Semifinal action in Sydney will take place on Friday, when fellow Brits Andy Murray and Dan Evans continue their Australian Open preparation. Murray is meeting Reilly Opelka, while Evans is going up against Aslan Karatsev.
(4) Reilly Opelka vs. (WC) Andy Murray
After losing in last week’s Melbourne first round to Facundo Bagnis, Murray took a wild card into the Sydney Tennis Classic in hopes of getting some more matches under his belt prior to the Australian Open. Mission: accomplished. The three-time Grand Slam champion has posted wins over Viktor Durasovic, second seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, and David Goffin (via retirement following the first set).
Up next for Murray in Friday’s semifinals is Opelka, whom the 34-year-old Scot has never faced. But you should not need any previous head-to-head history to know that his matchup is a favorable one for Murray. He has consistently broken down relatively one-dimensional big servers throughout his illustrious career. Opelka is by no means an easy opponent for anyone, but the 6’11” American has cooled off a bit since last summer and unless he puts an incredibly high number of first servers in play his serve will likely be neutralized by Murray’s return.
Pick: Murray in 2
(1) Aslan Karatsev vs. (3) Dan Evans
Karatsev and Evans will be squaring off for the second time in their careers on Friday. Their only previous encounter came right around this time last year, when Karatsev prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in Dubai.
The 20th-ranked Russian preceded that result with a shocking semifinal run at the Aussie Open, but don’t forget that Evans also plays well Down Under. The 31-year-old Brit captured his first career ATP title last season in Melbourne. He is 5-0 so far in 2022 (3-0 at the ATP Cup) and 10-0 in total sets. Evans is simply playing too well and too consistently for Karatsev at the moment.
Pick: Evans in 2
WWW?
Andy and Dan. Who else 😉
The best tennis capper on twitter got a big play on Karatsev, so Karatsev is it.
I was a bit irritated by your Dan Evans selection and couldn’t process it. Now I know why. Karatsev could go on a tear.
Players that do well at AO tend to repeat their performances each year. Baghdatis and Safin come to mind.
So much respect for Sir Andy! Look at how well he is moving now even with a metal hip. His court craft against Opelka was mindblowing.
Watch out for Andy this year!
I would like to see Murray, Karatsev and Sinner, all do well. It’s a shame that these guys are running into each other before the due date.
Let’s hope that whoever wins goes on with it and uses it as a platform for bigger things.
Let’s hope that hope that they all use the experience for bigger things.