The Grandstand weighs in with its picks for the best Sunday matchups at the Australian Open
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (15) Stanislas Wawrinka
Ricky: Djokovic did not come close to losing a set in wins over Paul-Henri Mathieu and Ryan Harrison and he didn’t drop one to Radek Stepanek even though the veteran Czech played an outstanding match on Friday. Wawrinka has benefited from a nice draw, but that will change in a hurry with the No. 1 player in the world on the other side of the net. Djokovic has won 11 of their 13 prior ATP-level meetings and all signs point to the Serb making it 12 of 14. Nothing about this one suggests it will be particularly competitive. Djokovic 6-2, 7-5, 6-3.
Steen (Tennis East Coast): Novak, as expected, has been dominant and in control through three rounds and this is the most lopsided matchup of the four with Djokovic holding a 11-2 career record over the Swiss No. 2, including a straight-set win (via third-set retirement) over Wawrinka in the U.S. Open round of 16 last year. Stan has done well to make the fourth round, but I really don’t give him much shot here. Djokovic should advance in straights. Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
(4) David Ferrer vs. (16) Kei Nishikori
Ricky: Brad Gilbert called Marcos Baghdatis for the upset over Ferrer in round three. How did that work out for him? Not good…and especially not good for Baghdatis, who won a mere nine games in three sets. Now it is Darren Cahill who has put Ferrer on upset alert against Nishikori. Seriously, what is wrong with the normally-sane ESPN panel? Ferrer may have lost two of three encounters to the Japanese star, but the Spaniard is in peak form at the moment and Nishikori may not quite at 100 percent. Like Wawrinka, Nishikori’s friendly draw has come to an abrupt end. Ferrer 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-3.
Steen: “Daveed” Ferrer has looked confident and his usual determined self in his first three matches, while Nishikori has overcome worries about his knee to reach the round of 16, again with pretty confident match victories. Nishikori has won two of their three previous head-to-head meetings, including on grass at the 2012 Olympics. These guys are two of the fastest players in tennis, so it should make for some exciting baseline tennis that could go on for a good while with plenty of darting around the court. Ferrer, though, is as solid as they come and he should get through here in four sets. Ferrer 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
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(5) Tomas Berdych vs. Kevin Anderson
Ricky: I have never been one to overreact to a win over Fernando Verdasco, but Verdasco actually played good tennis this week and Anderson still got the job done. In fact, Anderson entered a different zone–an alternate universe altogether–when he overcame the Spaniard in five sets on Friday. The 6’8” South African was completely out of his mind. An in-form, bigger-hitting Berdych won’t allow Anderson to do that, but the underdog should at least come close to maintaining his current level. The Czech, meanwhile, is also on fire and losing only a matter of games. This one should deliver quality of the highest order. Berdych 6-7(5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Steen: Berdych has eased through a pretty weak early slate, while Anderson is playing well and showed tenacity to advance over Verdasco in five to reach the round of 16. These big guys met four times last year, with Berdych winning every meeting, but still I have a feeling that trend is going to change and Anderson will grab the upset simply based on current form. I’ll take the South African in five full sets. Anderson 6-7, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 8-6.
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(8) Janko Tipsarevic vs. (10) Nicolas Almagro
Ricky: Based on how this tournament has progressed, you have to like Almagro’s chances on Sunday. Tipsarevic won an intense (albeit straight-set) match against Lleyton Hewitt then survived consecutive five-set thrillers against Lukas Lacko and Julien Benneteau. Almagro had a relatively tough opener against Steve Johnson but then completely destroyed Daniel Gimeno-Traver before taking care of Jerzy Janowicz in straight sets. For me, the Spaniard has a clear edge. This won’t be as routine as Almagro’s 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory at the 2012 French Open, but it will be an Almagro victory nonetheless. Almagro 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3.
Steen: Almagro won both his second and third-round matches in straights after winning in four in the first round and has reached the fouth round in Melbourne for a third year in a row. The question is can he get farther, and I think he has a really good chance to do so against Tipsarevic, who survived Hewitt then blew a two-set lead against Lacko before taking it in the fifth. The Serb went on to have tough time with Benneteau, also in five sets. He was brilliantly quoted as saying “long matches can affect my physical condition”…and this is true. Normally, Tipsarevic might have a slight edge–but with the amount of time he has been on court, and what seems to be a bit of lose mental approach to things, I have to give the edge to Almagro here in five sets. Almagro 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
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