Australian Open 2015: Predictions for Top Stars in Day 3 Singles Draw
The first few days of the Australian Open have already been quite dangerous for top seeds.
In just two days, six different seeded players on the men's draw have been eliminated while 11 are gone from the women's side. This includes high-profile stars like Ana Ivanovic, Angelique Kerber and Ernests Gulbis.
As we approach the second round, the top-ranked competitors will face even tougher competition and we will likely see even more upsets.
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Here is a look at some of the more notable matches to watch on Day 3 with predictions for the biggest stars in action.
| Rod Laver Arena | Alexandra Panova (RUS) vs. Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2] | Women's |
| Rod Laver Arena | Simone Bolelli (ITA) vs. Roger Federer (SUI) [2] | Men's |
| Rod Laver Arena | Tim Smyczek (USA) vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3] | Men's |
| Rod Laver Arena | Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) vs. Simona Halep (ROU) [3] | Women's |
| Rod Laver Arena | Roberta Vinci (ITA) vs. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) [10] | Women's |
| Margaret Court Arena | Andy Murray (GBR) [6] vs. Marinko Matosevic (AUS) | Men's |
| Margaret Court Arena | Sara Errani (ITA) [14] vs. Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) | Women's |
| Margaret Court Arena | Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) [7] vs. Kiki Bertens (NED) | Women's |
| Margaret Court Arena | Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) [22] vs. Bernard Tomic (AUS) | Men's |
| Hisense Arena | Lukas Lacko (SVK) vs. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) [10] | Men's |
| Show Court 3 | Tomas Berdych (CZE) [7] vs. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) | Men's |
Full schedule available at AusOpen.com.
No. 2 Roger Federer vs. Simone Bolelli
With all the upsets on display at Melbourne, Roger Federer knows not to take anything for granted. The 33-year-old veteran, who recently won his 1,000th match, was satisfied in coming through a win in the opening round, via ATPWorldTour.com:
"Winning the first round, it's always a bit of a relief. I thought I played good. [...]
I thought I was playing very well through the first couple of sets. I was holding my service games very comfortably. Until probably 5-2 in the second set was the first time he had any play on my service game. I was very happy.
"
As he usually does, Federer dominated with his first serve, winning 86 percent of points. He also remained aggressive at the net to ensure he wouldn't be broken the entire match against another veteran opponent.
Things shouldn't be too much different against Simone Bolelli, who has never advanced past the second round at the Australian Open.
The Italian won his first match despite some sloppy play where he had 46 unforced errors in four sets to go with 33 winners. This was good enough to beat Juan Monaco, but it won't be anywhere close to enough against Federer.
Look for the No. 2 seed to dominate once again with his serve while only losing a limited number of games on the return.
Prediction: Federer wins 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 Rafael Nadal vs. Tim Smyczek
As good as Rafael Nadal has been throughout his career, there are many more question marks surrounding him at this stage. Injuries have limited his time on the court over the past few years and we don't yet know how he will hold up physically in this tournament.
He cruised to victory in the first round against Mikhail Youzhny, but he lost his previous match to Michael Berrer at Doha. Even he has questions about his ability to compete at this event:
Meanwhile, Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times gives another reason to doubt Nadal in this one:
After Tim Smyczek won his first match in three sets with a consistent effort, you can believe the American will at least have confidence he will compete against the favorite in Round 2.
That being said, Nadal still has the superior talent and that has not gone away. The Spaniard was incredibly efficient in his opening match to put his opponent away in under two hours, so he should be relatively fresh for this contest.
Expect a few setbacks before the better player pulls away for the convincing win.
Prediction: Nadal wins 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 Maria Sharapova vs. Alexandra Panova
Even without having the sharpest serving day, Maria Sharapova cruised to victory in Round 1 against Petra Martic.
The No. 2 only got 56 percent of her first serves in play and struggled to win points with her second serve. She was also beaten badly when either her or her opponent went to the net.
Despite all of this, the Russian came through with a 6-4, 6-1 win to advance to the second round. Imagine how dominant she can be when she actually plays well.
For Alexandra Panova, getting to this point in the Grand Slam is an accomplishment on its own:
The problem is this doesn't guarantee any success going forward, especially against a far superior opponent like Sharapova. Considering the favorite hasn't lost before the fourth round at this event since 2010, it's hard to imagine much changing this time around.
Look for Sharapova to work on tightening up her play while earning an easy win to move into the third round in Melbourne.
Prediction: Sharapova wins 6-1, 6-3
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