Swiss maestro Roger Federer will open his Australian Open defense against Uzbek Denis Istomin at the Australian Open.
Watch & bet on Roger Federer v Denis Istomin live in the Australian Open with bet365 here* on Monday, January 14. The Federer v Istomin match will be played from 9 pm local time (11 am BST).
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Federer v Istomin Head to Head
Federer brings a 6-0 ATP Head-to-Head against his first round opponent Denis Istomin, incidentally dating back to their first ever meeting, also at the 2006 Australian Open. Roger Federer won that encounter relatively comfortably in straight sets. Their last meeting was a while ago, however, in 2014.
The Swiss has now won 22 consecutive singles matches in Australia, and the beginning of the season, and the faster courts Down Under, seem to bring out the best in him.
Confident and Refreshed Federer at the Start of the Season
Along with all his accolades, defending champion Roger Federer brings a strong start to the season, at the Hopman Cup in Perth, to the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.
Federer was in imperious form last week in Perth, winning all four of his singles matches in straight sets, against Cameron Noorie, Frances Tiafoe, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
For the third year in a row, Federer has started the season looking confident, relaxed and refreshed. Australia in January has been a happy hunting ground for him of late, and he looks poised to continue that trend.
His hopes of another deep run at the Australian Open will be buoyed by a relatively favorable week 1 draw.
Istomin – Australian Open Giant Killer 2017- Repeat?
Denis Istomin has now been on the circuit for more than a decade. He has the unique distinction, of being coached by his mother, for most of his career.
He is currently ranked just inside the top 100, at number 99; but had a career high ranking, of number 33, in the Summer of 2012. He is undoubtedly most remembered for the major upset of the 2017 Australian Open, when he defeated then defending champion and six time winner, Novak Djokovic, in the second round.
Istomin’s best major performance has been the fourth round of all grand slams, except the French Open, where he has never been past the second round.
Since the impressive Australian Open victory over Djokovic, Istomin has not had a particularly noteworthy last 2 years.
As for his run in 2019, he contested in the ATP Maharashtra Open in Pune, where he lost in the round of 32 to Italian Simone Bolelli, in straight sets.
Federer v Istomin – Who Will Win?
Istomin has proven in 2017, to be capable of causing the biggest of upsets. However, given his recent form, a repeat seems unlikely. Federer, on the other hand, looks in good form, and will be at a venue that he knows only too well.
Despite Istomin’s ability to challenge the best on his day, the Swiss has too many variations in his game for the matchup to be much of an obstacle for him. We can expect Federer to win in three comfortable sets and continue the winning match streak in Australia.
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