Novak Djokovic will continue his Australian Open campaign on Thursday with Andrey Kuznetsov on the other side of the net. Santiago Giraldo and Steve Johnson are also in second-round action.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Andrey Kuznetsov
Djokovic and Kuznetsov will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they meet in round two of the Australian Open on Thursday. The season is not off to a dominant start for Djokovic, who had looked nothing short of invincible last fall. The top-ranked Serb was stunned in the Doha quarterfinals by Ivo Karlovic and he was not in scintillating form against Aljaz Bedene in his Melbourne opener. Still, Djokovic had more than enough to ease into the last 64 with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win.
Kuznetsov is a similar opponent who plays on top of the baseline, hits clean groundstrokes, moves well, but does not possess immense firepower. The 88th-ranked Russian can be dangerous at slams, having upset Spaniards David Ferrer last summer at Wimbledon and Fernando Verdasco at the U.S. Open. Kuznetsov, though, plays with little margins; when he is on he can be lethal, but when he is off he can lose to players outside at least the top 300. His 2015 campaign got off to an unceremonious start in the form of Happy Valley Challenger quarterfinal loss to world No. 654 Andrew Harris. Against Djokovic, it will be hard for Kuznetsov to perform anywhere near his best.
Pick: Djokovic in 3 losing 8-10 games
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(30) Santiago Giraldo vs. Steve Johnson
Giraldo and Johnson will also be squaring off for the first time in their careers on Wednesday. The first round saw Giraldo score a win that had to be considered much-needed. Melbourne Park’s No. 30 seed lost his opener in six of his last eight tournaments in 2014 and the futile stretch continued with an immediate loss in Auckland to Kenny De Schepper. A favorable draw, however, helped Giraldo get off to a strong start this fortnight as he hammered Jan Hernych 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Johnson, on the other hand, enjoyed a breakout season that has him one spot off his career-high ranking at 38th in the world. The American won three matches in his first two tournaments of this year, including a run to the Auckland quarterfinals prior to a tough loss at the hands of Kevin Anderson. Johnson opened on Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 thrashing of British qualifier Kyle Edmund. The conditions and surface will suit Johnson against an opponent who has been a disaster on anything other than clay of late.
Pick: Johnson in 4
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