By Matthew Marolf
Wednesday’s schedule features names like Federer, Nadal, Sharapova, Kerber, and Wozniacki.
With those big names all heavy favorites in their second round matches, this preview will dig deeper into what look to be Day 3’s more competitive matchups. They include some exciting youngsters, as well as a few veterans exceling late in their careers. To the relief of players and fans alike, Wednesday is forecasted to be much cooler than the first two days of the fortnight in Melbourne.
Kevin Anderson (5) vs. Frances Tiafoe
Anderson is one of the hottest players on tour, and continues to build upon the momentum of the last two seasons. The 32-year-old South African ended 2018 by advancing to the semi-finals in his ATP Finals debut, and started 2019 by winning the title in Pune. With a strong showing in Melbourne, he could make his debut inside the top four. He took out a tricky first round opponent in Adrian Mannarino in four sets on Monday. He has another tricky draw here in the 20-year-old up-and-coming American. Last year saw Tiafoe win his first ATP title at Delray Beach, upset Kyle Edmund and Tomas Berdych in Miami, and advance to the final in Estoril. Frances is an explosive shot maker with great speed around the court. These players met three times last year, all on hard courts. Anderson won each match, though Tiafoe twice pushed him to a final set. Anderson should prevail here as well, but Tiafoe could easily complicate matters if he plays well and keeps his unforced error count relatively low.
Anett Kontaveit (20) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
2018 was a breakthrough year for Kontaveit, who is now ranked inside the top 20. Her season was highlighted by upsetting Jelena Ostapenko at this tournament a year ago, taking out Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the semifinals in Rome, defeating Petra Kvitova at Roland Garros, and making the final in Wuhan. Kontaveit again upset Kvitova to start off her 2019 season in Brisbane. Sasnovich also impressed last season, and is the highest-ranked player to not be seeded at this tournament. She was a finalist a year ago in Brisbane, and upset Kvitova at Wimbledon. And 2019 has gotten off to a strong start for Sasnovich. She upset Top-Seeded Elina Svitolina in Brisbane, and came through qualifying in Sydney to reach the semifinals. Both Kontaveit and Sasnovich won their first round matches rather easily. Kontaveit holds a slight 4-3 edge in their head-to-head. They played three times last year, with Sasnovich taking both of their 2018 hard court meetings. In what could easily be a prolonged, three-set battle, Sasnovich should be slightly favored based on her recent hard court success over Kontaveit.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (14) vs. Viktor Troicki
Tsitsipas was a revelation on the ATP tour in 2018. He advanced to the finals in Barcelona and Toronto, losing to Rafael Nadal on both occasions. The 20-year-old went on to win his first ATP title in Stockholm, and then also took the trophy at the second annual ATP Next Gen Finals. Troicki was ranked as high as 12th in the world back in 2011, but is now all way down at No.200, as he’s battled injuries over the last several years. The 32-year-old veteran is still a dangerous opponent, as evidenced by getting his seventh-straight five set match win in Monday’s first round. Viktor can be a dogged, yet emotional competitor. If he has anything left after come through qualifying and winning a five-setter, he could make things interesting for the young 14th seed. Tsitsipas though has enough game to where he should pull through in his first career meeting against Troicki.
Lesia Tsurenko (24) vs. Amanda Anisimova
Tsurenko has been experiencing a late-career surge. The 29-year-old advanced to her first Major quarterfinal at last year’s US Open, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the process. And just two weeks ago in Brisbane, she upset Naomi Osaka on her way to the final, where she was up a set and a break before succumbing to Karolina Pliskova. On the other side of the spectrum, Anisimova is a 17-year-old who has already made a strong impression on the tour. The American upset Petra Kvitova at Indian Wells last March, and advanced through qualifying all the way to the final in Hiroshima in September. She has a big game, and some have already tipped her as a future Major champion. Jon Wertheim recently even suggested she could be the next teenager to win a Major. Is Anisimova ready to upset a seed at a Major? She has the fire power to do so, but I still favor the more experienced and in-form Tsurenko in what should be a fascinating contest.
Roberto Bautista Agut (22) vs. John Millman
Roberto is coming off the match that captured everyone’s attention on Monday, his thrilling five-set victory over the soon-to-be-retired Andy Murray. He’ll need whatever energy he has left on Wednesday, as the crowd will again be against him as he plays the veteran Australian. Millman does not possess any big weapons, but is a tenacious competitor who will not go away easily. And he’s coming off the match of his career at the last Major, when he upset Roger Federer at the US Open. On a terribly hot and humid day in New York, Millman outlasted Federer in the near-unbearable conditions. Bautista Agut is 3-0 lifetime against Millman. They both possess similar games, with Roberto being just a bit stronger in almost every category. But if Bautista Agut is feeling less than 100% on Wednesday, Millman is the kind of opponent that can grind the last bits of energy out of him. With the crowd in Melbourne solidly behind him, a Millman upset could just happen.
Other notable matches on Day 3:
Rafael Nadal (2) vs. 31-Year-Old Australian Matthew Ebden.
Roger Federer (3) vs. British Qualifer Dan Evans.
Angelique Kerber (2) vs. 22-Year-Old Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Caroline Wozniacki (3) vs. Johanna Larsson of Sweden.
Maria Sharapova (30) vs. 23-Year-Old Rebecca Peterson.
