Kyle Edmund will begin his defense of semifinal points when he begins his Australian Open campaign against Tomas Berdych on Monday. Another big-hitting affair features fellow American giants John Isner and Reilly Opelka.
Tomas Berdych vs. (13) Kyle Edmund
Edmund is no stranger to difficult draws in round one of the Australian Open. As an unseeded floater last season, the Brit had to face Kevin Anderson right away and scored a 6-7(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 upset to touch off an improbable semifinal run. Now, however, Edmund’s role is reversed. The 24-year-old is the seed (13th), and he is running into a dangerous unseeded opponent in Berdych. Their only previous encounter came three years ago on the hard courts of Doha, where the veteran Czech got the job done 6-3, 6-2.
Due to a back injury, Berdych missed the second half of the 2018 campaign and picked up just a single victory after mid-March. The world No. 57 returned with a vengeance earlier this month in Doha, where he made a run to the final before falling to Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets. It is actually Edmund who is now the one dealing with physical issues. He dropped his Brisbane opener to unheralded Yasutaka Uchiyama and then withdrew from Sydney citing a knee problem. Add the pressure of defending 2018 semifinal points and this is an all-around tough test for Edmund.
Pick: Berdych in 3
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Reilly Opelka vs. (9) John Isner
It will be the tallest matchup in Grand Slam history when Isner and Opelka collide on Monday. Rarely is Isner the smaller player in any match, but he registers at 6’10” while Opelka comes in at 6’11”. Other than size and country, however, that is just about where the similarities end for these two Americans. Twelve years Opelka’s senior at 33, Isner has been in and out of the top 10 over the past few seasons (currently 10th) and he made a debut appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals this past fall. His 2018 campaign included a Masters 1000 title in Miami and impressive performances at Wimbledon (semifinals) and the U.S. Open (quarters).
Opelka, who lost their only previous meeting 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2 three years ago at Isner’s favorite tournament (Atlanta), just barely earned direct entry into the Aussie Open at No. 102 in the world. He lost in the first round of Brisbane qualifying but fared better in Sydney, where he was able to play since he did not have to participate in Australian Open qualies. Opelka successfully battled into the Sydney main draw and beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas before succumbing to Alex de Minaur. This scoreline will obviously be close due to a lack of breaks, but Isner should have a clear edge given his experience–especially at the Grand Slam level.
Pick: Isner in 4
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Berdy in 4. He’s playing well again and Edmund didn’t have a great year post AO, but I’ll give him a set.
Isner in 5. He hasn’t been that good lately but he should take Opelka out in 4 or 5.
Berd in 4….Big dawg in 3.
Berdych in 4, Issy in 3.
Was never a huge fan of Berdych but glad to see him back and playing this well. Also Opelka winning didn’t surprise me much. John has done poorly during this stretch of the season the last few years, this one had upset written all over it (though I probably would have picked Isner in 4 or 5). I’m glad to see Opelka and Fritz get through like they did. Both have winnable second rounders, especially Opelka. And I was more than happy to see Mackie McDonald take down one of my least favorite players in Rublev. Mackie is probably toast vs Cilic though.