Australian Open R1 previews and predictions: Murray vs. Zverev, Isner vs. Janowicz

Andy Murray and John Isner are on a collision course for the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. They first have to get through openers on Monday against Alexander Zverev and Jerzy Janowicz, respectively.

Alexander Zverev vs. (2) Andy Murray

Murray will begin another bid for a first Australian Open title when he takes the court on Tuesday. The second-ranked Scot is a four-time runner up Down Under, having previously reached the final in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2015. He has reached at leas the quarterfinals on six consecutive occasions. Murray participated in the Hopman Cup earlier this month but has not yet played an official match in 2016.

Up next for the No. 2 seed is a first-ever meeting with Zverev. Although they have never faced each other in tournament action, they did collide at the recent Hopman Cup–where Murray scored a 6-3, 6-4 victory in Great Britain’s defeat of Germany. Zverev finished last season as the youngest player in the top 100. The 18-year-old currently registers at No. 83 in the world following a 2015 campaign in which he earned 14 of his 18 career ATP-level match victories. Zverev may be a Grand Slam contender in the future, but he is not yet ready to challenge this kind of opponent on this particular stage. Moreover, Murray has major momentum on the heels of a heroic effort to lead Great Britain to the 2015 Davis Cup title.

Pick: Murray in 3 losing 11-13 games

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Jerzy Janowicz vs. (10) John Isner

Isner and Janowicz will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. The 6’10” American is coming off a year in which he came within one set of finishing in the top 10. That would have been the case if Isner had defeated David Ferrer in the Paris quarterfinals, but he ended up losing in three. The world No. 11 kicked off his 2016 campaign in Auckland, where he beat Sam Querrey before succumbing to eventual champion Roberto Bautista Agut.

Janowicz peaked at 14th in the rankings thanks in part to a 2013 run to the Wimbledon semifinals, but he is now struggling down at No. 57. The Pole has not won a main-draw match since Vienna in late October and he has not won back-t0-back, ATP-level main-draw matches since the Cincinnati Masters last summer. Janowicz has been conspicuously absent from competition so far this season, so there is no telling what kind of tennis shape he is in at the moment. Whatever the case is with the underdog, Isner should make this one a lot less interesting than it looks on paper.

Pick: Isner in 3

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