By Tony Fairbairn
- Jannik Sinner [4] v Andrey Rublev [5]
- Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Barbora Krejcikova [9]
- Novak Djokovic [1] v Taylor Fritz [12]
- Coco Gauff [4] v Marta Kostyuk
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Andrey Rublev will look to make his first Grand Slam semi-final as he plays his tenth Grand Slam quarter-final against Jannik Sinner on day ten of the Australian Open.
 |
Jannik Sinner [4] v Andrey Rublev [5] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jannik Sinner [4] v Andrey Rublev [5] | H2H: Sinner leads 4-2 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $600,000 |
| Fifth on Rod Laver Arena (Not before 09:30 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7-day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
Jannik Sinner continues to cruise through this tournament with the Italian continuing the momentum from the ATP Finals last year where he reached the final. There seems to be a different version of the Italian as the fourth seed is more efficient and clinical, dispatching all opponents with ease whereas before there would be at least one match in the early rounds which would be a struggle. Now into the quarter-finals without having dropped a set, Sinner will fancy his chances of going all the way in Melbourne having been the best player of the tournament so far.
The Italian’s efficiency will be put to the test against Andrey Rublev, who overcame a five set thriller with Alex De Minaur to reach his tenth Grand Slam quarter-final. The previous nine Grand Slam quarter-finals having exactly gone according to plan for Rublev with the fifth seed losing all nine of them. However Rublev’s resilience shall not be underestimated as his power mixed with accurate serving has seen his confidence increase over the last year. Now Rublev will hope to make it tenth time lucky as he bids to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final.
Sinner will aim to force Rublev behind the court as he will use the forehand to dictate play especially on serve. Meanwhile Rublev will hope to use the return to force errors from Sinner’s game as he will use the angles to open up space on the court. This is a match between two players who can win the match on their own terms but also can make plenty of unforced errors under pressure. In the end it will come down to who can reduce their unforced error count the most. On current form that should be Sinner as he is likely to have too much tactical quality for Rublev, who has nothing to lose in this match.
Prediction: Sinner in four sets.
Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Barbora Krejcikova [9] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Barbora Krejcikova [9] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 5-1 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $600,000 |
| Fourth on Rod Laver Arena (Not before 08:00 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7-day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
It has been a successful Grand Slam title defence for Aryna Sabalenka as she has crushed the opposition with ease. The world number two’s demolition of Amanda Anisimova, a player she has lost to on multiple occasions in the past, suggests that Sabalenka is the firm favourite to win the Australian Open for a second successive year. However the job isn’t done yet for Sabalenka and as past history states, Sabalenka’s biggest weakness is finishing the job in the later rounds when she is the favourite. Can Sabalenka prove that theory wrong or will history repeat itself?
The answer to that question may be answered in Sabalenka’s quarter-final against former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova. The world number 11 hasn’t played convincing tennis over the last 12 months but the Czech Republican’s grit and resilience has been on show as she has grinded out wins. Two massive wins over Storm Hunter and Mirra Andreeva showed that Krejcikova has the quality and consistency to outsmart her opponents on the biggest stages. Now Krejcikova will look to use her experience as she bids to reach a fourth Grand Slam quarter-final.
Sabalenka will look to dominate on serve as she looks to use the forehand down-the-line in order to be efficient and attack Krejcikova’s weaknesses. Krejcikova will need to mix up the tempo of the rallies in order to extract errors from the defending champion’s game as she aims to use the slice effectively. This will be a tough match for Sabalenka but the second sees should have too much power and consistency for Krejcikova.
Prediction: Sabalenka in straight sets.
 |
Novak Djokovic [1] v Taylor Fritz [12] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Novak Djokovic [1] v Taylor Fritz [12] | H2H: Djokovic leads 8-0 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $600,000 |
| Third on Rod Laver Arena (Not before 03:30 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7-day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
After a slow start to the tournament, Novak Djokovic has improved his form and confidence in the tournament as he destroyed Adrian Mannarino with the loss of three games in the previous round. More history awaits Djokovic as he is three wins away from a 25th Grand Slam title with the Seb looking to continue his superior record in Melbourne. However Djokovic will know that with some of his closest rivals still in the tournament, nothing can be taken for granted as he will hope to show the younger generation who the king of Melbourne really is.
The next obstacle for Djokovic to overcome is American Taylor Fritz after the 12th seed produced an impressive display to knock out last year’s finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. The American has really stepped up his game over the last couple of years as the American has won some big titles and beaten big some players. However Fritz’s record at Grand Slams is underwhelming and the 12th seed will be looking to improve that this season as he often faltered under pressure, when it matters most. Can Fritz change that record in Melbourne?
Djokovic will look to continue his superior efficiency on serve as he will aim to dictate the points with his forehand and extending the rallies. Fritz will hope to be aggressive from the forehand as he will aim to test Djokovic’s returning skills by using the wide serve. Day-time conditions may suit Fritz’s game more but it’s expected that Djokovic will have too much quality for the American in this match.
Prediction: Djokovic in four sets.
Coco Gauff [4] v Marta Kostyuk H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [4] v Marta Kostyuk | H2H: Gauff leads 1-0 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $600,000 |
| Second on Rod Laver Arena (Not before 02:00 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7-day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
Coco Gauff is on an 11 match winning streak at Grand Slams as she continues to dominate her opposition in the first week. The American’s triumph at the US Open has given her the belief that she can beat anybody in the world on her day. Now Gauff looks to continue her confidence and momentum as she looks to win a second Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
Next for Gauff is Marta Kostyuk with the Ukrainian producing the best Grand Slam result of her career so far in Melbourne. The 21 year-old’s big baseline power saw her overcome Elise Mertens in the second round and has continued to go from strength-to-strength in Melbourne. Now Kostyuk will look to complete her big Grand Slam breakthrough by knocking out an in-form Grand Slam champion.
Gauff will look to continue to be aggressive on serve as she will use the forehand to limit Kostyuk’s opportunities. Kostyuk will aim to take the ball as early as possible as she will use a mixture of depth and power to force errors from Gauff’s game. The first set could be a tricky one for Gauff but the American should have too much quality for the aggressive Ukrainian.
Prediction: Gauff in straight sets.
How to Watch/Follow Australian Open 2024
| Live Stream | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7-day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
 Sign up to PBLC for free to support ongoing contributions from Britwatch Sports |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |