Australian Open 2015: Day 7 Schedule, Matchups Predictions for Melbourne Bracket
Even with some tournament favorites falling and other high seeds being upset, the opening week of the 2015 Australian Open has done nothing to downplay excitement for the stretch run.
The opening three rounds are in the books, which means the top names in tennis are now going up against fellow seeded competition and the level of play is peaking higher and higher. It took inspiring performances to get past some of the upset-minded foes even before, but now the household names will have to step up their game even more to avoid embarrassment.
Action begins again with an exciting start to Round 4 on Sunday, which includes the jam-packed half of the bracket with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray both looking to extend their stays in Melbourne. The time for shocking upsets is now over, and these stars will have to outlast worthy opposition to advance on.
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With that in mind, let's break down all of the top matchups for Day 7 and make some predictions.
| No. 3 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 14 Kevin Anderson | 9:30 p.m. | Rod Laver |
| No. 6 Andy Murray vs. No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov | 4:15 a.m. | Rod Laver |
| No. 7 Tomas Berdych vs. Bernard Tomic | 9:30 p.m. | Margaret |
| Nick Kyrgios vs. Andreas Seppi | 1:15 a.m. | Hisense |
| No. 2 Maria Sharapova vs. No. 21 Shuai Peng | 8:15 p.m. | Rod Laver |
| No. 3 Simona Halep vs. Yanina Wickmayer | 3 a.m. | Rod Laver |
| No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard vs. Irina-Camelia Begu | 7 p.m. | Rod Laver |
| No. 10 Ekaterina Makarova vs. Julia Goerges | 9:15 p.m. | Margaret |
Note: Complete Day 7 schedule can be found at AusOpen.com.
Day 7 Predictions
No. 2 Maria Sharapova vs. No. 21 Shuai Peng
What a difference a couple of days made for Maria Sharapova.
The Russian No. 2 seed seemed to validate the early upsets of other women's top seeds with her second-round struggle against Alexandra Panova, overcoming two match points to win a thriller. She looked far from her best in that one, but it all changed in a massive way in the third round, as Australian Open shared:
Sharapova goes up against a familiar foe in Round 4, facing No. 21 Shuai Peng out of China. She has faced the opponent five times, only falling in one of them—and it came in Beijing in 2009.
Since then, Sharapova has beaten her in the latter rounds of two Slams. But it will be her impeccable form shown at times Down Under and the improvements made over the last year-plus that get her over the top Sunday, although Peng will make her work for it.
Prediction: Sharapova wins in three sets
No. 6 Andy Murray vs. No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov
It's not all too often that Andy Murray enters the fourth round of a Slam with the chance to exact revenge, but that's just the case as he enters Round 4 against Grigor Dimitrov.
The No. 10 seed ousted Murray in last year's Wimbledon, which put to an end Murray's reigning championship there and served as one of many letdown performances of his 2014 campaign.
Murray has undergone a coaching change and has seemingly gotten back to form since then, while even Dimitrov acknowledges Sunday should be different, per Daily Mail's Stuart Fraser:
"'That day it was not him out there on the court. I think we all know that. I think it's a different scenario this time,' he said, who twice came from a set down to beat Marcos Baghdatis in five sets in the third round.
'It just happened for me on that day to really play good. I used every single mistake that he did. I'm sure in the next round he's going to be really focused and composed and wants to do everything to stop me.
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Even though Dimitrov got the best of Murray at the All England Club, the British star has a Paris Masters win over the Bulgarian to lean on, toppling him in straight sets in the round of 16 there. While Murray took steps forward around that time of year, he's shown Down Under that he's capable of making another deep Slam run, and Dimitrov won't be able to hang.
Prediction: Murray wins in four sets
No. 7 Tomas Berdych vs. Bernard Tomic
Seventh-seeded men's standout Tomas Berdych will be going up against much more than an opponent Sunday.
He'll also be going up against a noticeably biased crowd, who will surely be rooting for hometown product Bernard Tomic of Australia to continue his impressive run so far in the tournament.
But while Tomic figures to be a fan favorite in Sunday's showdown, he also comes in on fire after a great start. He notched a pair of four-set victories in the first and second rounds, toppling No. 22 Philipp Kohlschreiber before beating fellow countryman Sam Groth in straight sets in Round 3.
However, Berdych comes in no less confident of his abilities, and acknowledged that the crowd should at least give him some cheers if he plays well:
Tomic has been outstanding thus far in Melbourne, but his opponent has been even better. Berdych has failed to drop a single set in his three matches, and Tomic will be hard pressed to end that streak.
The real opportunity for Berdych lies ahead, as potential quarterfinal opponent Roger Federer is now eliminated and that opens up a road for Berdych to make a deep run. But first, he'll have to get past Tomic in a match a bit closer than his liking.
Prediction: Berdych wins in four sets
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