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Ricky’s Preview and Picks for Day 2 at the Australian Open: Auger-Aliassime vs. Ruusuvuori and Isner vs. Cressy
- Updated: January 17, 2022
By Ricky Dimon
First-round action at the
Australian Open will wrap up on Tuesday, when Felix Auger-Aliassime kicks off
his campaign against Emil Ruusuvuori. John Isner also has a tough one on his
hands, facing fellow big-serving American Maxime Cressy.
Here are my previews and picks for two of the best Day 2 matchups.
Emil Ruusuvuori vs. (9) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime and Ruusuvuori will be going head-to-head for the first time in
their careers when they meet in round one of the Australian Open on Tuesday. Will
2022 be the year when Auger-Aliassime makes the jump into the upper echelons of
the rankings to join the likes of Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas? The
21-year-old Canadian’s consistency will have to improve, but the season is
certainly off to a strong start in the form of an ATP Cup title for his
country.
Ruusuvuori
is coming off a semifinal performance at the Melbourne 250, where he lost to
eventual champion Rafael Nadal. The 22-year-old Finn is ranked 90th in the
world but talent-wise belongs in the top 50–and has played like it dating back
to last summer. This could be one of the most entertaining matches of the
opening round, but Ruusuvuori has never been past the second round of a slam
and Auger-Aliassime just made a run to the U.S. Open semifinals. The favorite’s
experience–and also superior firepower–should see him through to the winner’s
circle.
Pick:
Auger-Aliassime in 4
Maxime Cressy vs. (22) John Isner
It will be an all-American battle with huge serves, lots of aces, and very few–if any–service breaks when Isner and Cressy collide on Tuesday. In a match that is sure to come down to just a few crucial points in tiebreakers, the question is which player is more clutch and is more confident at the moment. The answer to that is Cressy. Despite having much less experience than his countryman, Cressy owns the edge in current form. He played great toward the end of last season and begin this season with a runner-up performance in Melbourne (lost to Nadal).
Isner is still a decent 25th in the rankings at 36 years old, but almost all of his best work these days comes in the United States–specifically Atlanta. The Australian Open has always been his worst major and he heads into it with a 1-3 record in 2022. This sets up well for Cressy in what would be an upset on paper but not in reality.
Pick: Cressy in 5
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.