Australian Open R4 previews and predictions: Thiem vs. Goffin, Dimitrov vs. Istomin

Friends and familiar foes Dominic Thiem and David Goffin will meet again on Monday in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Arguably the story of the tournament, Denis Istomin, will also aim for a place in the quarterfinals.

(8) Dominic Thiem vs. (11) David Goffin

Thiem and Goffin will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Monday. Goffin is leading the head-to-head series 5-3 overall and 4-3 at the ATP level. All eight of their previous encounters have come since the start of the 2014 season and this will be their third consecutive showdown at a Grand Slam. Goffin prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 in the third round of last year’s Australian Open before Thiem won their most recent meeting 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-1 at Roland Garros.

After making a run to the French Open semis, Thiem mostly collapsed the rest of the season due to physical exhaustion. This past offseason does not seem to have cured his ailments, even though he is safely through to the fourth round this fortnight. The eighth-ranked Austrian lost early in Brisbane and Sydney, and he appeared to struggle with a shoulder issue during a four-set victory over Benoit Paire on Saturday. Goffin has made a return trip to the last 16 in Melbourne thanks to defeats of Reilly Opelka (five sets), Radek Stepanek (three), and Ivo Karlovic (three). An edge un current form goes to the 11th-ranked Belgian and Thiem’s chance won’t be helped by the fact that his shoulder is a question mark.

Pick: Goffin in 4

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(15) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Denis Istomin

A five-setter between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev garnered well-deserved headlines, but one man alone is responsible for having sent shockwaves through the 2017 Australian Open. It is fair to say that Istomin benefited from a shaky performance by Novak Djokovic, but the 117th-ranked Uzbek also produced arguably the best–and certainly the most clutch–tennis of his career in a 7-6(8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(5) third-round triumph. Istomin followed that up by going the distance again in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 defeat of Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday.

Up next for the wild card is a third career meeting with Dimitrov, who leads the head-to-head series 2-0 overall (1-0 at the ATP level). The 15th-ranked Bulgarian got the job done 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) at the 2009 Bensancon Challenger and 6-3, 6-3 at the 2014 Shanghai Masters. Dimitrov took a far less circuitous route to the last 16 than did Istomin, with mostly routine wins over Matthew O’Connell, Hyeon Chung, and Richard Gasquet. Based on both Dimitrov’s current form (he is a perfect 8-0 in 2016) and the amount of time Istomin has spent on court, this should be one-way traffic.

Pick: Dimitrov in 4

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