By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Grand Slam champions Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Sloane Stephens are all in action on a busy Wednesday in Melbourne. We preview and provide picks for four matches.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Cloud cover moving into Melbourne is expected to take a bit of the edge off a scorching start to this Australian Open.
Several players splashed into ice baths after round one.
Kyrgios: Feel Like Dogs**t
Stars and contenders take the plunge onto the blue Melbourne courts for round two.
Here's a look at four matches popping from the schedule page for Wednesday's Australian Open action.
See the Full Day 4 Order of Play Here
(5) Sloane Stephens (USA) vs. Timea Babos (HUN)
Rod Laver Arena, first match
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Stephens' Best Oz Open Result: Semifinals (2013)
Babos' Best Oz Open Result: Second round (2016, 2018, 2019); reigning doubles champion with Kristina Mladenovic
Friendly fire at play as the pair partnered to win three Grand Slam junior doubles championships—Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open—back in 2010.
Reigning Australian Open doubles champion Babos enjoys the quicker Melbourne courts. She must use the surface speed to her advantage, serve better than 60 percent and make this match about the first serve and first strike. Babos knows Stephens sometimes drifts behind the baseline and goes into prevent defense mode, that's why she's got to come forward on occasion and hit behind the speedier Stephens as well.
A brilliant ball striker when she's in form, Stephens is more balanced off both wings, is quicker off the mark and stands out as one of the best pure athletes in the sport. The 2017 US Open champion will want to mix deeper crosscourt drives with some shorter, sharper angles, keep the ball out of the center of the court and keep the Hungarian moving side-to-side.
Afte her 6-4, 6-2, opening round win over compatriot Taylor Townsend, Stephens told ESPN's Chrissie Evert that her defense and movement will be keys to a deep run in Melbourne. Stephens loves a target and was sharp on the pass against the net-rushing Townsend.
The danger here is Babos knows Stephens well and is well aware the Roland Garros runner-up can be prone to sluggish starts. Stephens must compete with urgency, keep her feet moving and play with plenty of spin and margin. The 2013 semifinalist snapped a streak of three straight opening-round exits in Melbourne. If she's engaged and energized, Stephens should prevail.
The Pick: Stephens in 2 sets
(5) Kevin Anderson (RSA) vs. Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Margaret Court Arena, second match
Head-to-head: Anderson leads 3-0
Anderson's Best Oz Open Result: Fourth round (2013-15)
Tiafoe's Best Oz Open Result: Second round (2017)
The Wimbledon finalist has won six of eight sets vs. the talented American and will be empowered winning his sixth career title in Pune earlier this month.
The 6'8" South African's jolting serve is the biggest shot on the court. Anderson also owns a massive major experience edge. He's contested two Grand Slam finals in his last seven majors, while Tiafoe has failed to surpass the second round in 10 of his 11 career majors.
So why does Tiafoe have a shot here?
The Delray Beach champion is a superior mover, more athletic and is often more willing to attack net. Both men are more stable off their two-handed backhands and both will employ the one-handed slice on occasion to disrupt the rhythm of rallies.
Two keys for Tiafoe: Can he create some running rallies and stetch the big man laterally and can he challenge the Anderson forehand on pivotal points?
This could be very tight, but Anderson's serve, experience and clarity amid tie break pressure—he's won five of seven breaks this season, Tiafoe is 1-1 in tie breaks—should help him prevail.
The Pick: Anderson in 4 sets
(20) Anett Kontaveit (EST) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Melbourne Arena, first match
Head-to-head: Kontaveit leads 4-3
Kontaveit's Best Oz Open Result: Fourth round (2018)
Sasnovich's' Best Oz Open Result: Third round (2018)
The explosive Estonian is at her best backing opponents into the corner then abruptly change direction and drive the ball down the line. Look for Kontaveit to come out cracking the ball to try to seize control of the center of the court.
The 31st-ranked Sasnovich isn't seeded, but she sure played like a seed in Sydney. Sasnovich played through qualifying knocking off Olympic gold-medal champion Monica Puig, 10th-ranked Daria Kasatkina and Timea Bacsinszky en route to the Sydney semifinals.
That result came after the Belarusian knocked off fourth-ranked Elina Svitolina to reach the Brisbane quarterfinals.
Kontaveit could hit her way through this match, but we'll ride with Sasanovich and compatriot Aryna Sabalenka to fly the flag for Belarus after Victoria Azarenka's departure.
The winner of this match faces either ninth-seeded Kiki Bertens or powerful Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a spot in the fourth round.
The pick: Sasnovich in 3 sets
(2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Matthew Ebden (AUS)
Rod Laver Arena, second night match
Head-to-head: Nadal leads 1-0
Nadal's Best Oz Open Result: Champion (2009)
Ebden's Best Oz Open Result: Second round (2012, 2014, 2018)
Rafa Nadal playfully jabbed jet-lagged journalist Ubi for falling asleep during his presser on Monday.
The 11-time Roland Garros champion won't be snoozing against Ebden, his second straight Aussie opponent. Rafa shed the rust quickly sinking James Duckworth, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5, for his first win since the US Open.
Twelve Aussie men started the main draw—most since 2001—with Nick Kygios, Bernard Tomic, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Duckworth all out in the opening round.
The 31-year-old Ebden scored Top 10 wins over Dominic Thiem (in Shanghai) and David Goffin (at Wimbledon) last year. Ebden has sound court sense, can employ variety and is at his best moving forward to close at net.
Challenging Nadal's passing shots is as wise as trying to leap the Yarra River in a single bound.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion says he's fit and fired up and his first-round win reinforced that.
The Pick: Nadal in 3 sets