitous drop in the rankings and went from being seeded at last year’s AO to having to qualify. He got through it, but I doubt he can trouble his opponent considering how Baker looked against Janowicz in Auckland. Baker 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.