And for the second consecutive round, Naomi Osaka is the recipient of a tough draw, in a former top five player.
The other woman to win the US Open within the last three years, Bianca Andreescu, also faces a difficult opponent, one who possesses an unorthodox style that can drive players crazy. And Aryna Sabalenka, who won three straight titles before arriving in Melbourne, takes on another player who has variety oozing out of her game. The men’s top seed and eight-time champion Novak Djokovic will collide with a 23-year-old American who two years ago made a thrilling run to the quarterfinals of this tournament. And Australia’s Nick Kyrgios plays a 22-year-old Frenchman who won two hard court titles last year.
Each day during this fortnight, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent matches, and note the other intriguing matchups on the schedule. Wednesday’s play will begin at 11:00am local time.
Bianca Andreescu (8) vs. Su-Wei Hsieh – 11:00am on RLA
If you’re a fan of slices and drop shots, and players with a high tennis IQ, this is the match for you. For Andreescu, it will be just her second match since October of 2019. On Monday, she looked strong in the first set against Mihaela Buzarnescu, but her level dropped in the second set, before closing the match out in three. Meantime Hsieh defeated the always-dangerous Tsvetana Pironkova in straight sets. Their only previous meeting was also down under, in 2019, when the Canadian prevailed 6-3, 6-3 in Auckland. That was the first event of Bianca’s amazing 2019 season, and a week where she also upset Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams. The deciding factor on this day could be Andreescu’s fitness. Her lack of match play, paired with the 14-day hard quarantine she just experienced, is troubling. But as we saw in 2019, bet against the will and fight of the 20-year-old at your own risk.
Aryna Sabalenka (7) vs. Daria Kasatkina – 11:00am on MCA
They also played in the second round of the last Major, with Sabalenka prevailing in straight sets. The first set was a grueling one, decided by an extended tiebreak, but Aryna then ran away with the second set 6-0. Sabalenka lost in the next round of the French, though she wouldn’t lose again in her next three events, winning three titles between October and January. Her winning streak would end last week at the hands of a red-hot Kaia Kanepi, but she dropped just four games in her opening round on Monday. Kasatkina debuted inside the top 10 at the end of the 2018 season, but subsequently endured a dismal 2019, with a 13-21 record. However, she’s shown signs of rediscovering her previous form. And Kasatkina claimed their only other previous encounter, which is also their only hard court meeting. But these fast-playing courts in Melbourne should favor the power of the ultra-confident Sabalenka.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Frances Tiafoe – Third in RLA
Djokovic is on a 17-match winning streak in singles at Melbourne Park, which not only includes his 2019 and 2020 Australian Open titles, but also his two singles wins during last week’s ATP Cup. The best fortnight of Tiafoe’s career was here two years ago, when he upset Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov on his was to his first Major quarterfinal. But he failed to follow-up that result, with a losing record through the rest of 2019. Tiafoe’s next appearance in the second week of a Slam was at last year’s US Open, when he reached the round of 16. Disappointingly, he provided no resistance to Daniil Medvedev in that round, earning just five games. So while Tiafoe is a more challenging opponent for Djokovic than Jeremy Chardy, who on Monday extended his record to 0-33 in sets against Novak, there isn’t much in Frances’ game that should bother the world No.1 on a court he rarely loses on.
Naomi Osaka (3) vs. Caroline Garcia – Not Before 7:00pm on RLA
Osaka passed a stern test in the opening round with flying colors, allowing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova only three games. But I’m curious to see how her game matches up with that of Garcia’s, as they’ve never played before. Caroline peaked at No.4 in the world during the summer of 2018, but went on to lose as many matches as she won in both the next two seasons. The Frenchwoman is still capable of excellent tennis on any given day, as evidenced at last fall’s French Open when she ousted Elise Mertens 7-5 in the third. That being said, Osaka remains a clear favorite on a hard court, especially considering her current 15-match win streak.
Ugo Humbert (28) vs. Nick Kyrgios – Not Before 7:00pm on JCA
Nick Kyrgios will play exactly when and where he likes to on Wednesday: in the night session on John Cain Arena (formerly Melbourne/Hisense Arena). Normally there would be a full stadium of rowdy Aussies with grounds passes cheering him on, but the crowd will be smaller this year due to pandemic protocols. This will only be Nick’s sixth match since last year’s Australian Open. His last match before the pandemic was a loss to his opponent today, as Kyrgios retired after dropping the first set last February in Acapulco. Humbert earned 25 wins and two ATP titles during an abbreviated 2020 season, with victories over the likes of Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. And considering Kyrgios has been battling a leg injury, the seeded left-hander should prevail on Wednesday.
Other Notable Matches on Day 3:
Serena Williams (10) vs. Nina Stojanovic, a 24-year-old Serbian ranked 99th in the world. Serena has only lost in the second round of a Major twice in her long career: to Garbine Muguruza at the 2014 French Open, and to her sister Venus in her very first Slam, the 1998 Australian Open.
Venus Williams (7) vs. Sara Errani (Q), the 2012 Roland Garros runner-up. When they last played, at the 2014 US Open, the Italian prevailed and taunted the New York crowd in a tense affair decided by a third set tiebreak. Venus claimed all three of their other encounters.
2014 champion Stan Wawrinka (17) vs. Marton Fucsovics. They’ve played some epic matches at Masters events, with Stan winning 7-6 in the third at the 2018 Rogers Cup, and 7-5 in the third a year later at Indian Wells.
2018 finalist Simona Halep (2) vs. Ajla Tomljanovic, a 27-year-old Australian who is 1-10 in the second round of Majors. Halep leads their head-to-head 4-0, though all their matches have been close.
2019 finalist Petra Kvitova (9) vs. Sorana Cirstea. Kvitova is 5-2 against Cirstea, but is 0-2 on hard courts.
2020 finalist Garbine Muguruza (14) vs. Ludmilla Samsonova (Q), a 22-year-old Russian who pushed Sofia Kenin to three sets at the last Major.
2020 Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek (15) vs. Camila Giorgi. Their only previous meeting occurred at this event two years ago, with Giorgi dominating an inexperienced Swiatek 6-2, 6-0.
Sascha Zverev (6) vs. Maxime Cressy (Q), a big-serving American who struck 21 aces in three sets against Stefanos Tsitsipas at last summer’s US Open.
Grigor Dimitrov (18) vs. Alex Bolt, a 28-year-old Australian who advanced to the third round in Melbourne two years ago, and last year pushed eventual finalist Dominic Thiem to a fifth set.
Wednesday’s full order of play is here.
