First quarter:
Ranked players: (1) Novak Djokovic, (7) Stefanos Tsitsipas, (12) Taylor Fritz, (16) Ben Shelton, (20) Adrian Mannarino, (22) Francisco Cherundolo, (25) Lorenzo Musetti, (30) Thomas Martin Echeverri.
Expected quarter-finals: Novak Djokovic versus Stefanos Tsitsipas.
A black horse: Marin Cilic
Analysis: Djokovic will have extra motivation to give it his all in Melbourne as he fights for his 25th career TSB. The Serbian will start the tournament against the winner of the qualifier, and after that he could meet Alexey Popyrin.
Gaël Monfils, Andy Murray or even Tomas Martin Echeverry could face Djokovic in the third round. A potential fourth round with Ben Shelton is also possible. The quarter-final could be a rematch of last year’s Australian Open final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
As for Tsitsipas, he will start the tournament with Matteo Berrettini, and his path to the quarterfinals will pass through Lorenzo Musetti (third round) and Taylor Fritz (fourth round), who may well eliminate Tsitsipas.
Predictions for the quarterfinals: Djokovic’s Novak will beat Taylor Fritz.
Second quarter:
Ranked players: (4) Jannik Sinner, (5) Andrey Rublev, (10) Alex de Minaur, (15) Karen Khachanov, (17) Francis Tiafoe, (18) Nicholas Harry, (26) Sebastian Baez and (29) Sebastian Korda.
Expected quarter-finals: Jannik Sinner versus Andrei Rublev.
A black horse: Borna Coric.
Analysis: Sinner’s results at the end of last season showed that he is ready to take his career to the next level. He led Italy to Davis Cup victory, won two ATP 500 tournaments and finished second in the ATP Finals.
Sinner was also the only player to beat Djokovic twice last year, a fact that could give him some confidence when they potentially meet in the semifinals. The Italian has nothing to fear until the fourth round, where he could face last year’s Australian Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov.
On the other side of the table is Rublev, now known for his TBS quarterfinal failures. The Russian could meet Sebastian Korda in the third round and Alex de Minaur in the fourth.
The Australian recently entered the top 10 of the ATP rankings after a strong performance at the United Cup, including a victory over Djokovic. He will face Milos Raonic in the first round.
Sinner is the favorite in his part of the draw, but in the other it is difficult to choose between Rublev and de Minaur. Both have started the season quite well, but Alex has the home advantage, which could be key in the showdown with the Russian.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur.
Third quarter:
Ranked players: (3) Daniil Medvedev, (8) Holger Rune, (9) Hubert Hurkacz, (13) Grigor Dimitrov, (21) Hugo Humbert, (23) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, (27) Felix Auger-Aliassime, (28) Tallon Grickspoor .
Expected quarter-finals: Daniil Medvedev vs. Holger Rune.
A black horse: Zhizhen Zhang
Analysis: Medvedev, a two-time finalist at the Australian Open, is aiming for a third final. Even if he will have an easy start against the winner of the qualifications, it will be more difficult later. Félix Auger-Aliassime could be a third-round contender if he beats Dominic Thiem in the first round.
Medvedev’s biggest challenge will be Dimitrov in the fourth round. The Bulgarian won the Brisbane International in January and also finished the previous season in style.
Holger Rune has a pretty easy path to the quarterfinals. Even if the promising Artur Fiss could pose problems in the third round, the Dane could then be expected by Hubert Hurkacz.
At best, Rune is more durable than any of the potential opponents he faces in the early rounds. Second place in the quarter-finals depends on Medvedev and Dimitrov, with the latter having a good chance given his recent form.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Medvedev will defeat Rune.
Fourth trimester:
Ranked players: (2) Carlos Alcaraz, (6) Alexander Zverev, (11) Casper Ruud, (14) Tommy Paul, (19) Cameron Norrie, (24) Jan-Lennard Struff, (31) Alexander Bublik and (32) Jiri Legechka.
Expected quarter-finals: Carlos Alcaraz versus Alexander Zverev.
A black horse:Jack Draper
Analysis: Alcaraz has yet to make it past the third round of the Australian TBS. Last year, he was forced to miss the tournament due to injury. The Spaniard will start against veteran Richard Gasquet, who recently dropped out of the top 100 in the ATP rankings for the first time since April 2005.
Alcaraz’s next potential opponent could be Dan Evans, followed by Alexander Bublik. Tommy Paul could face him in the fourth round.
Alcaraz’s possible opponents in the quarterfinals are Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud.
The German helped Germany win the United Cup in January. Ruud also participated in this tournament and won all three of his singles matches. They will likely meet in the fourth round. Cameron Norrie is the only actor who can intervene in their dispute.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Carlos Alcaraz will beat Alexander Zverev.
Predictions for the semi-finals
Jannik Sinner will beat Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz will beat Daniil Medvedev
Prediction for the final
Jannik Sinner will beat Carlos Alcaraz
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
