Australian Open 2015: Day 6 Schedule, Bracket Predictions and More

As the focus shifts toward Day 6 at the 2015 Australian Open, some thoughts probably continue to linger about Andreas Seppi eliminating Roger Federer yesterday. It's surely a warning sign to all of the other top players as they look to punch their tickets to the fourth round.

Federer arrived to Melbourne Park amid high expectations after he won the warm-up event in Brisbane. He simply didn't play up to his usual standards, however, and Seppi took advantage. It opens the door for other contenders to emerge heading into the second week.

By the time the dust settles after Day 6, the fourth-round bracket will be complete. It should be another entertaining day at the season's first major with both top seeds in action. Let's check out the schedule (via AusOpen.com) followed by some predictions for marquee matchups.

Day 6 Schedule

Round	Player	Player	Court
Men	-	-	-
Third	(1) Novak Djokovic	(31) Fernando Verdasco	Rod Laver
Third	(4) Stan Wawrinka	Jarkko Nieminen	Rod Laver
Third	(5) Kei Nishikori	Steve Johnson	Hisense
Third	(8) Milos Raonic	Benjamin Becker	Hisense
Third	(9) David Ferrer	(18) Gilles Simon	Margaret Court
Third	(12) Feliciano Lopez	Jerzy Janowicz	Margaret Court
Third	(19) John Isner	Gilles Muller	Court 3
Third	Vasek Pospisil	Guillermo Garcia-Lopez	Court 2
Women	-	-	-
Third	(1) Serena Williams	(26) Elina Svitolina	Rod Laver
Third	(4) Petra Kvitova	Madison Keys	Rod Laver
Third	(6) Agnieszka Radwanska	(30) Varvara Lepchenko	Rod Laver
Third	(11) Dominika Cibulkova	(19) Alize Cornet	Court 2
Third	(18) Venus Williams	Camila Giorgi	Margaret Court
Third	(24) Garbine Muguruza	Timea Bacsinszky	Hisense
Third	(25) B. Zahlavova Strycova	Victoria Azarenka	Margaret Court
Third	Coco Vandeweghe	Madison Brengle	Hisense

Predictions for Top Matches

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (31) Fernando Verdasco

Any lingering concerns about Djokovic after he was forced to miss some training time ahead of the tournament due to an illness are now in the rear-view mirror. He's looked strong through two rounds, advancing in straight sets both times and dropping just 14 games combined.

He figures to receive a much tougher test from Verdasco. The streaky Spaniard dropped his first set of the tournament but has won the last six to reach this point. Nick Nemeroff of Tennis View Magazine notes he's also been able to push the No. 1 player in the world in recent meetings:

The biggest question is whether Verdasco will be clicking on all cylinders. He's been playing an extremely aggressive brand of tennis so far in the tournament. Through two rounds, he's already tallied 96 winners and 78 unforced errors.

Against Djokovic, that's either going to keep him in the match or lead to a blowout loss. It all depends on whether he's clipping the lines while giving himself little margin for error. While it should make things interesting, the top seed's consistency should win out in the end.

Prediction: Djokovic in four sets

(1) Serena Williams vs. (26) Elina Svitolina

Williams looked like she was en route to upset alert in the second round. She fell behind Vera Zvonareva 5-3 in the opening set. Then something finally clicked for the favorite on the women's side as she settled in and won 10 straight games to advance.

The slow starts have actually been a common theme for her so far this season. A story that made the rounds a few weeks ago concerned her ordering a coffee during a match for a boost. But once she's able to get her energy level up, she looks like a dominant player again.

Williams must be on a high alert today, though. Svitolina is a 20-year-old rising star who's secured 12 breaks of an opponent's serve in the first two rounds. The top seed did talk after the last round about not overlooking any foes, however, as the tournament noted:

Svitolina should know about Williams' slow starts and must put as much pressure on her as possible right out of the gate. If she can find a way to steal the first set, the outlook changes dramatically. It's tough to pick against the 18-time Grand Slam singles champ at this stage, though.

Prediction: Williams in two sets

(12) Feliciano Lopez vs. Jerzy Janowicz

Janowicz is coming off a five-set triumph over Gael Monfils. Lopez was lucky to advance after losing the first two sets to Adrian Mannarino, who was eventually forced to retire in the fourth. It creates an interesting dynamic heading into their clash.

It's unknown how much energy Janowicz has left in the tank and whether Lopez's performance was just one bad day or a sign of things to come, so this match is a legitimate toss-up. A clearer picture should emerge after a handful of games.

In the bigger picture, Janowicz has a chance to prove he's back on an upward trend. He looked like a star in the making at Wimbledon in 2013 but has failed to reach expectations ever since. Nick McCarvel of USA Today highlighted a question being asked by most tennis fans:

All told, this will probably be a match where the momentum shifts numerous times. Janowicz is a high-risk, high-reward player, while Lopez seemingly isn't at his best right now. The slight edge goes to the Polish star courtesy of the positive vibes coming out of his win over Monfils.

Prediction: Janowicz in five sets