The final day of the first round of the Australian Open gets underway on Tuesday at Melbourne Park, with veteran Grigor Dimitrov taking on Tomas Machac and American Alex Michelsen against Karen Khachanov.
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas Machac
This is an unlucky first round match for Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. Tomas Machac just missed the placement in Melbourne, but is now ranked 24th in the world thanks to his tournament victory in Adelaide last week. In short, he comes into this match with hot hands, while Dimitrov….doesn’t. Dimitrov won one match in his warm-up event and lost to Raphael Collignon in the second round of Brisbane. The veteran will not get the chance to quietly participate in the Australian Open; Machac simply plays too well.
Look for Machac to add another win to his 1-0 head-to-head record over Dimitrov.
Cheryl’s choice: Machac in 4
Ricky choice: Dimitrov in 3
(15) Karen Khachanov vs. Alex Michelsen
Ironically, it was Alex Michelsen who defeated Karen Khachanov at the Australian Open last year. Khachanov is one of the quieter threats on the men’s tour. Somehow he’s never been in the conversation as a likely champion, but he still often makes the business end of tournaments, including at majors.
This could be one of Melbourne’s best first round matches. Khachanov did not have a great start to the season, losing in his opener to Michael Mmoh in Hong Kong. As such, a disruption may be in the cards. Michelsen reached the semi-finals in Brisbane and played well. See if the American goes further.
Cheryl pick: Michelsen in 4
Ricky choice: Michelsen in 5
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