Australian Open R1 previews and predictions: Griekspoor vs. Safiullin, Evans vs. Sonego

First-round action at the Australian Open wraps up with a showdown between No. 28 seed Tallon Griekspoor and Roman Safiullin on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Dan Evans is kicking off his fortnight against Lorenzo Sonego.

Roman Safiullin vs. (28) Tallon Griekspoor

Griekspoor vs. Safiullin is certainly not a marquee matchup in terms of name recognition, but it could be one of the best on the court in the Australian Open first round. Both guys produced by far the best years of their careers in 2023 and Safiullin especially does not seem to be slowing down in 2024. The 26-year-old Russian, who just barely missed out on a seed at No. 36 in the world, upset Ben Shelton en route to the Brisbane semifinals before falling to Holger Rune.

This also marks Griekspoor’s second appearance of the season. The 31st-ranked Dutchman was unable to deliver for his country at the United Cup, losing in straight sets to Norway’s Casper Ruud and Croatia’s Borna Coric. That doesn’t bode well for Griekspoor’s Melbourne chances and this is a really bad first-round draw, so he could be making an early exit on Tuesday.

Pick: Safiullin in 5

Dan Evans vs. Lorenzo Sonego

Evans and Sonego will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Tuesday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Sonego’s way; 6-3, 6-4 on the indoor hard courts of Vienna in 2020 and 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 at last year’s Miami Masters.

A change to the Grand Slam scene could benefit Evans, who has reached at least the third round of every major except on his least favorite surface at the French Open and has been to the fourth round of the two hard-court slams. Evans missed the last few weeks of 2023 with a calf injury, but he won a match in Adelaide before losing to Alexander Bublik in three sets. Sonego is just 1-3 so far in 2024, so neither man is at peak confidence these days. As long as Evans can keep it close early, he will likely be the mentally tougher player in the latter, pressure-packed stages.

Pick: Evans in 5