Diego Schwartzman vs Aslan Karatsev - 2021 Australian Open Men's Singles Third Round
Friday February 12th, 2021 / 12:00am EST
The Australia Open Champion this year will receive $2,750,000, a -33.25% reduction on last year. The runner up receives $1,500,000 which is a 27.36% drop. Speaking on the delayed Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said the prize money was another important step in continuing to invest in the playing group. Azarenka, who reached the US Open final in September, is a two-time winner at the Australian Open. She could face former US Open champ Sam Stosur in the second round, followed by 20th seed Maria. 2021 Australian Open Third Round – Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios Preview & Prediction. Select the sports you want to hear about and TSZ will send the best previews, analysis and predictions straight to your inbox. Where is Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios taking place? Melbourne Park, Melbourne. 2021 Australian Open Third Round – Denis Shapovalov vs Felix Auger-Aliassime Preview & Prediction. Select the sports you want to hear about and TSZ will send the best previews, analysis and predictions straight to your inbox. Where is Denis Shapovalov vs Felix Auger-Aliassime taking place? 23-year-old Osaka lost at this stage of the tournament last season and the former Australian Open champion will meet Ons Jabeur for the first time here for a first proper challenge. THE PREDICTION This looks like one of the must-watch matches of the third round in a first career meeting between Naomi Osaka and Ons Jabeur, with the Tunisian.
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Eighth seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina faces unseeded Russian Aslan Karatsev in the Third Round of the 2021 Australian Open in Melbourne. The match is scheduled to take place on Friday February 12th, 2021 at 12:00am EST. They have never faced each other before on the ATP Tour. Does the unfancied Russian have what it takes to cause the massive upset?
Diego Schwartzman is coming off an outstanding 2020 season which saw him break into the top 10 for the first time. He is one of the best movers in the world and is very difficult to hit through. He has added an offensive element to his game, taking him to another level. Schwartzman surprisingly lost a set to Elias Ymer in the First Round before winning in four sets, then dismantled lucky loser Alexandre Muller in the Second Round. He seems to be finding form at just the right time and seems focused on making a deep run at the tournament. More comfortable on clay, he has recently expanded his game and is now a serious threat on the harder surfaces as well. He enters this match as the big favorite and will be very confident in advancing here.
Australian Open Predictions
Aslan Karatsev is currently ranked #114 and entered the Australian Open as a Qualifier. This is his Grand Slam debut and he is making the most of it, looking in extremely good form so far. He is yet to lose a set here so far, defeating Gianluca Mager in the First Round before shockingly destroying the higher ranked Egor Gerasimov for the loss of only 1 game in the Second Round. Normally he would not really be given much of a chance here but that performance has made everyone sit up and take note. He is a very solid baseline player with a strong serve. He does have more power than his opponent so he has the potential to make things interesting if he can control his unforced errors.
While Karatsev has looked amazingly good so far, his run ends here. Diego Schwartzman is simply too solid and quick for him and I expect him to wear the Russian down eventually. In this current form the Russian has a chance to nick a set if the Argentina drops his guard, but that's about as far as it goes. Diego Schwartzman to win.
Andrew’s PickDiego Schwartzman to win.
Novak Djokovic vs Taylor Fritz - 2021 Australian Open Men's Singles Third Round
Australian Open 3rd Round Predictions 2021
Thursday February 11th, 2021
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Australian Open 3rd Round Predictions
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World number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia faces American Taylor Fritz in the Third Round of the 2021 Australian Open in Melbourne. The match is scheduled to be played on Thursday February 11th, 2021 at a time yet to be determined. They have played twice before in their careers with Djokovic winning both matches in straight sets. Will he continue that trend here and advance to the Round of 16?
Novak Djokovic is one of the best tennis players in history and is considered to be the main contender for the title here in Australia. He had a very tough four set win over American Frances Tiafoe in the Second Round, winning 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 . Djokovic was not at 100% in that match, seeming a bit sluggish but recovered well to win the match in four sets. Tiafoe actually had chances to go two sets to one up so Djokovic will consider himself lucky to have pulled through in three and a half hours. His biggest strengths are his movement and defense, matching him up well with Fritz who is a big server. The Serbian will be very confident heading into this match knowing that he has never lost a set to the American and will expect that trend to continue.
Taylor Fritz is currently ranked #31 and is a very promising young player. He has not had a smooth ride to this stage of the competition, playing four tough sets against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the First Round before winning a five set classic against close friend and compatriot Reilly Opelka. Fritz was down two sets to one down so showed tremendous grit to get himself back in the match, heavily relying on his big serve and forehand to get him out of trouble. He will know that he has to be better against one of the best returners in history and will be hoping to get himself ready for this match after two long and tiring matches.
This match will have only one outcome, and that is a win for the world number one. He is not yet at his best but will be desperate to make short work of this after exerting himself more than he wanted against Tiafoe and it would be a major shock if it was anything other than a straight sets victory. Novak Djokovic to win.