Australian Open 2016: Tuesday Melbourne Bracket, Schedule, Matchup Predictions
Top-seeded players Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are the headliners on Tuesday in Melbourne, as the 2016 Australian Open's second week continues with the men's and women's singles quarterfinals.
Djokovic and Williams are the respective defending champions at the Australian Open. Djokovic is looking to win the title here for the sixth time in his career and build upon a blistering 2015 that saw him win three Grand Slams.
As for Williams, a win in Australia would give her 22 Grand Slam titles for her career, bringing her level with the great Steffi Graf for the most in the Open Era.
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Both No. 1s will have to be in top form to maneuver through the remaining competition. It is indeed an all-around star-studded affair on Day 9, as the eight singles draw players are top-10 seeds in their respective draws. Not one of them can be considered out of their depth, as they've all reached the Australian Open quarterfinals at least once before in their careers.
Here's a look at Tuesday's quarterfinals schedule, with predictions for each match and a preview of the best contest in each draw.
| Time (ET) | Round | TV | Live Stream |
| 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. | Quarterfinals | Tennis Channel | N/A |
| 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. | Quarterfinals | ESPN2 | WatchESPN |
| Time (ET)* | Draw | Matchup | Prediction |
| 11 a.m. | Women's Singles | No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) | Radwanska in three |
| Not Before 12:45 p.m. | Women's Singles | No. 1 Serena Williams (USA) vs. No. 5 Maria Sharapova (RUS | Williams in two |
| Not Before 2:30 p.m. | Men's Singles | No. 3 Roger Federer (SUI) vs. No. 6 Tomas Berdych (CZE) | Federer in four |
| 7 p.m. | Men's Singles | No. 1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. No. 3 Kei Nishikori (JPN) | Djokovic in five |
Note: Live streams for the tournament broadcast and specific matches can be found at WatchESPN. A full Tuesday schedule can be found at AusOpen.com.
Matchups to Watch
No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. No. 10 Carla Suarez Navarro
Since Williams vs. Maria Sharapova is probably going to pan out the way it always pans out—Williams is 18-2 against the Russian and hasn't lost to her since 2004—let's focus on the other women's quarterfinal matchup on Day 9.
Radwanska has been in impeccable form in 2016—9-0 in singles play and a title win at the Shenzhen Open—but she did show some cracks in her game in the fourth round against unseeded Anna-Lena Friedsam. Despite battling leg cramps, Friedsam took Radwanska to three sets for the first time in 2016 but faltered late and lost 6-7(6), 6-1, 7-5.
Navarro is into the quarterfinals after surviving upstart Australian Daria Gavrilova 0-6, 6-3, 6-2. The 27-year-old Navarro is capable of making a wide variety of shots and will likely need her full repertoire on Tuesday. Radwanska has decimated her opponents by putting them into tricky spots on the court and refusing to let them get in a rhythm.
She's also been a menace on break points in this tournament, showing poise under pressure.
| 1st | Christina McHale | 5/7 (71%) | 4/6 (67%) | |
| 2nd | Eugenie Bouchard | 4/4 (100 %) | 1/7 (14%) | |
| 3rd | Monica Puig | 5/7 (71%) | 1/4 (25%) | |
| 4th | Anna-Lena Friedsam | 7/16 (44%) | 5/13 (38%) |
Radwanska has seen her opponents beat themselves quite a bit in this tournament, Friedsam racked up 61 unforced errors in their fourth-round meeting, while a dangerous Eugenie Bouchard committed 37 in a straight-sets loss in the second round.
Navarro is a sharp player and will have to reach deep into her bag of tricks to beat Radwanska, but she has to make sure she doesn't doom herself first by dropping easy points.
Radwanska has a 2-1 edge against Navarro all-time, but the Spaniard was victorious in their last meeting—a three-set win at the 2015 Miami Open in March.
There isn't much separating the two in Melbourne, but Radwanska's form and experience should see her through. She's reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in five of the last six years. Navarro's only appearance this late came back in 2009.
Navarro will test her, but the moment belongs to Radwanska, who appears to be one of the few capable of keeping Williams from the title.
Prediction: Radwanska in three
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 7 Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori may be just 2-5 against Djokovic in his career, but he has a golden opportunity for an upset on Tuesday.
Djokovic's play can usually be described as divine when it comes to the Australian Open (or almost any major tournament, for that matter). However, the Serbian superstar played very much like a mere mortal in his fourth-round win over No. 14 Gilles Simon.
Simply put, he committed a staggering amount of unforced errors, some of them coming in attempts to force Simon out of his comfort zone, per the Associated Press (via Tennis.com):
"Djokovic advanced to the final eight and a match Tuesday against Kei Nishikori despite making a whopping 100 unforced errors, including four backhand drop shots into the net as he attempted, unsuccessfully, to get Simon to move up from his anchored position on the baseline.
The five-time champion Djokovic and the pesky Simon played plenty of long rallies - the longest of which was 37 strokes. Simon frustrated Djokovic with his defensive play, saving all 11 break-point opportunities in the second set before dominating the tiebreaker.
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Djokovic overcame his self-inflicted wounds to win the match in five grueling sets 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, hitting some beautiful winners along the way. He did manage to stay positive after the tough match, per freelance journalist Carole Bouchard:
While Djokovic left himself with plenty to think about and a tank in quick need of refueling, Nishikori simply breezed into the quarterfinals. He took down No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets in the fourth round, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
The Japanese star hasn't dropped a set in Melbourne, and he is confident he can beat Djokovic, per ESPN.com's Matt Wilansky: "Yeah, that gives me a lot of confidence to play against him again, but we played in London and he kind of destroy me. It wasn't easy match for me. It's different condition, but I hope I can make some changes and try to play better. Yeah. I'm ready to beat him again."
He will have to play his best tennis, the kind that saw him beat Djokovic in the semifinals at the 2014 U.S. Open.
Nishikori has displayed plenty of patience, using his quickness and agility to get to shots both at the back and up at the net. It will be interesting to see if Djokovic tries to draw out Nishikori with drop shots after scuffing so many against Simon. We know at least one person doesn't want to see him try it.
Lacking a powerful serve, Nishikori will have to really step up in the rallies, as Djokovic is a brilliant returner and unlikely to give up quick points. If Djoker isn't vastly sharper than he was against Simon, an upset is in order. However, the consummate professional should be able to work out the kinks in his game and survive a spirited challenge from Nishikori.
Prediction: Djokovic in five
All stats courtesy of AusOpen.com unless otherwise noted.
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