Three things to look out for on Day Five of the Australian Open
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With the opening two rounds now completed, the Australian Open is beginning to string together some intriguing clashes as the third round gets underway.
Pre-tournament favourites Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer have avoided any banana skins with some very comfortable victories, while four of the Women’s top 11 seeds have already crashed out.
Home hero Nick Kyrgios is in action in a potentially-epic match with Tomas Berdych, while Roger Federer should be wary of Grigor Dimitrov.
Here’s what to look out for on Day Five in Melbourne…
Kyrgios to give it everything against Berdych
With Lleyton Hewitt now officially retired from singles tennis, Aussie hopes fully rest on the entertaining if controversial Nick Kyrgios.
The 20-year-old will be up against it versus Tomas Berdych however, who has cruised to the third round, while Kyrgios has had to work a fair bit harder to be here.
Kyrgios will be up against the world number six, and it’s a sign of Berdych’s talent that he has pushed Novak Djokovic mightily hard in three recent meetings.
With a home crowd to will him on however, Kyrgios will give the German everything he has, and this could be one of the tournament’s best matches yet.
Dimitrov to cause Federer’s first troubles
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov is looking to return to the form which saw him ranked eighth in the world and reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2014.
He hasn’t exactly waltzed into the third round like Roger Federer has, but the pair met recently in Brisbane and Dimitrov claimed a set off R-Fed.
Federer has won all four of the duo’s previous clashes, but only once has the Swiss maestro done so without dropping a set or requiring a tie-break. If Dimitrov can produce some of his best tennis, the Fed-Ex may need to step it up a notch for the first time in Melbourne.
The Women’s matches to be upset-free (almost)
There have been upsets galore in the women’s tournament so far, but day five looks like being a tad more routine.
Serena and Maria Sharapova should be untroubled against youngsters Daria Kasatkina and Lauren Davis respectively, while Agnieszka Radwanska and Belinda Bencic should also progress unscathed.
Carla Suarez Navarro suffered a wobble in her second round-match but the Spaniard should still see off 19-year-old singles Slam rookie Elizaveta Kulichkova.
The 28th seed Kristina Mladenovic could be the highest-profile downfall however, as she takes on Petra Kvitova’s conqueror Daria Gavrilova.
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