By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek [1] v Danielle Collins
- Grigor Dimitrov [13] v Thanasi Kokkinakis
- Jelena Ostapenko [11] v Ajla Tomljanovic
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Iga Swiatek seeks Australian Open revenge over Danielle Collins while Grigor Dimitrov takes on Thanasi Kokkinakis on day five of the first Grand Slam of the season.
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Iga Swiatek [1] v Danielle Collins H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Iga Swiatek [1] v Danielle Collins | H2H: Swiatek leads 4-1 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $180,000 |
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Iga Swiatek had to overcome a stern first set from former champion Sofia Kenin to progress to the second round. However by the end of the match, the Pole looked impressive and a player that is on a mission to achieve her goal of winning the title in Melbourne. The world number one is yet to tick off the Australian Open from her big tournament title collection and would love nothing more than to overcome the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina in order to prevail over her Melbourne demons.
Another tough test awaits Swiatek in the second round as former finalist Danielle Collins will look to inflict more Melbourne misery on the Pole. When Collins reached the final in 2022, the American defeated Swiatek in the semi-finals and will be confident in achieving a similar result after her victory over former champion Angelique Kerber. Collins’ aggressive style of play mixed with brash attitude means she will fear no player and with the American going under the radar, that makes her more dangerous as she looks to cause another upset.
Swiatek will look to continue her aggressive play on serve as she looks to turn defence into attack with athleticism as well as her accuracy on the backhand. Meanwhile Collins will look to be consistent with her shot selection and her power as sometimes she has a tendency to be too inconsistent. This will be a tricky match for Swiatek but there will be huge motivation to right the wrongs of a couple of years ago and the world number one should have too much consistent quality for Collins.
Prediction: Swiatek in straight sets.
Grigor Dimitrov [13] v Thanasi Kokkinakis H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Grigor Dimitrov [13] v Thanasi Kokkinakis | H2H: First Meeting |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $180,000 |
| Third on John Cain Arena (Not before 05:00 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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Momentum is well and truly on Grigor Dimitrov’s side as the Bulgarian has built on his run to the final at the Masters 1000 event in Paris towards the end of last year. The 13th seed at this year’s Australian Open broke his title drought in Brisbane to start this season and edged past Marton Fucsovics in a tight first round match here in Melbourne. As Dimitrov continues to be confident, can he now translate that form and confidence into a deep run at a Grand Slam?
That question will definitely be answered in some form in the second round as he takes on powerful Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. The 27 year-old certainly loves a five set thriller at John Cain Arena as Kokkinakis learned from his agonising defeat to Andy Murray last year by defeating Sebastian Ofner in a fifth set tiebreak. Now Kokkinakis will hope for another big win and Melbourne as well as hoping this time it gives him a platform to build on for the rest of the season.
Dimitrov will look to use the angles to open up the space on the court as he looks to target Kokkinakis’ backhand. Meanwhile the Australian will aim to dictate the play on serve as he aims to dictate the play on his forehand. This should be another late night cracker in Melbourne with very little to separate the two players. In the end Dimitrov’s current form suggests he has just too much for Kokkinakis.
Prediction: Dimitrov in five sets.
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Jelena Ostapenko [11] v Ajla Tomljanovic H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jelena Ostapenko [11] v Ajla Tomljanovic | H2H: Ostapenko leads 2-1 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $180,000 |
| Fourth on John Cain Arena (Not before 08:00 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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Jelena Ostapenko is one of the streakiest players on the tour as she elevated her game at the US Open last year reaching the quarter-finals. After failing to capitalize on that momentum, Ostapenko heads into the Australian Open with confidence having won the title in Adelaide. The Latvian having confidence is the most dangerous thing to happen for the rest of the tour as Ostapenko will now be hitting freely and will believe that this year is her year to win another Grand Slam title.
Before thinking about the long-term, Ostapenko’s short-term focus is Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. Tomljanovic had a horrid 2023 season having missed most of it due to injury with her ranking outside the world’s top 250. However a tight first round win over Petra Martic will give her confidence and a platform to build on for the rest of the year. Now Tomljanovic will hope that she can stay healthy for the rest of the season as she looks to recover her ranking.
Ostapenko will look to dictate play from the forehand and will hope she can be consistent on serve as this is where the match will be won and lost. Meanwhile Tomljanovic will look to attack the second serve of Ostapenko as she looks for aggressive deep returns taking time away from the Latvian. This is sure to be a fiery match given their history but Ostapenko should have too much consistent quality for Tomljanovic.
Prediction: Ostapenko in three sets.
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