Australian Open second-round previews and picks: Nadal vs. Smyczek, Federer vs. Bolelli

Rafael Nadal will get the night session this time around as he goes up against Tim Smyczek on Wednesday at the Australian Open. Roger Federer is also a heavy favorite in his second-round match, with Simone Bolelli assuming the challenger role.

Tim Smyczek vs. (3) Rafael Nadal

Nadal will need bigger wins over better opponents before his return to 100 percent is confirmed (or denied), but his first-round Australian Open performance against Mikhail Youzhny was extremely encouraging. The third-ranked Spaniard, who lost his opening match of the year to Michael Berrer in Doha, destroyed Youzhny 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 50 minutes while striking 37 winners compared to only 15 unforced errors.

Up next for Nadal is a night-session date inside Rod Laver Arena with Smyczek, whom the 2009 Melbourne champion has never faced. This is already a solid result for Smyczek, who is into the Aussie Open second round for just the second time in his career and will obviously get a great experience playing in this kind of atmosphere. The 112th-ranked American earned it by qualifying for the main draw then taking care of Luke Saville 7-6(2), 7-5, 6-4. Not unlike Youzhny, Smyczek does not have the firepower necessary to give Nadal a ton of trouble and the favorite will be able to hit aggressive service returns like he did in round one.

Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games

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Simone Bolelli vs. (2) Roger Federer

Federer and Bolelli will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they meet again on Wednesday afternoon. All three of their previous encounters have gone Federer’s way and the 17-time Grand Slam champion is 8-0 in total sets against Bolelli. They most recently faced each other last season in the Davis Cup semifinals, with the underdog Italian accounting himself more impressively than he ever had against Federer. Still, the Swiss–with home-court advantage–won 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4.

Head-to-head:

Seeking his fifth Australian Open title, Federer’s fortnight got off to clean start on Monday in the form of a 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Yen-Hsun Lu. The 33-year-old remains undefeated for the season, having opened with a title in Brisbane. Bolelli is also off to a stellar start on the heels of a second-round performance in Doha and a quarterfinal showing in Sydney. The 48th-ranked Italian hammered Juan Monaco 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to maintain his fine form Down Under. Bolelli can trade one-handed backhands all day with Federer, but eventually the rest of the underdog’s game will break down.

Pick: Federer in 3 losing 11-14 games

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