Before each day of play at the Australian Open, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches. For full coverage of the season's first Slam, go to our tournament page.
I know what your first reaction is: It must be a slow day if this match makes the must-see list. And you’d be partially correct: It is a slow day. But Flipkins also owns a win over Muguruza, who will be in the unfamiliar position of playing in Rod Laver Arena as a favorite.
Winner: Muguruza
Osaka, a 19-year-old from Japan whose father is Haitian, has received an outsized amount of press attention this week—Serena Williams, her idol, called her “dangerous.” And she has indeed proven dangerous to Svitolina in the past; the Ukrainian won a 6-4 third set in a win over Osaka in 2014. The winner this time could face Azarenka.
Winner: Osaka
It’s fitting that Hewitt’s final match will come in Melbourne, of course. It would be nearly as fitting if it also came against the man who replaced him as the tour’s preeminent, undersized, never-say-die baseline grinder. Ferrer has won two of their three meetings, but they haven’t faced each other since 2012. The emotions will be different this time, but they shouldn’t change the result. If anyone can ignore the circumstances, it's Ferrer.
Winner: Ferrer