Some of the top players will be in action for their second round matches at the 2020 Australian Open begins at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, January 22nd. Get the latest Marin Cilic v Benoit Paire & Cristain Garin v Milos Raonic tips, previews and live streams below among other matches.
- Get the best odds for the Australian Open 2020 with bet365 here.
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Marin Cilic v Benoit Paire Predictions & Preview
This is the sixth meeting between Croat Marin Cilic and Frenchman Benoit Paire. After losing to Paire in Chennai in 2013, Cilic has won four times on the hard courts and on clay, leading the head-to-head 4-1.
It has been contrasting campaigns for both players coming into the Australian Open.
2014 US Open winner, three time grand slam finalist and former world number three Marin Cilic had the worst season of his career in 2019. With injuries, poor form and several early losses, Cilic fell to just within the top 40 in the world and has looked a shadow of the player he was known to be.
2020 started well for Cilic with two wins at the ATP Cup but was setback by a disappointing straight set loss to Guido Pella. He looked sharp in his first round encounter against Next Gen Frenchman and Doha finalist Corentin Moutet and will hope to carry that form forward.
On the other hand maverick Frenchman Benoit Paire has had a strong last season moving back into the top 25 in the rankings, winning two ATP titles in 2019 and was a finalist last week at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
An exciting clash between two somewhat unpredictable players; Cilic looks focused to get his groove back and a spirited performance on the fast hard courts should see him through in four close sets.
Tip: Cilic to win in four sets: 11/4 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
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Cristain Garin v Milos Raonic Predictions & Preview
In a clash of contrasting playing styles, Cristain Garin and Milos Raonic meet for the first time, in the second round of the Australian Open.
2019 was a contrasting year for both players.
Once ranked number three in the world, it has been a disappointing year and a half for the big serving Raonic. The Canadian has fallen to world number 35 as he has been plagued with injuries, poor form, and early losses.
2020 was not off to the best of starts with him losing to Next Gen Frenchman and eventual finalist Corentin Moutet at the Qatar Open.
Chilean Cristain Garin had a breakthrough 2019 winning two ATP titles (both on the clay) and moving up the ATP rankings. With strong groundstrokes and good court coverage, the Chilean is a factor on the slower surfaces but is yet to show his capabilities on the faster courts.
A less than optimal ATP Cup followed by a loss in Adelaide to unheralded eventual runner-up Lloyd Harris means that he will be looking at a good run at the first major of the year.
Despite Garin’s recent good run of form, expect the big serving Canadian to prevail in four sets here.
Tip: Raonic to win in four sets: 11/4 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
Dan Evans v Yoshihito Nishioka Predictions & Preview
Yoshihito Nishioka and Dan Evans meet for the third time in their careers at the Australian Open.
Nishioka has won both their meetings, in Washington DC and in Atlanta, both on hard courts.
That being said, Evans will start as a favorite here. Both players have been in good form; Nishioka has had a good 2019, moving into the top 100 in the rankings, defeating Kei Nishikori and being a consistent performer on the tour.
2020 started well for him leading Japan to a 2-0 lead at the ATP Cup as well as pushing Rafa Nadal in their tight encounter. A convincing win in the first round against Serbian Laslo Djere is more evidence that the Japanese player is ready for bigger things on the tour.
After a relatively consistent 2019, Dan Evans has had his best start to the season winning three of his four singles matches at the ATP Cup. He is currently the number one ranked British player at world number 32.
He was surprisingly tested by American Mckenzie McDonald in their opener but came back from two sets down to win a five-setter.
A good match on the cards; that could go either way, but Evans has been in good touch and apart from how tired he is from his opener, he should win this in a tight five-setter.
Tip: Evans to win in five sets : 5/1 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
Diego Schwartzman v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Predictions & Preview
This is the first meeting between both players.
Diego Schwartzman has had a good run of form in the last couple seasons, albeit on the slower surfaces. He has however been successful to maintain his rankings in the top 20 of the ATP circuit for a while now.
2020 was off to a decent start for the Argentine with victories over Borna Coric and Dominic Thiem at the ATP Cup, despite an eventual loss to in-form Next Gen Daniil Medvedev in the final- eight tie.
He looked in good form in his opener against Adelaide finalist Lloyd Harris and starts as a strong favorite against his little known Spanish Next Gen opponent
Fokina has impressed in the short time he has been on tour as he is already ranked within the top 80 in the world. However, he is relatively inexperienced on the major circuit and Schwartzman is well known to maintain consistency on the tour.
Expect Schwartzman to win comfortably in straight sets.
Tip: Schwartzman to win in straight sets: 4/5 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)