The third round is upon us, when seeded players begin to run into each other. There are some marquee matchups on Saturday’s schedule, featuring players who combine for a total of 39 major singles titles. With temperatures forecasted to be dramatically cooler on Saturday, the level of play should be high in the following must-see matches.
Angelique Kerber vs. Maria Sharapova
This is the third round matchup that many of us circled as a potential blockbuster when the draws were created. They are the only two Australian Open champions in the women’s draw. The winner will be a favorite to make it to the semifinals at a minimum. These two have taken extremely different paths over the past two seasons, but both are on the comeback trail and playing their best tennis in some time. Sharapova holds a slight 4-3 edge in their head-to-head, but Kerber won their last two meetings. They’ve played some very tight matches: the last three times they played, they went the distance. Their most notable match was in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2014, when Kerber prevailed 6-4 in the third. This match will be a huge proving ground for both women, who are eager to demonstrate they’re ready to return to the top of the game.
Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Tomas Berdych
Here we have another battle of big name veterans, both of whom love to hit the ball big. The head-to-head in this matchup is also very tight, which Del Potro leads 5-4. Surprisingly, this is their first meeting at a major. Del Potro has definitely been the better player over the last 6 months, especially as Berdych ended his 2017 season early due to injury. Tomas has only played three matches in the past three months, but has played pretty well thus far this week. I expect Del Potro to be thoroughly tested, but the match-tough Argentinian should find a way to win.
Roger Federer vs. Richard Gasquet
Well, the head-to-head here is not so close: Federer leads 16-2. Gasquet’s only victories came many years ago, and on clay. Roger has been in tremendous form thus far in 2018, both here and at the Hopman Cup. While it’s hard to imagine the 36-year-old can maintain his extraordinary level from 2017 throughout this year, it’s also hard to imagine a dip will happen in this match. That being said, no one saw his loss to Goffin coming at the ATP Finals. As many former pros have discussed, the older you get, the more off days you have. Even if Gasquet can’t keep up with Federer, two of the most beautiful one-handed backhands in the game will be on display.
Karolina Pliskova vs. Lucie Safarova
Pliskova is my pick to go all the way and win her first major next Saturday. She’s a great hard court player, and the fast conditions in Melbourne suit her game. Since backing into the number one ranking after her second round loss at Wimbledon last summer, Pliskova has not played her best. But that pressure is now off her, and she showed signs of upping her game at the WTA Finals in October. Her seeded countrywoman is a step up in competition, so after this match we’ll have a better idea of exactly where her game is right now. These Czech players have met seven times, with Safarova’s only two victories coming on clay. Safarova is in pretty good form: Kerber had to save match points to oust her last week in Sydney. I expect some tight sets, with Pliskova hitting her way to victory in the end.
Alexander Zverev vs. Hyeon Chung
This is yet another ATP Next Gen battle at this year’s Australian Open. At number four in the world, Zverev is a bit above Next Gen at this stage, but he lost to fellow youngster Borna Coric in New York last August. And Chung is also 1-0 against Zverev, having easily won their match on clay in Barcelona last year. Chung is playing with a lot of confidence, coming off his ATP Next Gen Finals win. An upset by the South Korean is not out of the question. The reward for the winner? A likely fourth round appointment with Novak Djokovic.
Australian Open Day 6 Order of play
Rod Laver Arena
(1) Simona Halep (Rom) v Lauren Davis (USA)
Hyeon Chung (Kor) v (4) Alexander Zverev (Ger)
(18) Ashleigh Barty (Aus) v Naomi Osaka (Jpn)
(21) Angelique Kerber (Ger) v Angelique Kerber(Rus)
(29) Richard Gasquet (Fra) v (2) Roger Federer (Swi)
Margaret Court Arena
Ana Bogdan (Rom) v (17) Madison Keys (USA)
(29) Lucie Safarova (Cze) v (6) Karolina Pliskova (Cze)
(5) Dominic Thiem (Aut) v (26) Adrian Mannarino (Fra),
(14) Novak Djokovic (Ser) v (21) Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spa)
Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) v (26) Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol)
Hisense Arena
Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Blr) v (8) Caroline Garcia (Fra)
Julien Benneteau (Fra) v (25) Fabio Fognini (Ita)
(19) Tomas Berdych (Cze) v (12) Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg)
Court 2
Jamie Murray (Gbr) & Bruno Soares (Bra) v Leander Paes (Ind) & Purav Raja (Ind)
Maximilian Marterer (Ger) v Tennys Sandgren (USA)
Bernarda Pera (USA) v (20) Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Cze)
Samuel Groth (Aus) & Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) v (3) Jean-Julien Rojer (Ned) & Horia Tecau (Rom)
Court 3
Nadiia Kichenok (Ukr) & Anastasia Rodionova (Aus) v Kristyna Pliskova (Cze) & Donna Vekic (Cro)
(1) Lukasz Kubot (Pol) & Marcelo Melo (Bra) v Max Purcell (Aus) & Luke Saville (Aus)
Nick Kyrgios (Aus) & Matt Reid (Aus) v Jeremy Chardy (Fra) & Fabrice Martin (Fra)
Marton Fucsovics (Hun) v Nicolas Kicker (Arg)
Jennifer Brady (USA) & Vania King (USA) v (3) Ashleigh Barty (Aus) & Casey Dellacqua (Aus)
Court 7
Marcus Daniell (Nzl) & Dominic Inglot (Gbr) v Hugo Nys (Fra) & Benoit Paire (Fra)
Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spa) & Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa) v Scott Lipsky (USA) & David Marrero (Spa)
Viktorija Golubic (Swi) & Nina Stojanovic (Ser) v Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) & Aleksandra Krunic (Ser)
(6) Andrea Sestini Hlavackova (Cze) & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (Fra) v Shuai Peng (Chn) & Max Mirnyi (Blr)
Court 8
Mona Barthel (Ger) & Carina Witthoeft (Ger) v (11) Shuko Aoyama (Jpn) & Zhaoxuan Yang (Chn)
(4) Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Fra) & Nicolas Mahut (Fra) v Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (Chi) & Andrei Vasilevski (Blr)
Lara Arruabarrena (Spa) & Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spa) v (5) Timea Babos (Hun) & Kristina Mladenovic (Fra)
(15) Marcin Matkowski (Pol) & Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pak) v Robert Lindstedt (Swe) & Franko Skugor (Cro)
(8) Gabriela Dabrowski (Can) & Mate Pavic (Cro) v Lizette Cabrera (Aus) & Alex Bolt (Aus)
Court 13
(16) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) & Katerina Siniakova (Cze) v Zarina Diyas (Kaz) & Magda Linette (Pol)
Sorana Cirstea (Rom) & Beatriz Haddad Maia (Bra) v (15) Alicja Rosolska (Pol) & Abigail Spears (USA)
(13) Nicole Melichar (USA) & Kveta Peschke (Cze) v Madison Brengle (USA) & Monica Puig (Pur)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) & Robert Farah (Col) v Storm Sanders (Aus) & Marc Polmans (Aus)
