Three to See: Rafael Nadal & Milos Raonic reconvene; who gets winner?

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 men’s and women’s tournament pages.

Nadal has come through the draw with much fanfare. He has played all four of his matches in Rod Laver Arena, and twice he’s been tapped for the marquee night session. The Rocket himself has even dropped in to watch. Meanwhile, Raonic, despite being the higher seed, has been virtually invisible; the Canadian has played all four of his matches away from Laver. Not that he’s going to care either way once this battle has  begun.

It’s a tough one to call. Nadal is 6-2 against Raonic, but the 26-year-old won their most recent meeting, in three sets, in Brisbane earlier this month. Raonic will likely be Raonic—i.e., tough to break. The questions will surround Nadal. How much will winning a five-setter, over Alexander Zverev, and a near five-setter, over Gael Monfils, boost his confidence if this one comes down to the wire? On the one hand, winning always helps; on the other, Rafa was a little lucky both times. Zverev cramped in the fifth, and Monfils turned back into Monfils late in the fourth. In Brisbane, Nadal had Raonic down a set before losing. Will that be the match he remembers best?

Winner: Raonic

Here’s another one for the aesthetes. Dimitrov and Goffin are smooth and appealing appealing shotmakers, with enough contrasts in their games—especially between Dimitrov’s one-handed backhand and Goffin’s two-hander—to keep the rallies varied and dynamic. The Belgian, at No. 11, is ranked four spots higher than the Bulgarian, but Dimitrov’s stellar 2017 form should close that gap. Each has survived adversity so far in Melbourne; Goffin by winning a five-setter over huge-serving Reilly Opella in his opener; Dimitrov by overcoming slow starts to beat Denis Istomin and Hyeon Chung in four sets each. Dimitrov and Goffin have played twice in the Futures, once at the Challenger level, and once at the ATP level, in 2014. Dimitrov has won each time.

Winner: Dimitrov

The 25-year-old Konta says that she has “accumulated” enough experience to be ready for her first career meeting with Serena. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Brit. She has won 18 straight sets, and is playing the best, cleanest, most aggressive and most self-assured tennis of her career. But she hasn’t done it against Serena yet, and as we’ve been reminded countless times, tennis is about match-ups. What works against Caroline Wozniacki often doesn’t work against Serena. Konta has been mostly been the aggressor in her first four matches in Melbourne, but she’s likely going to spend a good deal of time defending against the world No. 2, and that’s not her forte. As for Serena, while she wasn’t especially sharp in her last match, against Barbora Strycova, she’ll know she needs to play better against Konta. I’m guessing she will.

Winner: S. Williams