John Isner and Maxime Cressy will have a serving duel on day 2 of the Australian Open, we have predictions for every first round match including Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev’s matches as our panelists take you through the draw in Melbourne.
John Isner vs Maxime Cressy
Jakub Bobro: Isner hasn’t had the best start to the season, going 1-3 so far with the only win being against No. 236 Brayden Schnur. Facing him will be another big-serving American, Maxime Cressy, who has had an incredible start to the season. Cressy qualified and reached the finals at a 250 in Melbourne, beating players such as Reilly Opelka and Grigor Dimitrov. The 24-year-old then followed the run up with a quarterfinal in Sydney. This will be a case of recent form versus experience and though I expect a long battle, I expect the in-form player to come out on top here Cressy in 5
Damian: Maxime Cressy’s groundstrokes have never been so solid and combined with the massive serve and net skills, this makes him extremely dangerous. If he’s playing as well as in the warm-ups, he’s the one more likely to take the big points in this serving festival. Cressy in 5
Lorenzo Musetti vs Alex de Minaur
Jakub: The 19-year-old Musetti is seemingly bringing his struggles from the second half of the season into this year as well, losing his 2022 opener against Taro Daniel. On the other hand, the 22-year-old De Minaur looked promising at the ATP Cup, notching wins over Ugo Humbert and Matteo Berrettini. De Minaur’s form and home crowd advantage should make him a solid favorite here. de Minaur in 4
Damian: Alex de Minaur always plays well at home and he’s facing a player with very little confidence at the moment. This is a great opportunity for the Australian, who’s much better than Lorenzo Musetti in faster conditions. de Minaur in 3
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Frances Tiafoe vs Marco Trungelliti
Jakub: Tiafoe was really hitting his stride last autumn but he has not brought his form with him to Australia. The American is winless this season with losses to Thanasi Kokkinakis and Tommy Paul. He faces Trungelliti, who qualified after wins over Lukas Lacko, Pedro Cachin and Damir Dzumhur. Tiafoe may be out of form but Trungelliti is not among the more dangerous players to come out of qualifying, so I expect the American to advance. Tiafoe in 3
Damian: Frances Tiafoe hasn’t had a good start to the year, but has to like his draw here. Marco Trungelliti is a Grand Slam qualifying legend, but it cannot be denied that he’s among the weakest players in the main event, at least on hard courts. Tiafoe in 3
Alexei Popyrin vs Arthur Rinderknech
Jakub: The young Australian has had a middling start to the season with a win over Stefano Travaglia and losses to Tallon Griekspoor and Pedro Martinez. Facing him will be an in-form Frenchman, Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech started his year at the ATP Cup, where he had a 1-2 record. The Frenchman quickly set it straight in Adelaide, where he beat Karen Khachanov en route to the final. This will be Rinderknech’s Australian Open main draw debut and I expect him to make it a successful one despite the crowd. Rinderknech in 4
Damian: Low-key highlight of the round. Both players will need to be very careful not to drop their serve. Are there potential fatigue concerns for Arthur Rinderknech after a long week in Adelaide? Probably, but there’s also plenty of confidence and self-belief he’s earned there. Rinderknech in 5
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