Auger-Aliassime was the notable casualty citing cramp for his retirement against Borges. It blows open the second quarter of the draw and creates a window of opportunity for an unexpected player to make a run. Alcaraz remains the man to beat in the top half with former finalists here Zverev and Medvedev his two main challengers.
The world number 1 was comfortable without being impressive in his win over local hope Adam Walton but it was his first official match of the season. Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann capitalised on a rare advantageous 1st round matchup by getting the better of qualifier Zachary Zvajda but don’t expect him to go any further than this. This is his 17th Grand Slam and only the third time that he has progressed to this stage. Alcaraz holds a 2-0 advantage in the H2H which began with a straight sets win in a Challenger Tour match when the Spaniard was only 15 years of age! He has come a long way in 7 years and Hanfmann is about to witness how far.
Zverev was slow out of the blocks against Diallo dropping the opening set but it did not come as a surprise. He has been renowned throughout his career for tougher than expected matches in the early stages of majors and on paper there could be a repeat here. Muller beat Zverev on German soil last year but the downside for the Frenchman this time around is that he just played a four-hour epic against Popyrin in the opening round. The Aussie had 40 aces but failed to capitalise on a winning position multiple times. Zverev has been too dominant on serve to give Muller a chance in this one.
Medvedev was able to go into lockdown mode lade in the first and third sets against Jesper De Jong which helped him to a straight sets win. He dropped serve four times in that match which suggests Halys could cause him problems – especially after winning more than 71% of 2nd serve point in his win over Tabilo. I have to disagree as Medvedev is 2-0 in this series and has won all four sets against Halys in their battles on the ATP Tour. Moreover, Halys has failed to generate a single break point opportunity in his two prior matches against Medvedev, and on that alone we will be taking the former finalist here to dominate.
With wins over the likes of Medvedev, Rune and Khachanov in the last year, Medjedovic is no slouch. He is solid enough on serve but the key to his game is the forehand. We will see clean winners throughout the match from that wing and it will cause De Minaur a headache. The Aussie is arguably the best mover/defender on tour but it is players with big weapons that cause him problems. Medjedovic will have to play his best to beat him but the underdog will get his chance to dominate from the baseline. The bookies have kept Medjedovic safe in the market but it will not prevent us from getting on. The Overs is the best bet of the day with Medjedovic a genuine chance to spring an upset.
Alcaraz v Hanfmann: Alcaraz -8.5 ($1.70)
Zverev v Muller: Sets Zverev 3-0 ($1.60)
Zheng v Moutet: Moutet WIN ($1.72)
Medvedev v Halys: Medvedev -6.5 ($1.92)
Majchrzak v Marozsan: Marozsan WIN ($1.60)
Medjedovic v De Minaur: Over 34.5 games ($1.82)
Nava v Norrie: Nava WIN ($2.85)
Paul v Tirante: Sets Paul 3-0 ($1.70)
Opelka v Davidovic Fokina: Over 39.5 games ($1.72)
Bublik v Fucsovics: Fucsovics +5.5 ($1.82)
Etcheverry v Fery: Etcheverry WIN ($1.62)
Tiafoe v Comesana: Tiafoe -3.5 ($1.70)
Cerundolo v Dzumhur: Under 35.5 games ($1.87)
Faria v Rublev: Sets Rublev 3-0 ($1.91)
Tien v Shevchenko: Tien -1.5 Sets ($1.40)
Thompson v Borges: Over 37.5 games ($1.83)