Australian Open 2016: Friday Schedule, Matchup Predictions for Melbourne Bracket
The third round of the 2016 Australian Open begins in earnest on Friday.
Defending champions and respective No. 1 seeds Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic will take to the courts in Melbourne on Friday. They headline a day that also features No. 3 Roger Federer—looking to capture his 18th Grand Slam title—and No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, who is in imperious form and poses a real threat to Williams' title hopes.
The men's draw features a number of intriguing matchups between top-ranked players, while a rash of upsets in the first two rounds of the tournament has seen all the women's seeded players matched up with unseeded upstarts.
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Here's the viewing schedule, matchups and predictions for Day 5's bracket.
| Time (ET) | Round | TV |
| 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. | Third Round | Tennis Channel |
| 11 p.m. - 7 a.m. | Third Round | ESPN2 |
| Draw | Matchup | Prediction |
| Women's Singles | No. 12 Belinda Bencic vs. Kateryna Bondarenko | Bencic |
| Women's Singles | Lauren Davis vs. No. 5 Maria Sharapova | Sharapova |
| Men's Singles | No. 3 Roger Federer vs. No. 27 Grigor Dimitrov | Federer |
| Women's Singles | No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Daria Kasatkina | Williams |
| Men's Singles | No 29 Nick Kyrgios vs. No. 6 Tomas Berdych | Kyrgios |
| Men's Singles | No. 26 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs. No. 7 Kei Nishikori | Nishikori |
| Men's Singles | No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert | Tsonga |
| Women's Singles | No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Monica Puig | Radwanska |
| Men's Singles | No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 28 Andreas Seppi | Djokovic |
| Women's Singles | No. 10 Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Elizaveta Kulichkova | Navarro |
| Men's Singles | No. 19 Dominic Thiem vs. No. 15 David Goffin | Goffin |
| Women's Singles | Anna-Lena Friedsam vs. No. 13 Roberta Vinci | Friedsam |
| Men's Singles | Federico Delbonis vs. No. 14 Gilles Simon | Simon |
| Women's Singles- Not Before 5:30 p.m. | No. 28 Kristina Mladenovic vs. Daria Gavrilova | Gavrilova |
| Women's Singles | Margarita Gasparyan vs. Yulia Putintseva | Gasparyan |
| Men's Singles- Not Before 6 p.m. | No. 12 Marin Cilic vs. No. 24 Roberto Bautista Agut | Cilic |
Note: a complete schedule can be found at AUSOpen.com. For live streams of specific matches, check out WatchESPN.
Top Matchup to Watch on Friday
No. 29 Nick Kyrgios vs. No. 6 Tomas Berdych
While Federer's match against No. 27 Grigor Dimitrov is likely to produce some beautiful tennis—both players are exceedingly comfortable in all areas of the court—the first meeting between Nick Kyrgios and Tomas Berdych could prove to be even more entertaining.
Though they haven't met on the court in an ATP match, Kyrgios and Berdych are very familiar with each other's games. The two played exhibition tennis together for the Singapore Slammers in the International Premier Tennis League, according to Jon Tuxworth of the Sydney Morning Herald.
Slammers coach Josh Eagle says the time together should give Kyrgios an idea of how to combat Berdych, via Tuxworth:
"They played against each other in Tokyo last year [after Berdych switched to UAE Royals] and Nick won that one, and played very well.
We shouldn't read too much into it, it's one-set exhibition tennis, but the one positive thing for Nick is he will be familiar with Berdych and what he's going to get.
Sometimes when you play a top-10 player you don't know what's going to come at you, but he spent three weeks with Berdych and is comfortable with his ball striking and what to expect out there.
"
Neither player has dropped a set so far in Melbourne. Berdych was especially impressive in the second round, defeating Mirza Basic, 6-4, 6-0, 6-3. The lanky Czech smashed 15 aces in the match and won 95 percent of his first-serve points.
Kyrgios, a wicked server in his own right, will have to be mentally sharp to beat Berdych. The 20-year-old Australian is prone to lapses in concentration and losing his cool at times. He's been fairly consistent so far in the Open, though he did draw a fine for uttering an obscenity in the first round. Still, he's stayed out of his own way and let his talent do the talking, for the most part.
This match will test the shot-making ability of both players, as each sports a long frame capable of covering large swaths of the court. Kyrgios racked up 50 winners against Pablo Cuevas in the second round, including a couple of sublime strokes in the third-set tiebreaker that sealed the match.
Berdych is eminently capable of doing the same to Kyrgios. Making good on chances to break serve will be incredibly important in this duel.
There should be a good atmosphere for the match, with Kyrgios drawing vocal support from the Australian crowd. The young man is looking to take the leap in Melbourne. Spurred on by the partisan crowd, he'll make progress toward that goal with a grueling five-set win over Berdych.
Prediction: Kyrgios in five sets
No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Monica Puig
Radwanska is undefeated so far in 2016 and playing some truly excellent tennis, but even her best might not be enough to get break a resolute Monica Puig.
The Puerto Rican crushed Magda Linette in the first round, then weathered a record-breaking storm of serves in her 4-6, 7-6 (6), 9-7 win over Kristyna Pliskova in the second round. Live Tennis provided the relevant numbers:
"Despite 5 MPs & a record 31 aces for Kristyna Pliskova, Monica Puig wins 9-7 in the third set. Amazing scenes. pic.twitter.com/SUj67UpoGs
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) January 20, 2016"
Even though she beat a dangerous Eugenie Bouchard in the second round, Radwanska isn't taking anything for granted against her less heralded third-round opponent.
The women's draw has been no stranger to upsets so far, and Puig is going to be a tough out, but Radwanska is simply playing too well to suffer an early exit. The 26-year-old isn't making too many mistakes on the court right now; it's going to be tough for Puig to match her precision. Radwanska will move on after two difficult sets.
Prediction: Radwanska in two sets
All stats courtesy of AUSOpen.com unless otherwise noted.
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