Australian Open: 5 matches to watch on Day 1
It’s finally that time of the year for which every tennis fan waits with bated breath – Slam time! Melbourne Park is all set to revel in some exhilarating display of tennis and excitement for the next two weeks as the 2016 Australian Open gets under way on Monday.This year’s Oz Open has some cracking line-up of matches right from Day 1. The opening day is dotted with potential upsets that can make the Slam interesting right from the first day.Here’s our pick of the matches that should not be missed:
#6 Indian interest
95th ranked Yuki Bhambri is the only Indian representation in singles at the 2016 Australian Open. It’s an uphill task for the 23-year-old as he faces the World No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the opener. The former junior Australian Open winner had called it a ‘terrible draw’ but the experience will definitely help him to gauge where he currently stands and what more he needs to do to be able to compete at the highest level of the sport regularly.
Possible timing for the match: 7-7.30 am IST
Other potential crackers/upsets
Plenty of other matches can go the distance. Keep eyes on Serena Williams vs Camila Giorgi. The Italian with her ruthless ball-striking can give the World No. 1 and defending champion a hard time.
World No. 11 Karolina Pliskova’s twin sister, Kristyna – a former junior Wimbledon champion – can break Aussie hearts on the first day by sending 25th Samantha Stosur home. Belinda Bencic is another seed who can join the potential exodus of seeds on Monday. The young Swiss suffered from a stomach illness recently in Sydney and can find the going tough against the Shenzen runner-up Alison Riske.
On the men’s side, the battle of two guns – Nick Kyrgios vs Pablo Carreno Busta – deserves attention while Canadian Vasek Pospisil won’t make it easy for 14th seed Gilles Simon.