Australian Open 2015: Day 2 Schedule, Matchups Predictions for Melbourne Bracket
Day 1 is in the books at the 2015 Australian Open. Action moves swiftly to Day 2 where the top seeds, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will take the court for the first time. Both seek to add to their impressive string of accomplishments at Grand Slam events, and specifically at the Australian Open.
Djokovic has won in Melbourne four times, while Williams has captured five titles in her career.
The chief competition for both stars took care of business on Monday. The No. 2 seeds, Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer both won in straight sets over Petra Martic and Yen-Hsun Lu, respectively. Two potential contenders fell by the wayside on Monday in the women's draw.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
No. 5 seed Ana Ivanovic was upset by Luci Hradecka, and No. 9 Anne Kerber fell to Irina-Camelia Begu. They were the only top-10 seeds to fall on Day 1. Will more follow on Day 2?
Click here to see the schedule.
The earliest matches begin at 11 a.m. on Tuesday locally in Australia, which is 7 p.m. Monday ET. The latest matches begin no earlier than 6 p.m. locally (7 p.m. ET on Tuesday). Here's a look at the schedule and predictions for Day 2's most notable matches.
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. Aljaz Bedene | 7 p.m. | Djokovic |
| No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Alison Van Uytvanck | 3 a.m (Tuesday) | Williams |
| No. 4 Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Marsel Ilhan | 7 p.m. | Wawrinka |
| No. 4 Petra Kvitova vs. Richel Hogenkamp | 7 p.m. | Kvitova |
| No. 18 Venus Williams vs. Maria Torro-Flor | Not before 1 a.m. (Tuesday) | Williams |
| Victoria Azarenka vs. Sloane Stephens | 7 p.m. | Azarenka |
| No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki vs. Taylor Townsend | 7 p.m. | Townsend |
Predictions for High Seeds
The No. 1's Should Roll
It would be a shock if Djokovic fell to Aljaz Bedene on Tuesday. The unseeded qualifier has never faced Djokovic, and despite playing well of late, he figures to be totally outmatched by the No. 1 seed. Djokovic hasn't lost in the first round of a Grand Slam since 2006.
It's unlikely it happens on Tuesday.
The prospects for Williams against Alison Van Uytvanck are similar, but there might be more of a glimmer of hope for the underdog in this one. Williams struggled in the weeks leading up to the Australian Open. She dropped two of four matches at the Hopman Cup the first week of January, and has looked out of sorts.
Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) Williams said this amidst her disappointing performance in Auckland, New Zeland.
"I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm so tired. I can't get my body to move. I feel like I've got no energy."
Like Djokovic, Williams has never played her first-round opponent. Van Uytvanck could provide a bit of mystery early on, but the 20-year-old German has a career record of 21-26 and has never advanced past the second round in a Grand Slam. That includes a first-round exit in last year's Aussie Open.
Despite the struggles, this is still Serena, and the WTA reminds us of her long-standing dominance.
Williams may not be her self, but she should still topple Van Uytvanck.
Other Big Names
Defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka comes in as the No. 4 seed. In the first round, he will face Marsel Ilhan of Turkey. This will be their first meeting.
Wawrinka is playing well and he's fresh off a title at the Chennai Open. He knocked off Badene in the final. In his career, the 29-year-old from Switzerland has been inconsistent, but it would be a shock if he were unable to dispatch Ilhan.
The 27-year-old turned pro in 2006, and has never been ranked higher than 87th in the world. Wawrinka should win easily.
Reigning and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is the fourth seed on the women's side. As usual, not many people are talking about her, but she could prove to be a major factor.
She reached the semifinals in Melbourne in 2012 before losing to Sharapova. This year her journey begins with a match against the Netherlands' Richel Hogenkamp. This is their first meeting and it should be a breeze for Kvitova.
She comes in with confidence and is likely determined to redeem herself in Melbourne after a first-round exit there in 2014. Thailand`s Luksika Kumkhum sent Kvitova home early. This is a new year, and on the strength of her win at Wimbledon, the 24-year-old Czechoslovakian is in better form.
Kvitova will use her powerful serve to overcome Hogenkamp.
Other Intriguing Matches
Sloane Stephens created quite a bit of buzz when she defeated Williams at the 2013 Australian Open and reached the semifinals. She would lose her next match to then world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in what is still Stephens' best performance in a Grand Slam.
Since then, Stephens has seen her ranking rise as high as No. 11 and fall to its current place at No. 32, per WTA Rankings. Heading into the year's first Grand Slam, Stephens is unseeded and looking to get a fast start with a strong showing in Melbourne.
Waiting for her in the first round is Azarenka. Because of injuries that forced Azarenka away from the court, she too is unseeded at Melbourne. Despite neither player's current status garnering a seed, this is still a match with two of the more recognizable competitors on the women's side.
Azarenka won the tournament in 2012 and 2013, and she reached the quarterfinals in 2014. She's probably the most dangerous unseeded player in the tournament, despite the inactivity.
In their first meeting, Azarenka controversially used a 12-minute medical timeout that seemed to stymie a furious second-set rally by Stephens. In the video below from the Australian Open's YouTube channel, Azarenka talks about the timeout.
In their last meeting in 2014, also at the Australian Open, Azarenka won more conventionally in straight sets. Stephens would love to get payback, but I can't see it happening. Her confidence doesn't appear to be very high. Stephens lost to 49th-ranked Heather Watson at Hobart a week prior to the Aussie Open, and mentally Azarenka still has an edge over her.
Azarenka will win again to move to 3-0 against Stephens.
Venus Williams comes in as the No. 18 seed and she faces 22-year-old Spaniard Maria Torro-Flor in the first round. Serena will obviously get most of the attention in Melbourne, but don't sleep on Venus.
She just defeated Caroline Wozniacki in New Zealand to win the ASB Challenge. The 34-year-old is confident, healthy and hitting the ball well. She'll give the young Torro-Flor a lesson.
Speaking of Wozniacki, the No. 8 seed has her own intriguing first-round matchup. She faces young American tennis phenom Taylor Townsend. Townsend won't turn 19 until April, but the Chicago native has already risen to the 99th spot in the world rankings.
She reached the third round at the 2014 French Open, lost in the first match at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, but this will be her first Australian Open. The two women met at the ASB Challenge and Wozniacki won in straight sets, but the second frame went to a tiebreaker (6-1 7-6[4]).
Can Townsend build on her performance in the second set? I believe so.
Wozniacki was forced to retire from her last match against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in Sydney because of an injured wrist. While the injury appeared to be minor, it might provide an opening for the young Chicagoan.
Townsend showed that she was closing the gap between herself and Wozniacki in the second set of their last meeting.
She is at a point in her career where the growth and improvement is likely to come rapidly. Because of this, she's my pick to pull the biggest upset of Day 2. In a bold prediction, Townsend wins in three sets.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
