Australian Open 2024: Carlos Alcaraz vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Carlos Alcaraz vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Date: January 22, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: A$86,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv | Canada - TSN & RDS
Carlos Alcaraz vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will square off against Miomir Kecmanovic in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open on Monday.
Alcaraz knocked out Richard Gasquet and Lorenzo Sonego to reach the third round, where Shang Juncheng awaited him. The Spaniard dropped just one game each across the first couple of sets.
Shang, already nursing an injury, couldn't soldier on for too long after that. After getting broken at the start of the third set, he threw in the towel during Alcaraz's next service game. The 20-year-old thus advanced to the fourth round with a score of 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 ret.
Kecmanovic, meanwhile, fought his way past Yosuke Watanuki and Jan-Lennard Struff to book a third round showdown against Tommy Paul, who made the semis here last year. The Serb took the early lead by claiming the first set, but lost the next two to edge closer to defeat.
The two were evenly matched for the better part of the fourth set, which then went to a tie-break. Kecmanovic fended off two match points in it to take the set. He finished the match on a dominant note after that as he dished out a bagel in the decider to complete a 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-0 comeback win.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Miomir Kecmanovic head-to-head
Alcaraz leads Kecmanovic 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Miami Open in three sets.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Miomir Kecmanovic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Miomir Kecmanovic prediction
After saving a couple of match points against Struff in the second round, Kecmanovic repeated the feat against Paul. To top it off, he finished off the match in style as well. The Serb blasted a total of 41 winners to reach the fourth round here for the second time.
Shang was unable to offer Alcaraz much off a challenge due to his injury and eventually had to retire from the match. Nevertheless, the Spaniard has made it to the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time.
Kecmanovic and Alcaraz's previous duel in Miami went the distance, with the latter edging out the former in a deciding set tie-break. Kecmanovic has simply refused to lose here thus far and has gotten himself out of difficult situations with his fortitude.
Kecmanovic also seems to be playing at a higher level compared to most of last season, which is of utmost importance if he wants to challenge Alcaraz. The Spaniard will also be up for the task, and when the going gets tough, he's likely to raise his level to get the job done as well.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in four sets.