Australian Open Predictions: Day Six

Australian Open Predictions: Day Six, Brandon

What a night of matches again! By the far the biggest upset of the open, Roger Federer fell to Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. This exit at a major, is Federer’s worst performance at the Australian Open since 2001. That just shows the incredible career the man has had and we look forward to seeing Federer back in Melbourne next year for a better performance.

The man once known as “Baby Fed,” Grigor Dimitrov really showed his grit as he battled against Marcos Baghdatis. The one time finalist in Melbourne, Baghdatis played some of the best tennis over the past week.

Kevin Anderson thumped Frenchman Richard Gasquet in three-sets. I chose to go with Gasquet with this one, against my gut and paid the price. The adage of always sticking with your gut stung me here.

In an all-Aussie matchup, Tomic took out Groth relatively easily. He showed off his powerful forehand and was able to pick apart Groth’s ridiculous serve.

Other Notable Performances:

Berdych continued to cruise with a three-set victory over the Serb, Viktor Troicki
Nadal returned to form
Murray cruised
Kygrios continues to push through

Australian Open Predictions So Far:

average out of 32 – later rounds worth more

Nate – 24, 26, 20, 26, 24 = 24

Geoff – 23, 26, 16, 24, 28 = 23.4

Brandon – 25, 25, 18, 24, 20 = 22.4

Brandon Roertgen’s Round 3 Predictions

1st Half, Djokovic’s Quarter

Djokovic (1) d. Verdasco (31)

This match could be the start of several challenging matches for the Serb. After he cruised in his first two rounds, he will have to face Verdasco and then possibly Isner and Raonic in consecutive rounds. Verdasco has the ability to play with the top-10, but he needs to start out hot and keep his confidence. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this go four sets, but Djokovic will come out on top.

Isner (19) d. Muller

The veteran Gilles Muller pulled out quite an upset in the second round, taking out Bautista Agut. However, Isner is a completely different animal and will provide a major challenge for Muller. If Isner continues to serve well, keep his confidence high and attack the net, he will move on through.

Janowicz d. Lopez (12)

This is the end of the line for the edge-skirting Spaniard. Lopez, has tasted death in both of his matches so far, barely getting through in both (and he probably shouldn’t have gotten past Mannarino). Janowicz has looked good and he will prevail.

Raonic (8) d. Becker

Raonic is one of the players who is just chugging along, staying under the radar. He has been impressive in the first few rounds and will continue to move on through.

1st Half, Wawrinka’s Quarter

Wawrinka (4) d. Nieminen

After a tight three-set match in the last round, Wawrinka will face another gritty player. Nieminen may be a shocker, but he has simply gotten the job done so far. I think Wawrinka will get through in another tight three-set match.

Pospisil d. Garcia-Lopez

I have underestimated the Canadian more than a few times thus far in this year’s Open. I liked his performance against Querrey and Lorenzi, which both showed me fight and toughness. I like the Canadian in this matchup, but it will likely go five sets.

Simon (18) d. Ferrer (9)

I have been looking at this possible matchup since the draws came out and boy I thought it would be a hard pick, but not so much anymore. Ferrer has struggled to get started in both of his first-round matches and Simon has crushed both his competitors. If Ferrer starts slowly, he won’t be able to even get his feet planted before it is over.

Nishikori (5) d. Johnson

Nishikori has faced two very tough competitors in his first few rounds and lived to tell the story. Despite the fact that American Steve Johnson is playing great tennis, he will be no match for the No. 5 seed.

Next: Lob and Smash 2015 Grand Slam Predictions

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