Veterans Milos Raonic and Marin Cilic will serve it up in round 2 at the Australian Open, while rising Japanese player Yoshihito Nishioka takes on top Brit Dan Evans on day 3. Yesh Ginsburg and Andrew Watson offer their predictions.
Milos Raonic vs Christian Garin
Yesh: Raonic looked really good, even if it was against a far weaker player. He won’t have such an easy match against Christian Garin, but I think he’ll pull through. Raonic in 5
Andrew: Raonic was the fortunate recipient of a withdrawal from Radu Albot in round one. The replacement of lucky loser Lorenzo Giustino was not much of a test for the Canadian who sailed through in straight sets. Garin also dismissed an Italian challenge in straight sets as he impressively defeated Stefano Travaglia. Garin will definitely compete with Raonic but the Canadian’s hard court pedigree will emerge in the end. Raonic in 4
Marin Cilic vs Benoit Paire
Yesh: Cilic was really impressive in dismissing Corentin Moutet, even if there were some third-set wobbles. Paire is more consistent than he’s ever been, but he’s not at Cilic’s level right now. Cilic in 4
Andrew: Cilic skillfully negotiated a potentially tricky first round tie with Corentin Moutet, winning in straight sets. Meanwhile, Paire had his customary five-set tussle with Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. These performances would indicate that Cilic should be able to progress here. It’s unlikely to be quite that straightforward but the Croat should have the edge on serve and fitness. Cilic in 4
Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Yesh: Davidovich Fokina did well to get through to the second round, but he’s facing a much better hard-court player in Schwartzman. This won’t be pretty. Schwartzman in 3
Andrew: The Argentine was superb in his opening encounter. Lloyd Harris had been dominant on serve in Brisbane but Schwartzman brought his famous return game to bear on the South African. The result was a facile straight sets win. Davidovich Fokina took the scenic route in his victory over Norbert Gombos. The Spaniard’s flashy brand of tennis may struggle against the defence and consistency of Schwartzman, and his serve will certainly be under pressure. Schwartzman in 3
Yoshihito Nishioka vs Dan Evans
Yesh: Nishioka is in really good form right now. Evans might be the overall better player, but at the moment it’s hard to pick against the Japanese #2. Nishioka in 4
Andrew: Evans should be favourite for this match as the seeded player. However, he was out of sorts against Mackenzie Macdonald in the first round and will have to show improvement to win this. The Japanese will have to reduce the unforced errors he hit against Laslo Djere in the first round though. Evans will know he has to start much better this time and will improve enough to make the next round. Evans in 4
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