Australian Open 2015 Results: Day 6 Scores and Day 7 Bracket Predictions
Upsets weren't exactly the story of Day 6 of the 2015 Australian Open, but don't expect that to follow suit as the tournament enters the second and final week.
It seemed as if the likes of Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka learned from watching their counterpart Roger Federer fall in the third round the day before. Both of the favorites Down Under cruised to straight-set victories, while No. 5 Kei Nishikori and No. 8 Milos Raonic followed suit.
Advancing to the round of 16 wasn't as easy for top-seeded women's star Serena Williams, who overcame a dropped opening set to regain her form and defeat her first seeded opponent of the tourney. Her half of the bracket is the only one to see a major upset in Day 6, as No. 4 Petra Kvitova was ousted in straight sets to continue the trend of women's top seeds exiting early.
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The fourth round is right around the corner, so let's go ahead and look at the notable Day 6 scores and look forward to what to expect from Day 7.
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 31 Fernando Verdasco | 7-6(8), 6-3, 6-4 |
| No. 4 Stan Wawrinka def. Jarkko Nieminen | 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 |
| No. 5 Kei Nishikori def. Steve Johnson | 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 |
| No. 8 Milos Raonic def. Benjamin Becker | 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 |
| No. 9 David Ferrer def. No. 18 Gilles Simon | 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(4) |
| Gilles Muller def. No. 19 John Isner | 7-6(4), 7-6(6), 6-4 |
| No. 1 Serena Williams def. No. 26 Elina Svitolina | 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 |
| Madison Keys def. No. 4 Petra Kvitova | 6-4, 7-5 |
| No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska def. No. 30 Varvara Lepchenko | 6-0, 7-5 |
| No. 18 Venus Williams def. Camila Giorgi | 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1 |
| Victoria Azarenka def. No. 26 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova | 6-4, 6-4 |
Note: Complete Day 6 scores can be found at AusOpen.com.
Day 7 Predictions
No. 6 Andy Murray vs. No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov
The obvious drawback of being given a lower seed than expected is having to face the elite names a bit early, but Andy Murray is learning his No. 6 seed can also make life difficult in the tournament's opening week.
Although the British phenom is just in the fourth round, he's already slated to go up against a tennis heavyweight in No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday's showdown.
Few players Down Under have looked more impressive than Murray in the early goings, as he's breezed through the first three rounds without much issue. But that could be giving him flashbacks. In last year's Wimbledon, Murray started magnificently before facing Dimitrov in the quarterfinals and ending his reign.
He doesn't expect a repeat performance of that letdown, as reported by Piers Newbery of BBC Sport:
"I don't feel like I played my best tennis that day. The first week of Wimbledon I played some really good tennis, it was just unfortunate. I've trained hard, I've prepared well to get ready for this event and this year. I feel like I've played some good tennis so far. Hopefully I'll do the same on Sunday.
"
A lot has changed for Murray since then—he hired a new coach, has altered his style somewhat and has undergone an offseason geared toward silencing the critics who believe Murray won't be around for long in the elite group of tennis stars. He'll channel his earlier success against Dimitrov, using his improved form to win for the fifth time against the Bulgarian.
Prediction: Murray wins in four sets
No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard vs. Irina-Camelia Begu
Eugenie Bouchard won over the tennis viewing public in 2014 with an incredible season that included runs to the Wimbledon final and semifinal appearances both in Melbourne and Roland Garros. But she's just getting started turning heads Down Under this year.
The 20-year-old has been on fire since first tossing the ball up, having won all three of her matches in straight sets and looking even more dangerous than she did a year ago. As fellow high seeds Petra Kvitova, Ana Ivanovic and Co. can't even get past the first week, Bouchard is doing so in resounding fashion.
Her latest showcase was a third-round drubbing as she peaked to close the match per the tournament's Twitter, and that will come in handy when she faces Irina-Camelia Begu on Sunday:
With an early slip-up from both Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, along with early exits from others, Bouchard has looked like the most dangerous women's contender through the opening week. She will put her talents on display again, speeding to balls and overpowering her way past Begu.
Prediction: Bouchard wins in two sets
No. 3 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 14 Kevin Anderson
Recent memory of Rafael Nadal's injury troubles and poor form would indicate his early five-set survival against Tim Smyczek is something to worry about. But for Nadal, that's simply not the case.
He was pushed to the brink in Round 2 and overcame a 2-1 set disadvantage to win, looking to be mentally and physically out of sorts. Then, two days later, he came out and dominated Dudi Sela, only losing one game in the first two sets and winning easily.
In fact, Chris Skelton of Tennis View Magazine uncovered a crazy statistic about when Nadal plays five-setters early in Grand Slams:
Nadal could have his hands full with Anderson, who just recently toppled No. 24 Richard Gasquet in straight sets to get here. But as is typically the case when the Spaniard steps on the court, nothing other than himself and his own limitations will keep him from outclassing his opponent.
Taking into account what we saw from Nadal the last time out, the scare he endured against Smyczek looks to be behind him. That doesn't mean he's the favorite—far from it, in reality—but with Federer falling on his half of the bracket, Nadal won't scoff at the opportunity in front of him.
Prediction: Nadal wins in three sets
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