First-round action at the Australian Open continues on Monday with a blockbuster matchup featuring Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini. Adrian Mannarino is going up against former champion Stan Wawrinka.
Matteo Berrettini vs. (7) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas and Berrettini will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers and for the second time at Melbourne Park when they clash in round one of the Australian Open on Monday afternoon. All four of their previous encounters have gone the way of Tsitsipas, who prevailed 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4) at this tournament in 2019–also in the first round. It has been more than a year since they last faced each other, as Tsitsipas most recently got the job done 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 at the 2023 United Cup. They were also supposed to square off in Melbourne three years ago, but Berrettini withdrew prior to that fourth-round contest due to an abdominal issue.
Injuries have continued to plague the Italian, who played sparingly last year and as a result finds himself at No. 125 in the rankings. He has not played a match since rolling his ankle at the U.S. Open last summer. Tsitsipas has endured physical problems of his own in recent seasons, but he still heads into this fortnight in much better shape than Berrettini. The seventh-ranked Greek generally plays well Down Under, too; he finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2023 and has reached the semifinals on three other occasions. Count on Tsitsipas breezing into round two.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 3
(20) Adrian Mannarino vs. Stan Wawrinka
Speaking of success in Australia, Wawrinka has enjoyed plenty of it. The 38-year-old lifted the trophy in 2014, has reached the semifinals twice, and has advanced to the quarters two other times. Of course, this is not the same Wawrinka at this point in his career and he has not gotten out of the second round since 2020. The Swiss still registers at a decent 56th in the world, but he was a disappointing 2-7 in his final nine matches last season and has not yet taken the court in 2024.
Up first for Wawrinka is Mannarino, whose current story is much different even though he is always in the latter stages of his of his career at 35 years old. The Frenchman is playing the best tennis of his life, up to No. 20 in the rankings thanks to 43 match victories and three titles in 2023. Mannarino went 1-3 at the United Cup earlier this month, but the competition level was extremely difficult and there is nothing bad about getting four good matches under your belt heading into a Grand Slam. The 20th seed clearly has the edge in this one, but Wawrinka can never be completely counted out in Melbourne.
Pick: Mannarino in 5
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