First round singles action continues on Monday in Melbourne.
On Day 2, four-time Major champion and new mother Naomi Osaka will play her first match at a Slam since the 2022 US Open. Plus, the winners of the last two Majors in women’s singles, Coco Gauff and Marketa Vondrousova, will also contest their opening matches.
ATP action on Monday sees three Major champions who have struggled to regain their top form (Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem) all face seeded opposition in what should be extremely competitive matchups.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Monday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Adrian Mannarino (20) vs. Stan Wawrinka – Second on Kia Arena
It was now 10 full years ago when Wawrinka won the first of his three Major titles at this tournament, defeating both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. But the 38-year-old hasn’t been to the second week at a Slam since this event four years ago. Stan was 27-23 last season at tour level, reaching his first ATP final since 2019.
It was just a week ago when 35-year-old Mannarino made his debut in the top 20, thanks to earning 43 ATP match wins last year, and three titles (Newport, Astana, Sofia). However, his biggest successes remain outside the Majors, as he went just 4-4 in 2023 Slams, and has never advanced beyond the fourth round at this level.
Adrian is 2-0 against Stan, with both victories coming on hard courts. They took place back in 2015 in Miami, and just over a year ago in Astana. Mannarino’s recent form makes him the favorite to prevail again, as does his unorthodox style of play, which will not allow Wawrinka with many opportunities to be as offensive as he prefers. But always a crowd favorite, the Stanimal will be eager to earn another big victory at a Major at this stage of his career, and his weapons remain dangerous.
Andy Murray vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry (30) – Third on Kia Arena
A year ago at this tournament, Andy Murray enjoyed quite the dramatic run. His aforementioned victory over Berrettini lasted nearly five hours, and just two days later, he played a near six-hour match against Thanasi Kokkinakis, coming back from two sets and 5-3 down to prevail at 4:15am. Understandably, Andy was unable to fully recover for his third round match against Roberto Bautista Agut, though he did still manage to take a set. The five-time Australian Open runner-up is still trying to reach the second week of a Major for the first time since 2017.
Etheverry was one of the ATP’s most improved players of 2023, with his ranking rising from No.80 to No.30. He reached two clay court finals, and was a Roland Garros quarterfinalist, where he didn’t lose a set through the first four rounds. The Argentine went 4-0 in the first round of Majors last season.
These players split two meetings within the past year, both on hard courts, and with both going the distance. At Indian Wells, Murray won 6-4 in the third. In Basel, Etcheverry won 6-2 in the third. On Monday, in their first best-of-five encounter, I favor Murray to take the rubber match. He’s the better hard court player, and by far the more experienced competitor at Majors.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (27) vs. Dominic Thiem – Last on Margaret Court Arena
After an excellent 2022 season, in which he accumulated 60 match wins, Auger-Aliassime endured a tough 2023, battling injury and illness. Felix went just 22-19 last year, yet ended it by winning a title in Basel. Felix has advanced to the second week of this event in each of the last three years.
Thiem was the runner-up here four years ago, but has not been the same player since his wrist injury in 2021, going just 19-24 last year at tour level. And since reaching the third round here three years ago, Dominic is just 1-7 at Majors. As per Tennis Abstract, the 30-year-old went 1-10 in 2023 against top 30 opposition.
In the round of 16 at the 2020 US Open, the Major Thiem won, he defeated Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. That’s their only encounter to date. On Monday, Felix must be favored to even their head-to-head, as Dominic is yet to rediscover his prior form, especially in the best-of-five format.
Caroline Garcia (16) vs. Naomi Osaka – Last on Rod Laver Arena
A year ago right as this event was about to begin, Osaka withdrew, and announced she was expecting her first child. She just returned to tennis two weeks ago, going 1-1 in Brisbane, with a three-set loss to Karolina Pliskova. However, Naomi looked rather sharp, especially for someone who hadn’t played a match in 16 months.
Garcia went on a tear during the second half of 2022, winning four titles on three different surfaces. That included the WTA Finals, and she also achieved her first Major semifinal in New York. But as 2023 progressed, and Caroline had to defend those results, she faltered, and hasn’t won a title since the 2022 WTA Finals. She’s 15-12 lifetime at this tournament, and reached the fourth round a year ago, matching her best career result.
Their only prior matchup took place three years ago at this same event, with Osaka prevailing 6-2, 6-3. Is Naomi ready to defeat a top WTA player in just the second tournament of her comeback? Based on her form in Brisbane, as well as Garcia’s recent struggles, I think she is.
Other Notable Matches on Monday:
Dayana Yastremska (Q) vs. Marketa Vondrousova (7) – Vondrousova of course was the surprise winner of Wimbledon six months ago, but comes into this Major having lost seven of her last nine matches. Yastremska is a 23-year-old Ukrainian who in 2020 was ranked as high as 21st in the world, but has not returned to that level since serving a six-month suspension for doping, which was later reversed. They have split two tour-level meetings.
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs. Coco Gauff (4) – Since making changes to her coaching team after Wimbledon last summer, Gauff is now 29-4, with four titles, the last of which came just a week ago in Auckland. Schmiedlova is a former top 30 player who advanced to the fourth round of Roland Garros last year, where she lost in straight sets to Gauff, one of two losses she’s suffered against Coco.
Terence Atmane (Q) vs. Daniil Medvedev (3) – Medvedev has now reached the final at five hard court Majors within the last five years, and is a two-time runner-up in Melbourne. Atmane is a 22-year-old French qualifier who won 54 matches last season at all levels, but is looking for his first main draw win at a Slam.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Ben Shelton (16) – Shelton made his breakthrough at this tournament a year ago, advancing to the quarterfinals in just his second appearance at a Major, before going all the way to the semifinals in New York. Bautista Agut also reached the second week in Melbourne last year, and was a quarterfinalist back in 2019. This is their first career meeting.
Alex de Minaur (10) vs. Milos Raonic – De Minaur recently became the first Australian male to debut inside the top 10 in over 20 years, and during the United Cup, he handed Novak Djokovic his first loss in Australia in nearly six years. Raonic is just 5-4 since returning last June from a two-year injury layoff. Six years ago in Brisbane, Alex beat Milos 6-4, 6-4.
Monday’s full Order of Play is here.
