SM
Liverpool vs. Man Utd: 10 hrs 44 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

8 intriguing match-ups at the Australian Open

:Headline: 8 intriguing match-ups at the Australian Open: ID:346440: from db_amp
Eight first-round matches to grab the attention.

The Australian Open gets under way at Melbourne Park on Monday with a host of intriguing match-ups.

Here, Press Association Sport picks out eight of the best.

Roberto Bautista Agut v Andy Murray

As an unseeded player, Murray was left to the luck of the draw and his luck was out. Spaniard Bautista Agut, seeded 22nd, won the title in Doha last week, beating Novak Djokovic along the way, and his relentless baseline game will give Murray's dodgy right hip a thorough workout.

Kyle Edmund v Tomas Berdych

As the 13th seed, Edmund would have hoped for a kind draw, but he was also unfortunate. Last year's semi-finalist will face former slam finalist Berdych, whose ranking has dropped to 57 after back problems saw him miss the second half of last season.

Nick Kyrgios v Milos Raonic

Kyrgios' poor results have caused the Australian's ranking to plummet outside the top 50, making him one of the key unseeded floaters in the draw. His name landed next to 16th seed Raonic, a former semi-finalist in Melbourne.

Marin Cilic v Bernard Tomic

The other Australian 'bad boy' also has a high-profile first-round match against last year's runner-up Cilic. Tomic failed to qualify 12 months ago but has climbed back into the top 100.

Simona Halep v Kaia Kanepi

Halep goes into the tournament as world number one and last year's beaten finalist but the Romanian is also on a five-match losing streak, including a first-round loss to big-hitting Estonian Kanepi at the US Open.

Alison Van Uytvanck v Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki defeated Halep to win a long-awaited first slam title here 12 months ago but the rest of 2018 was a struggle and in October she revealed a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Belgian Van Uytvanck is not at her best on hard courts but has proved capable of big wins.

Destanee Aiava v Madison Keys

American Keys has reached at least the quarter-finals at four of the last five slams but should face a stern first test against exciting 18-year-old Australian wild card Aiava.

Sloane Stephens v Taylor Townsend

Stephens' last six grand slams have yielded one title, one final, one quarter-final and three first-round exits, which rather sums up the fifth seed's unpredictability. In the first round here she takes on one of the most stylish players in the draw in fellow American Taylor Townsend.

amp_article__346440 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-01-10 12:44:06:
html db last update - 2019-01-10 12:44:06 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Read more about Australian Open Tennis
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham197842825329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .