Ricky’s picks for Day 2 at the Australian Open, including Kyrgios and Auger-Aliassime

The first round of the Australian Open heats up in a big way with a jam-packed schedule on Tuesday. Nick Kyrgios is among those in action, while Adelaide champion Felix Auger-Aliassime is also taking the court. On the women’s side, former runner-up Elena Rybakina is kicking off her fortnight.

Here are my picks for two of Day 2’s best matchups.

Jan-Lennard Struff vs. (29) Felix Auger-Aliassime

Auger-Aliassime arrives at Melbourne Park with a lot of momentum, having triumphed in Adelaide on Saturday evening. That marked the sixth ATP title of his promising but up-and-down professional career. The 29th-ranked Canadian should also find confidence from his past results a the Australian Open, as he reached the quarterfinals three years ago and two other times advanced to the fourth round.

Up first for Auger-Aliassime on Monday is a fifth meeting with Struff and they have split their four previous meetings at two wins apiece. Struff played this past week in Auckland and fell in the second round to Gael Monfils, who went on to win the tournament. The 34-year-old German is dangerous mainly because of a huge serve, but he has been a disaster Down Under over the years. His main-draw record at this event stands at 2-10 all time. A more confident Auger-Aliassime should have the edge in the pressure-packed moments.

Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 5

Jake Fearnley vs. Nick Kyrgios

For the first time since 2022, Aussie fans will get to see Kyrgios at the home slam. The former Wimbledon runner-up has been away from the game for basically two full years due to various physical problems and perhaps some mental issues, as well. Kyrgios’ comeback event came earlier this month in Brisbane, where the 29-year-old got a bad draw and exited right away at the hands of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard via a 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(3) decision.

It will be a relatively unknown Fearnley on the other side of the net in John Cain Arena. Hardcore tennis fans, however, are well away of the former TCU standout. Following a stellar college career, Fearnley was awesome on the Challenger circuit in 2024. He won four such titles and began this year with a semifinal showing in Canberra, losing only to NextGen ATP Finals winner Joao Fonseca. Fearnley has won a ton of matches over the past 12 months; Kyrgios hasn’t won a single one in more than two years. That will give the Brit an advantage in crunch time.

Pick: Fearnley in 5

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.