Australian Open Predictions Day 1: Sinner, Medvedev, Shapovalov all in action!

Australian Open Predictions Day 1: The first grand slam of the season, the Australian Open is all set to get underway at Melbourne Park from tomorrow. 

The men's players got valuable match practice by taking part in tournaments like the Murray River Open, the Great Ocean Road Open, and the ATP Cup. 

Let us analyze the top 5 openers in the tournament that will attract a lot of attention from the fans!!

1 - Jannik Sinner vs Denis Shapovalov

The Italian sensation who reached the French Open quarterfinals last year before losing to Rafael Nadal will face the highly-talented Canadian, Shapovalov in the first round of the tournament.

 Sinner also won the Great Ocean Road Open beating compatriot, Stefano Travaglia 7-6 6-4 in the finals. He trained with Nadal for two weeks ahead of the tournament. On the other hand, Shapovalov featured in the ATP Cup for Canada losing both his singles matches to Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic respectively. 

The 11th-seeded Shapovalov is on a 6-match losing streak and badly needs a win to boost his confidence. The Italian is on a 10-match winning streak and his aggressive shot-making will trouble the Canadian. This is the first meeting for both the players on the ATP Tour. 

Australian Open Predictions: Jannik Sinner to win in five sets

2 - Marin Cilic vs Grigor Dimitrov

Cilic lost in the Murray River Open in three sets to Jeremy Chardy after failing to convert 5 match points. Dimitrov went down to Frenchman Corentin Moutet in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Murray River Open. 

The Bulgarian has a 24-10 win-loss record in the Australian Open and also reached the semifinals in 2017. Cilic finished as the runner-up in the 2018 edition of the tournament. The Croatian has a 4-2 head to head record against Dimitrov. Cilic is on a 3-match losing streak and needs to turn around his season. 

Australian Open Predictions: Marin Cilic to win in five sets

3 - Matteo Berrettini vs Kevin Anderson

Berrettini led the charge for Italy guiding them to the finals of the ATP Cup. He notched up 3 wins against Dominic Thiem, Gael Monfils, and Roberto Bautista Agut before falling short in the finals against Daniil Medvedev. Anderson lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the Great Ocean Road Open in straight sets to Karen Khachanov. 

The Italian has had a forgettable run in Melbourne Park with two first-round exits in his last three visits. A flurry of aces can be expected from both the big-servers. This is the first clash between both the players on the tour. 

Australian Open Predictions: Matteo Berrettini to win in four sets

4 - Daniil Medvedev vs Vasek Pospisil

Medvedev was in beast mode for Russia as they clinched the ATP Cup. He won all his singles matches with victories against Diego Schwartzman, Kei Nishikori, Alexander Zverev, and Matteo Berrettini. 

The Russian is on a 14-match winning streak. Pospisil who was supposed to take part in the Great Ocean Road Open withdrew from the tournament at the last minute. He won the ATP Comeback Player of the Year in 2020. 

The Canadian lost in the first round last year to Ivo Karlovic while Medvedev got defeated in the fourth round in a five-setter against Stan Wawrinka. Medvedev leads the head to head record 2-1 against Pospisil.

Australian Open Predictions: Daniil Medvedev to win in four sets

5 - Sumit Nagal vs Ricardas Berankis

Sumit Nagal and Berankis faced off just a week ago in the round of 64 at the Murray River Open. The Indian lost the clash 6-2 6-2. 

Nagal did not hit a single ace in that match, committed 4 double faults, won only 56% of points on his first serve and did not convert a single breakpoint opportunity. 

The Indian is playing the Australian Open on a wild card entry. If Nagal wins, he will face Karen Khachanov or homeboy, Aleksandar Vukic in the second round of the tournament. 

Berankis reached the pre-quarterfinals in the tournament losing to Jiri Vesely in straight sets. He leads the head to head record 1-0 against Sumit Nagal. 

Australian Open Predictions: Sumit Nagal to win in five sets

So, what are your expectations from the above-mentioned opening matches or do you have some more matches in mind? Do share your views in the comments below.

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