Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand and Jared Pine of the Second Serb preview and pick the four best men’s singles matches on Thursday at the Australian Open. Lleyton Hewitt continues his farewell tournament against David Ferrer.
(8) David Ferrer vs. (WC) Lleyton Hewitt
Ricky: Logic would suggest that this will be beatdown city in Ferrer’s favor. Fate would suggest that this will be a five-set marathon in Hewitt’s favor. So let’s roll with something in between–a five-set marathon, but in Ferrer’s favor. Hewitt actually played pretty well to begin the last tournament of his career, even though fellow Aussie James Duckworth was outmatched both mentally and physically under the tough circumstances. Ferrer, meanwhile, has been less than impressive so far in 2015. Both the fans and Hewitt himself could will this into a fifth set, but Ferrer will ultimately be too strong in all departments of the game. Alas, a fitting end to the 34-year-old’s illustrious career. Ferrer in 4; 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-2.
Jared: This will likely be the final singles match of an incredible career for Hewitt, who was a two-time year-end No. 1 and won two Grand Slam titles. The Australian had an amazing start to his career before injuries kept him out of the top 10 for the second half. Still, Hewitt is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Ferrer shook off a slow start to 2016 in the first round of the Australian Open. Hewitt might make it interesting at times, but Ferrer is clearly the better player at this point in their careers. Ferrer in 4.
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(25) Jack Sock vs. Lukas Rosol
Ricky: Sock was on top of the world earlier this month, playing great tennis while watching his Kansas City Chiefs win 10 games in a row en route to the second round of the NFL playoffs. Then his favorite restaurant–Chipotle–announced it is in need of a food-safety meeting, and things have gone downhill ever since for Sock. Call it a curse? He retired due to illness in the Auckland final, the Chiefs lost, and he endured a bizarre five-setter against fellow American Taylor Fritz on Tuesday in which he sprained an ankle, tanked the third set, and had the fans vocally behind the underdog. At the same time, Rosol for some reason needed five to get past Taro Daniel. Sock may wilt if this goes more than three, but he should have just enough to finish the job against an inferior opponent. Sock in 3; 7-5, 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
Jared: This will be the first meeting for these two. Sock is coming off a long five-set victory over fellow American Fritz. The test for Sock will be his ability to bounce back. Rosol is winning just 17 percent of his return games so far in 2016 and in his career is winning less than 20 percent. With Sock’s serve and forehand combination, he will be tough to break. If Sock is set to go physically, he has the better game and should win this one comfortably. Sock in 4.
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(Q) Tim Smyczek vs. (21) Viktor Troicki
Ricky: Nobody has been more of a warrior this season than Troicki, who is still making up for lost time since being suspended for parts of 2013 and 2014. After losing to Grigor Dimitrov in a tense three-setter in Brisbane, Troicki outlasted the Bulgarian in an epic Sydney final that required a third-set tiebreaker to be decided. Three days later, the Serb came back from two sets down to beat Daniel Munoz De La Nava. That is not necessarily an impressive win in terms of the opponent, but it is for Troicki–especially given that he is the one who is usually blowing the two-set leads. Smyczek will be tough, but the discrepancy in firepower will be too much for the American qualifier to overcome. Troicki in 4; 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.
Jared: Troicki is ranked more than 80 spots higher than his opponent and is riding a six-match winning streak into the second round of the Australian Open. Smyczek has the more reliable groundstrokes, but it will be a big test for the American to defend the Serb’s firepower. Still, it was last year in the second round that Smyczek nearly upset Rafael Nadal. He has to like his chances a little better against Troicki than he did against Nadal last year. However, Troicki is the clear favorite. Troicki in 3.
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Fernando Verdasco vs. Dudi Sela
Ricky: Tennis has a long and well-documented history of seeing players flounder in the matches immediately following monumental wins. Someone of Verdasco’s fragile mentality is especially susceptible to such a letdown. The underdog swung for the fences and found his mark more often than not in a first-round, five-set stunner over Rafael Nadal. But Sela was impressive in his own right, disposing of Benjamin Becker in an extremely routine four sets. Verdasco won’t be able to tee off on Sela’s one-handed backhand like he did on just about everything Nadal threw at him. The Spaniard is 2-0 with two easy wins in the head-to-head series, but these veterans have not faced each other since 2010. Verdasco will Verdasco. Sela 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(6).
Jared: One of the most difficult feats in tennis is to defeat Nadal, but the most difficult one is to win the match after defeating Nadal. Both of the last two times Verdasco did that, he lost the next match in straight sets–winning a total of just nine games in those two matches. This is the perfect opportunity for Sela to third round of a grand slam for just the fourth time in his career after doing it at this event last year as well. Sela in 4.
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who ya got?
Definitely Sela…Verdasco is toast…may not even steal a set…
I have Sock wining with all of my heart…can’t stand Rosol!
Sorry Hewitt! You have hit the wall here. Two similar ball bashing baseline players will tend to kill each other on court but Ferry just love playing that way and will enjoy it. Hewitt may get a set though…
I vote for Troicki in 4…
Definitely Sela? So why is Verdasco 4-1 favourite?
Because it’s Sela.
LOL…
Ferrer will destroy Hewitt. It is the worst possible match up for Hewitt at this stage as he is a poor mans Ferrer. Similar to Hewitt, Ferrer gets every ball back but he will have too much firepower and will out-Hewitt Hewitt.
After 24 hours to process I’ve change me mind from Sela in 5 to:
Verdasco in 4
Shirley, Ferrer will win. in 3
Sock in 3
Troicki in 4 or 3
Can see all matches going 3, 4, or 5. Too hard for me to pick # sets many times.
Nando in four, Rusty in five, J-Sizzle in four, and Viktor in four. CMON RUSTY!! And also please don’t totally suck Fernando!! I’m gonna trust him to play well again but chances are Sela takes him out.
Fernando will totally suck (like he did against Rafa).
#MO
Verdasco beats Rafa and we are to believe that the game has passed him by but now Sela predicted to beat Verdasco.
Oh, my, the game doth move fast.
Fernando ain’t great but Sela’s a softy.
Nando in four is the call.
🙂
Ferru in str8s over a rusty Rusty.
TBH, I more enjoy WTA right now…the excitement is always there and when you least expect it 🙂 It was Rafa’s job to provide for excitement and unexpected outcomes (unfortunately!) and now that he is gone the rest of the field is just going to be boring…except for my dear little boy Nick! I have all of my hopes with him…you never know what he may be up to! 🙂
BTW, Nishi looks good out there…he may bring some excitement if he doesn’t decompose at some point…
and even if I have time I refuse to watch Ferry vs Hewitt…gosh, last thing I want to do is waste my time watching endless rallies..
natashao2013 (AT 3:27 PM),
—I refuse to watch Ferry vs Hewitt…gosh, last thing I want to do is waste my time watching endless rallies..—
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That’s the reason I like to watch Ferrer.
augusta08,
guess we like different type of tennis…nothing wrong with that, though…I don’t like big hitters too…but I just prefer shorter rallies and one player outwitting the other…it’s different on clay though…I like them running and hitting winners from all over the place…on HCs, not really… it seems just too boring to watch… 🙂
natashao2013 (AT 3:52 PM),
I guess you like to watch football/soccer penalty shootouts. 🙂
exactly, nats. It’s all about balance.
Not many like ace fests on one hand or endless rallies on the other hand.
nats, it’s like a metronome. Helps if you are trying to fall asleep. 🙂
yep… 🙂
natashao2013 (AT 3:27 PM)
—my dear little boy Nick!—
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I don’t know who you are talking about. Is it him:
RT Michal Samulski: “A fine of $3000 for Nick Kyrgios for his audible obscenities during his first round match (against Pablo Carreno Busta).”
c’mon augusta…I know but he is still young…cut him some slack…try to forgive him his childish behavior (or inadequate upbringing to that matter)…it’s not solely his fault…he will change I am sure…he is still growing up…
did you watch Nick play? he is pure talent…he is complete package…the jewel of tennis 🙂
Well said, Natashao.
He’s made improvements since Kokk/Vekic/Wawagate last summer. He’s a natural performer – many have talent, (thinking about BelLucci), but they are handcuffed by an inablity to perform in big matches. Nick is the opposite of a Bellucci. My problem with Nick will be avoiding the fan trap, I imagine. He’s easy to like – if you watch his tennis and put aside the sub plots.
natashao2013 (AT 7:25 PMI
—did you watch Nick play?–
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To paraphrase you, last thing I want to do is waste my time watching him… 🙂
you don’t know what you are missing… 🙂
rc/nats, I don’t wanna like him.
But I like him.
His tennis is irresistible.
He has an original style all his own and such natural raw talent.
But the maturity excuse is starting to grow old and he needs to mature real soon or it won’t happen for him.
Sorry hawkeye, do you feel the same about Rafa’s tennis when he first burst into the scene?
Even more so obviously except I liked him from the start.
Kyrgios will never come close to Rafa on any scale.
I doubt he’s the jewel. If he has bad upbringing, I dont see he changing, at least not that easily, if not this world wont be filled with so many bad people.
Watch Monfils, he’s wasted talent, prefers showboating more than anything else. Hes the no.1 junior champ but did nothing after that.
Kygrios may have the ambition but does he have the discipline to put in the hard work to be the best? Talent alone is not enough, as the big four have shown us with their hard working attitude.
That’s what I said about his maturity or lack thereof.
@ lucky, 9:22 am,
nobody said Nick will be anything close to Rafa…Rafa is unique and even comparing these two makes no sense. And why even bring Rafa in this discussion?
Whether you like Nick or not (obviously not!) you must admit that tennis-vise he is very good to begin with. His serve and his FHs are extremely good. However, if he does not work hard and he succumbs to his ‘spoiled brat behavior’ he may never realize his potential and we all know that.
But to discount him as a tennis player based on his behavior just does not sound right to me. He may as well surprise you and prove you wrong…
Fed used to use him as his practice partner. Nick must have something good in himself if Maestro found it worth practicing with him, don’t you think?
natashao2013 (AT 1:33 PM),
—Fed used to use him as his practice partner. Nick must have something good in himself if Maestro found it worth practicing with him—
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So-called-maestro was happy about AeRosol too…
Nats, I was asking hawkeye a question about how he feels about Rafa (and his talent), what’s wrong with that?
…and when did I compare Nick to Rafa? I said if he wants to be the best, he has to put in the hard work the way the big four do. Please read again!
Nats, what are you talking about?? Im offended with your comment at 1.33PM.
Whether I like Nick or not its none of your bussiness. I’ve doubt about him and that’s my opinion. Your definition of a ‘jewel’ may not be the same as mine so please dont force feed anything to me. In any case, I didnt say he’s not a talent.
@ lucky 1:47 pm,
“I doubt he’s the jewel. If he has bad upbringing, I dont see he changing, at least not that easily, if not this world wont be filled with so many bad people”
I probably misunderstood this sentence…I deeply apologize if I offended you in any way. It was not my intention and I take back anything that you may have considered insulting (although TBH I am not sure what). I thought you were making comparisons to Rafa but if you were not, my bad. Sorry.
anyway, Nick is not worth arguing, believe me…
1) I asked Hawkeye about how he feels about Rafa when Rafa first burst into the scene. I asked out of curiosity, not comparing Rafa to Nick. Why must you interfere as if I’ve to seek your permission before mentioning anything about Rafa?
2) I’ve no doubt about Kygrios’ talent but I’ve doubt about his attitude. To me, a jewel of tennis encompasses more than just talent, but also good attitude plus good behavior. The big four have set high standards where attitude and behaviour are concerned. Rafa, Novak and Murray have never behaved like spoilt kids or shown disrespect to fellow colleagues the way Kygrios did to Stan, even when they were young.
3) you jumped into conclusion that I dont like Kygrios so my comments about him are always negative. Whether I like him or not, I can judge for myself how good his tennis is; his tennis skills and his attitude are two different issues. You’re hinting that I’m biased against him which I’m not.
I can safely say that he’s of slam winning material but whether he will be the best among his peers, ie the no.1 or the dominant player or not that depends on his attitude and determination.
I like rallies but not endless rallies. I really dont like tennis that ends in short points. Watching the Stan/Stepenak match, the points are so short it gets boring.
Stepanek’s S&V game more suitable for grass court tennis; I like Stan vs the counterpuncher types of players, or hard hitters.
I like watching Rafa’s matches (when he’s playing well of course) and Fed’s matches. To me, they bring out the magic in tennis with their genius and skills, and Rafa comes with passion and emotions too.
Stan/Stepanek more watchable now with some good rallies and Stepanek outfoxing Stan in the third set to draw level the set at 3-3, after losing the first two sets. This kind of tennis is nice, certainly more watchable then short points tennis.
Neither extreme is fun to watch. That’s why fedal is da best!
^^ that!
@ lucky, 2:44 pm,
1) hawkeye commented: “Kyrgios will never come close to Rafa on any scale” and I referred to that as making comparisons…my wrong! How could I know if you were just curios or were making comparisons? sorry..
2) I agree
3) I never said that! read again…
“I can safely say that he’s of slam winning material but whether he will be the best among his peers, ie the no.1 or the dominant player or not that depends on his attitude and determination” -that’s what I was saying…read again…and relax please…
cheers..
2)
Ferrer in 3
Troicki in 4
Sock in 4
Verdasco in 4
Ferrer in 4
Troicki in 4
Sock in 4-depends still on how he’s feeling and his ankle
Verdasco in 4-I think he will have enough to win
depends of anyone is on the list of tennis match fixers
what does
@ FBI (love your moniker!)
you might as well be right…
I am going with Sela in 4 sets. I don’t think Verdasco will have enough left after the five setter with Rafa.
Ferrer in 4 sets over Hewitt.
Sock in 4 sets over Rosol.
Troicki in 4 sets over Smyczek.
Fer was trained by Reyes. I don’t think he will be tired. Fer fer the win.
Rosol over Sock who is not fit. Smeech for the upset(somewhat sentimental pick). Lleyton to lose despite my sentiments
Nando off to good start maybe he’ll follow things up. Would love to see a fourth round match between him and monfils.
Nando goes out. Completely different guy today (not really a surprise), but Sela also played relatively well. Nando’s unforced errors killed him and Sela was able to do enough with his serve to pull it out
Verdasco sent packing…this one was so easy to predict!
NID
Nando is out. So stupid. And Rosol won. Even worse…
Benny G, your comment I like! So funny, ha ha!
You’re a legend Rusty. CMON!! Sad to see he bowed out to ferrer but he had an amazing career so he obviously deserves this well earned retirement. Good luck to Lleyton with his family and coaching the Davis Cup team. #legend
Watched the Hewitt Ferrer match on catch up. Truth be told, it was not a particularly exciting match but Rusty delivered his trademark ‘going for broke’ brand of tennis. Nevertheless it was compulsive viewing watching him play his final match and had the crowd in raptures in spite of the NID outcome.
I hope to catch the replay of the Ferrer/Hewitt match today. I couldn’t stay up all night to see everything. But thank goodness, the tennis channel is replaying them today.
I picked Ferrer to win, but thought that Hewitt would go out giving it his all.
I’m wondering what happened to Sock. Maybe never had time to properly recover from that virus and just faded. Rosol 76 76 63. Thought/hoped it would be the other way around.