Australian Open 2016: Schedule, Predictions for Monday Melbourne Bracket
There are two potentially epic matches on tap for Monday on the men's side of the draw at the 2016 Australian Open. No. 2 seed Andy Murray will face No. 12 Bernard Tomic and No. 4 Stan Wawrinka will take on No. 13 Milos Raonic.
Both matches could turn into five-set classics as two established stars in Murray and Wawrinka try to hold off hard-charging up-and-comers. Here's a look at the schedule and predictions:
| No. 7 Angelique Kerber vs. Annika Beck | Kerber |
| No. 14 Victoria Azarenka vs. Barbora Strycova | Azarenka |
| No. 13 Milos Raonic vs. No. 4 Stan Wawrinka (Not Before 2 p.m. (Local), 10 p.m. ET on Sunday) | Wawrinka |
| Andrey Kuznetsov vs. No. 23 Gael Monfils | Monfils |
| Johanna Konta vs. No. 21 Ekaterina Makarova | Makarova |
| No. 8 David Ferrer vs. No. 10 John Isner (Not Before 6:30 p.m. (Local), 2:30 a.m. ET) | Ferrer |
| No. 16 Bernard Tomic vs. No. 2 Andy Murray | Tomic |
| No. 15 Madison Keys vs. Shuai Zhang | Keys |
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Tomic's Time
After years of underachieving, Tomic finally looks ready to make a power move up the rankings. He advanced to the fourth round with a straight-sets win over John Millman (6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2) on Saturday. He'll now face the biggest challenge of the tournament in Murray.
History doesn't favor Tomic. In three previous meetings, Murray has handled the Australian in straight sets. Tomic's inability to beat the top players to this point in his career is limiting the praise he receives as a future star.
Long-time pro Lleyton Hewitt talks about Tomic in comparison to his volatile 20-year-old countryman Nick Kyrgios in his Tennis Podcast:
Hewitt has a good point, but there's something different about this matchup with Murray.
Only one of the previous meetings took place in Tomic's home country (2012 Brisbane International), and he was a 19-year-old still feeling his way at the time. A more mature and focused Tomic is playing some of the best tennis of his career.
He'll draw on the momentum he's established the past week in Melbourne and the energy from the crowd en route to the upset victory and a spot in the quarterfinals.
Wawrinka Will Turn Back Raonic
Wawrinka has won four of the five previous meetings with Raonic. The latter won the most recent meeting on New Year's Day in the semifinals at the Capitala World Tennis Championships.
It was a hard-fought straight-sets victory (7-5, 7-5). Raonic went on to lose in the final to Rafael Nadal. The Canadian would in turn win the Brisbane International the following week with a straight-sets victory over Roger Federer (6-4, 6-4).
Raonic hasn't lost a set thus far in the Australian Open, so it isn't crazy to think he'll again defeat Wawrinka. Still, the prediction here is for the higher seed. Wawrinka has made himself into a big-match performer over the past three years.
He rises to the occasion in the Grand Slam events, and Raonic is still cutting his teeth in regard to reaching the status of the elite. It's possible this will turn out to be a breakout year for Raonic, but he'll have to wait a while to grab his first Grand Slam of 2016.
Azarenka over Strycova
No. 14 Victoria Azarenka is the second-best female tennis player in the world behind Serena Williams—no matter what the official rankings say. She is especially strong at the Australian Open where she's won twice in her career (2012, 2013).
She's never faced unseeded Barbora Strycova, but the lack of familiarity won't be much of an impediment. Azarenka hasn't come close to losing a set in Melbourne. No opponent has even won more than two games against her.
Strycova did knock off No. 3 Garbine Muguruza in the third round, but her success won't extend into Monday. With the way Azarenka is playing, no one short of Williams has a chance of stopping her.
All stats per Wettpoint.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
