Novak Djokovic will begin his fortnight Down Under by going up against Chennai runner-up Aljaz Bedene on Tuesday. Gilles Simon and Robin Haase are also in first-round action at the Australian Open.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (Q) Aljaz Bedene
Djokovic’s quest to gain sole possession of second place behind Ken Rosewall on the all-time list of Australian Open title winners will begin on Tuesday. The top-ranked Serb has triumphed in Melbourne four times, including a stretch of three in a row from 2011 through 2013. He was bounced out of last year’s event in the quafterfinals after losing a five-setter to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka. Djokovic, who compiled a 17-1 record post-U.S. Open record in 2014, suffered a surprising quarterfinal setback against Ivo Karlovic in his first tournament of this season (Doha).
Bedene’s 2015 campaign is off to an outstanding start–and so is his Aussie Open. The 116th-ranked Slovenian reached his first-ever ATP final in Chennai before succumbing to Wawrinka. He then successfully qualified for the main draw over the weekend, winning six sets in succession after dropping the opener of his first match. Bedene may be brimming with confidence, but an appearance in the second round of a slam would be uncharted territory for the 25-year-old. He is 0-6 lifetime in the first round of majors.
Pick: Djokovic in 3 losing 8-10 games
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Robin Haase vs. (18) Gilles Simon
Haase and Simon will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the second time in the last three Grand Slams. Simon rolled 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-4 last summer at Wimbledon to take a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series. They had split a pair of previous indoor hard-court encounters separated by five years; Haase won 6-2, 6-4 at the 2008 Zagreb event before Simon got the job done 7-5, 7-5 two seasons ago in Marseille.
The 18th-seeded Frenchman is a proverbial wild card heading into the Aussie Open. He has dealt with recent knee and back problems, which contributed to a blowout loss to James Duckworth in Brisbane. Simon played better at the Kooyong Classic, but he is almost certainly less than 100 percent. Haase’s first two tournaments were nothing short of terrible. The 83rd-ranked Dutchman lost 6-2, 6-2 to Borna Coric in Chennai then retired from Auckland qualifying due to illness. If there is any good news for Haase, it’s that illness is way better than injury for a tennis player. Simon will have a huge edge in mental strength if this is something along the lines of a tight five-setter, but his body may not let him make it so competitive.
Pick: Haase in 4
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Reblogged this on Tennis Abides.
Simon in three.
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