Australian Open R1 previews and predictions: Hurkacz vs. Griekspoor, De Minaur vs. Van de Zandschulp

First-round action at the Australian Open wraps up on Tuesday, when Alex de Minaur takes the court in front of the home crowd against Botic van de Zandschulp. Hubert Hurkacz faces familiar foe Tallon Griekspoor.

(18) Hubert Hurkacz vs. Tallon Griekspoor

To say that the head-to-head series between Hurkacz and Griekspoor has been competitive would be a gross understatement. They have split their four previous meetings, with every single one requiring a final set–including a decisive tiebreaker on two occasions. Their most recent encounter came last February on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam, where Griekspoor prevailed 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(4). The Dutchman defeated Hurkacz 10-8 in a third-set ‘breaker on the grass of Halle in 2023. Their lone Grand Slam showdown has come at the French Open two years ago, when Hurkacz got the job done 6-3, 5-7, 6-7(13), 7-6(5), 6-4.

They will face each other again in round one of the Australian Open on Tuesday. Needless to say, it should be another entertaining affair. Griekspoor comes in at No. 40 in the world, but he really played better than that in 2024–winning 33 matches on the main tour. Hurakcz opened this season by leading Poland to the United Cup final, where he lost a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) thriller against Taylor Fritz of the United States. Anything less than a five-set epic would be a disappointment, but an edge goes to the world No. 17 given his booming serve that he can rely on in the pressure moments and his superior history at Grand Slams.

Pick: Hurkacz in 5

Botic van de Zandschulp vs. (8) Alex de Minaur

De Minaur is the host nation’s best hope to make a deep run at Melbourne Park. The eighth-ranked Aussie was stopped in the fourth round each of the last three years–once by Jannik Sinner, then by Novak Djokovic, and most recently in a five-setter against Andrey Rublev. It takes a lot to beat De Minaur Down Under, and 2025 promises to be no exception. The 25-year-old is coming off the best season of his career in which he compiled a 47-21 record and earned a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals.

Up first for De Minaur is a second contest against Van de Zandschulp, whom he defeated 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 at the Davis Cup Finals in 2022. Van de Zandschulp cannot be entirely discounted; after all, he shocked Carlos Alcaraz in the U.S. Open second round this past summer. Of course, that kind of result is rare–once in a lifetime, most likely. The 84th-ranked Dutchman otherwise struggled in 2024, to the extent that he contemplated retirement following the French Open. Count on De Minaur taking care of business, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Pick: De Minaur in 3