Defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will take the court against Alexei Popyrin following a slight stutter in the first round. In-form Aussie Alex de Minaur will also be in action against Matteo Arnaldi.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Alexei Popyrin
Overwhelming tournament favorite Novak Djokovic had a surprisingly competitive first-round match against the world No. 178 qualifier Dominic Prizmic. The Serb, who won three majors in 2023, dropped the second set before he righted the ship to close out the match in four. Expect to see an improved Djokovic on Wednesday. Alexei Popyrin is a known quantity and he doesn’t have the kind of weapons that tend to bother Djokovic.
Popyrin, from Australia, had a brief warmup in Brisbane. He won his first-round match over countryman Christopher O’Connell, but he lost a heartbreaker in the second to Roman Safiullin in a third-set tiebreaker. Popyrin, who is currently ranked 43rd in the world, posted a straight-set Aussie Open first-round win over countryman Marc Polmans.
Anything other than a win for Djokovic would be a shocker. Even for the top seed to drop a set would be a surprise.
Cheryl pick: Djokovic in 3
Ricky pick: Djokovic in 3
(10) Alex de Minaur vs. Matteo Arnaldi
Alex de Minaur had a great run-up to the Australian Open. The 24 year-old played for Team Australia in the United Cup and pocketed huge wins over Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz. De Minaur dropped the first set of his first-round match against Milos Raonic, but he rebounded in the second set before the Canadian retired down 0-2 in the third.
De Minaur’s second-round opponent is the up-and-coming Matteo Arnaldi. The Italian world No. 41 played two tournaments coming into Melbourne in Brisbane and Adelaide. He had a solid quarterfinal result in Brisbane. He defeated another Aussie, Adam Walton, in the first round earlier this week.
This will be the first meeting between De Minaur and Arnaldi. With the Aussie’s form and the fact that he’ll be playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, this should go comfortably to the world No. 10.
Cheryl pick: De Minaur in 3
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