After all play was canceled for Thursday, some players will now need to play twice on Friday. And with rain in the forecast throughout the day, the three roofed stadiums, as well as the indoor practice facility, may need to be fully utilized to complete play. The WTA has announced they will institute a 10-point tiebreak in place of a full third set for the rest of this week
The order of play includes the top five WTA players in the world, and the top three from the ATP. Friday will be the third and final day of round robin play in the ATP Cup, as Saturday’s semifinal matchups will be solidified. The first two WTA 500 events will present quarterfinal action, highlighted by a rematch of last year’s Australian Open final. The two ATP 250 events will play both third round singles and quarterfinal contests today. And the last WTA 500 event, which had a delayed start for the players who were in hard quarantine, will see the top seeds play their opening matches.
This preview will narrow down the scheduled 70 matches to the most prominent ones to watch throughout a chaotic day.
Friday’s ATP Cup matches will be played on Rod Laver Arena and John Cain Arena starting at 10:00am local time. The WTA 500 and ATP 250 events are scheduled to start between 10:00am and 11:00am depending on the court, and depending on the rain.
The ATP Cup, a Round Robin Team Event between 12 Nations
Top Players: All of the ATP top 10 except the injured Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Sascha Zverev (GER) – Second Match on RLA
Both men defeated Denis Shapovalov earlier this week, though Zverev needed an extra set to do so. Novak leads their head-to-head 4-2, and has nabbed three of their four hard court encounters. The other singles match between Dusan Lajovic and Jan-Lennard Struff could be a tight one. The winning team will qualify for the semifinals.
Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs. Gael Monfils (FRA) – Second Match on JCA
Both men were walloped by Matteo Berrettini earlier this week. Their history has been decisively one-sided, with Thiem owning a 6-0 record over Monfils. Dominic has taken their last 11 sets played. In the tie’s other singles match, Dennis Novak may just be the favorite against Benoit Paire. Novak upset Fabio Fognini on Tuesday, while Paire’s lack of effort against Fognini was an embarrassment to the sport. Italy has already advanced to the semifinals, meaning Austria and France have been eliminated.
Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) – Not Before 7:00pm on RLA
Will Nadal play today after withdrawing from his match on Tuesday due to lower back pain? If he does, he should feel rather confident against Tsitsipas, with a 6-1 record lifetime. Stefanos took out Alex de Minaur on Wednesday in straight sets. John Millman will be a heavy favorite against Michail Pervolarakis in the other singles match. The winning team will go on to the semis.
Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs. Kei Nishikori (JPN) – Not Before 7:00pm on JCA
Both men were soundly defeated by Daniil Medvedev earlier this week. Nishikori is 3-1 against Schwartzman, though Kei is still fighting his way back from an extended injury layoff. Guido Pella takes on Yoshihito Nishioka prior to this contest. Russia has already secured the advancement spot out of this group.
The Yarra Valley Classic, a WTA 500 Event
Top seeds remaining: Ash Barty, Sofia Kenin, Serena Williams, Garbine Muguruza
Ash Barty (1) vs. Shelby Rogers – First Match on MCA
The world No.1 survived a bit of a wobble on Wednesday against Marie Bouzkova, in just her second match since last February. Rogers has won 10 of her last 13 tour-level matches, with victories over Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova. Barty claimed their only previous encounter in straight sets, four years ago at this same venue.
Sofia Kenin (2) vs. Garbine Muguruza (6) – Second Match on MCA
Last year in Melbourne, Kenin upset Muguruza to win her first career Major. Kenin also won their other previous matchup, two years ago in Beijing. She struggled in the last round against fellow American Jessica Pegula, while Muguruza has dropped only five games over four sets this week.
Serena Williams (5) vs. Danielle Collins (13) – Third Match on MCA
The fiery Collins is yet to drop a set through three matches this week, including a win Wednesday over Karolina Pliskova. Serena has taken eight of her last nine completed matches. This will the first career meeting between the two Americans.
The Gippsland Trophy, a WTA 500 Event
Top seeds remaining: Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina
Simona Halep (1) vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova (9) – Fifth Match on MCA
Halep has looked sharp this week, and has only been defeated once since last February. That loss came at the hands of French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who was taken out Wednesday by Alexandrova. They’ve split their two previous matches, both contested on hard courts in 2019.
Naomi Osaka (2) vs. Irina-Camelia Begu – Seventh Match on MCA
Osaka dropped the first set Wednesday to Katie Boulter, but came back strong to win 12 of the last 16 games. Begu required over three-and-a-half hours to subdue Johanna Konta two days ago, with both players saving multiple match points in a dramatic affair. Osaka and Begu have never played before.
Elina Svitolina (3) vs. Elise Mertens (7) – Eighth Match on MCA
Both women earned solid victories Wednesday against dangerous opponents: Svitolina over Jelena Ostapenko, and Mertens over Caroline Garcia. Svitolina leads their head-to-head 3-1, though Mertens’ only win came in Melbourne three years ago.
The Grampians Trophy, a WTA 500 Event
Top seeds: Belinda Bencic, Victoria Azarenka, Elena Rybakina, Maria Sakkari
Victoria Azarenka (2) vs. Yulia Putintseva – First Match on Court 3
This will be the two-time Australian Open champion’s first match since October, and her first against Putintseva. Azarenka has prevailed in 18 of her last 22 matches. Putintseva has also been in good form, winning 11 of her last 15.
Angelique Kerber (8) vs. Ons Jabeur – Second Match on Court 8
Surprisingly, these two tour veterans have never played before. In their opening round matches, Kerber needed three sets to advance, while Jabeur dropped just two games.
The Murray River Open, an ATP 250 Event
Top seeds remaining: Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Borna Coric
Borna Coric (4) vs. Nick Kyrgios (13) – Second Match on 1573
Well this should be interesting. Recently on Twitter, Coric insinuated Kyrgios is a hypocrite for questioning the behavior of other players, while Nick called Borna “boring” and said he has a “peanut of a brain.” Kyrgios struggled with his body two days ago in a long three-setter, and also struggled to control his emotions. He has split four meetings with Coric, with the last three all going to a deciding set.
Stan Wawrinka (1) vs. Alex Bolt – Third Match on 1573
The 2014 Australian Open champion is quite popular down under, but the crowd won’t be on his side in this one. Bolt is a veteran Aussie who pushed Dominic Thiem to five sets on these grounds a year ago.
Grigor Dimitrov (2) vs. Alexei Popyrin – Third Match on Court 3
Speaking of Aussies, Popyrin is a 21-year-old Australian who has reached the third round in Melbourne two years in a row, with victories over Dominic Thiem and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Dimitrov has exceled down under, with three of his five Major quarterfinals coming at Melbourne Park.
The Great Ocean Road Open, an ATP 250 Event
Top seeds remaining: Karen Khachanov, Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner
Karen Khachanov (2) vs. Kevin Anderson – First Match on Court 5
Anderson grabbed their only previous meeting, three years ago in Miami. Khachanov has struggled a bit since the tour restart last summer, with a 12-9 record.
Friday’s full order of play is here.