Australian Open 2021: Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex Bolt preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex Bolt
Date: 10 February 2021
Tournament: Australian Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: AUD $80 million
Match timing: Approx. 8.30 pm local time, 3 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex Bolt preview
Grigor Dimitrov scored a resounding win over former finalist Marin Cilic to start his 2021 Australian Open campaign on a solid note.
The 18th seeded Bulgarian needed just a little over two hours to move past the 2018 runner-up, and has now set up a second-round encounter with wildcard and home favorite Alex Bolt.
The 28-year-old Bolt is playing in just his fifth main draw of a Grand Slam event, but he has a couple of good past runs to build on. He made a surprise run to the third round of the 2019 Australian Open, with wins over the likes of former top-10 players Jack Sock and Gilles Simon. He then followed that up with a win over Albert Ramos Vinolas in the first round at last year's tournament.
Bolt delivered another clean performance against Norbert Gombos on Monday to advance to the second round, where he will look to challenge Dimitrov through his strong baseline game.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex Bolt head-to-head
Grigor Dimitrov and Alex Bolt have never crossed paths on the tour before, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex Bolt prediction
Grigor Dimitrov enters this contest as a heavy favorite. Not only is the Bulgarian the higher seed on paper, he is also miles ahead of his opponent in terms of experience of playing on the big stage.
To add to that, Dimitrov delivered a near-flawless serving performance in the match against Cilic. He was winning well over 80% of his first serve points and even managed to outdo his opponent in the aces department, totalling 19 for the match.
That does not bode well for Alex Bolt, who will be hopeful of causing another upset in front of the Aussie supporters. He might be able to stay with Dimitrov in the baseline rallies early, but it will take a special effort from the wildcard to cause an upset.
Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov to win in straight sets.