Six of the top eight seeds are still in the hunt at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne. Former Paris Bercy champion Karen Khachanov will clash against 2018 Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson in the top match at this ATP 250 tournament.
Khachanov beat Australian wild card Max Purcell 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in his season opener earlier this week. Anderson cruised past Cedrik Marcel Stebe 6-4 6-2. The winner of this match will clash against either Reilly Opelka or Botic Van de Zandschulp.
Anderson beat Khachanov 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the 2018 US Open in their only previous head-to-head match.
Reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion and 2020 Sofia Open winner Jannik Sinner will face Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene. Sinner could be on a collision course for a posiible quarter final against either his compatriot Salvatore Caruso or Miomir Kecmanovic.
This year’s Delray Beach Hubert Hurkacz will take on Pablo Cuevas in the third round. The winner of this match sets up a clash against either Stefano Travaglia or 2021 Antalya finalist Alexander Bublik.
Spanish Next Gen star Carlos Alcaraz will follow up his first top 10 win against David Goffin with Thiago Monteiro from Brazil. Alcaraz could meet either Jordan Thompson or Mario Vieilla Martinez, if he wins his match against Monteiro. The 17-year-old Spanish player will be bidding to reach his first ATP semifinal.
