By Tony Fairbairn
- Alex De Minaur [10] v Milos Raonic [PR]
- Caroline Garcia [16] v Naomi Osaka [PR]
- Felix Auger-Aliassime [27] v Dominic Thiem
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Alex De Minaur spearheads the Australian charge as Naomi Osaka makes her return to Melbourne on day two of the Australian Open.
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Alex De Minaur [10] v Milos Raonic [PR] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alex De Minaur [10] v Milos Raonic [PR] | H2H: De Minaur leads 1-0 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $120,000 |
| Third on Rod Laver Arena (Not before 08:00 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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Alex De Minaur is the talk of Australia at the moment as he has produced a stunning start to the season. The Australian defeated three top ten players at the United Cup including world number one Novak Djokovic in front of an inspired home crowd in Sydney. In addition to that, De Minaur has become the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006 to become a top ten player as he enters his home Grand Slam with belief and confidence. Now De Minaur will look to use that belief to his advantage and create more memories in Melbourne with a deep Grand Slam run.
However a tall task awaits De Minaur in the opening round in the form of Milos Raonic. The former Grand Slam finalist’s comeback to tennis hasn’t exactly gone according to plan so far with the Canadian struggling for fitness and consistency. The 33 year-old could be entering his final season on the tour, so motivation is at it’s strongest point and Raonic will look to prove that the Australian Open is the turning point he needs in order to elevate his game as he seeks a return to the top of the sport.
De Minaur will aim to continue his aggressive serving as he will look to take the match to Raonic with his forehand. Meanwhile the Canadian will look for depth and power on the forehand as well as conserving as much energy as possible on serve. This could be a tricky challenge for De Minaur but the tenth seed should win this match comfortably given Raonic’s lack of fitness.
Prediction: De Minaur in straight sets.
Caroline Garcia [16] v Naomi Osaka [PR] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Caroline Garcia [16] v Naomi Osaka [PR] | H2H: Osaka leads 1-0 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $120,000 |
| Fourth on Rod Laver Arena (10:30 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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Caroline Garcia will be hoping to improve her fortunes this season as the 16th seed failed to meet the high standards that were set in 2022. However Garcia is a streaky player who has the experience and maturity to know that momentum can change at any point in tennis. The 30 year-old plays her best tennis when the attention and pressure is off her and now Garcia will look to prove that is once again the case with the world number 20 looking to match her fourth round appearance from last year.
A blockbuster match awaits Garcia in the opening round as she takes on two-time former champion Naomi Osaka. The 26 year-old is back on the tour after a year hiatus as she became a mother for the first time. Returning in Brisbane, Osaka lost a narrow contest to Karolina Pliskova where she showed potential to test any player in the world with her dynamic counter-attacking qualities. Now in her first Grand Slam tournament since the US Open in 2022, Osaka will look to play with freedom and continue her quest towards regaining her Grand Slam winning form.
Garcia will aim to find confidence on serve as she will need to be aggressive on the forehand and force Osaka behind the baseline. Meanwhile Osaka will look to be consistent on serve, while forcing Garcia into uncomfortable positions on the court by using angles and variety. This will be a close match with both players feeling under the radar in terms of chances of winning the tournament at this year’s Australian Open. In the end, Osaka should have enough consistent quality to prevail.
Prediction: Osaka in three sets.
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Felix Auger-Aliassime [27] v Dominic Thiem H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Felix Auger-Aliassime [27] v Dominic Thiem | H2H: Thiem leads 1-0 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $120,000 |
| Fourth on Margaret Court Arena (09:30 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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It was a torrid 2023 season for Felix Auger-Aliassime as the Canadian’s form crumbled and the injuries mounted up. There was sign of a revival towards the end of the year though as he successfully defended his Basel title defeating top 20 opponents. Auger-Aliassime will hope that he can use that week as a platform to build on this season as he will look to fulfil his potential and consistently go deep at big tournaments.
First up in Auger-Aliassime’s bid for resurgent form is another player who is in desperate need for a resurgence in the form of Dominic Thiem. The Austrian also struggled for form last season although there was a slight hope for an improvement in form when Thiem reached the final in Kiztbuhel. Unfortunately that never materialised and after a straight sets loss to Rafael Nadal in Brisbane, Thiem is now still searching for a big win to spark some much-needed momentum. Now the world number 94 will hope the Australian Open will be the place to do that, a tournament where he has reached the final before.
Auger-Aliassime will hope for an improvement on serve as he looks to use the backhand to fire winners past Thiem’s inconsistent defence. Meanwhile the Austrian will look to use the forehand to force tactical errors from Auger-Aliassime. Both players are out of form and confidence, so this match could go either way. However Auger-Aliassime’s more consistent play should see him through in a very nervy five set contest.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in five sets.
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