Aussie Open Day 2: Match Analysis and Picks
ByCharles Bricker
Yesterday’s record: 4-0
Tourney record: 4-0 (+1.38 units)
(27) DAVID NALBANDIAN (-133) VS. LLEYTON HEWITT (+120)
Lleyton at 29 is in probably in the final years of an excellent career that once took him to No. 1 and he leads Nalby 3-2 all-time, but Nalbandian showed outstanding form in a warmup event last week and he looks good to win this one. The Argentine is at No. 29, Hewitt at No. 54. It's a second-time meeting between them at the Aussie Open with Hewitt winning a super five-setter in the 2005 quarters -- 10-8 in the fifth.
Pick: Nalbandian
DUDI SELA (+185) VS. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO (-211)
Don't think this is a waltz because Delpo is the 2009 U.S. Open winner. It's going to take some time for him to bounce back from a long injury layoff, and the slender, 150-pound Sela is good enough to have beaten Andy Roddick last season. Sela is ranked 92 and was once No. 29. The Argentine is at No. 236, a meaningless ranking of course. Del Potro leads the head-to-head 2-1 with the last match a Delpo winner in 2008. Juan Martin is 1-1 after beating Feliciano Lopez and losing to Florian Mayer at Sydney last week. At these odds, it’s clear oddsmakers don’t trust Del Potro’s fitness but we’ll gladly back him to get past Sela.
Pick: Del Potro
COCO VANDEWEGHE (-160) VS. ALIZE CORNET (+144)
Vandeweghe, who comes from a long line of pro athletes, is rapidly replacing Melanie Oudin as the U.S.' best young player after elevating her ranking 160 spots in 2009. She's 0-2 for the season but with two very close losses, at Brisbane and Sydney. It's a first-time meeting against the French mystery player Alize Cornet, who once flirted with top 10 before dropping out of sight (she's now No. 83) without any significant injuries. Cornet won one, lost one last week at Auckland. Key note on Cornet: She's lost four first-round Slam matches in a row.
Pick: Vandeweghe
OLGA GOVORTSOVA (+130) VS. ANNA CHAKVETADZE (-144)
Chakvetadze is another former top player, reaching No. 5 in 2007 when she got to the semis of one Slam and the quarters of two others, but has been out in six first rounds of majors since. She's now ranked No. 57 and is 0-2 going into the Aussie Open with a bad loss in Brisbane. Nevertheless, she'll get by this one against the tall Belarussian, who has never won a match in Melbourne in three previous tries. Govortsova was 13-28 last season, off to 1-1 this year and is ranked No. 73. They've never previously played.
Pick: Chakvetadze