Ricky’s picks for Day 4 of the Australian Open, including Ruud vs. Mensik

We are rolling into round two of the Australian Open, where Casper Ruud is among those taking the court on Wednesday. Ruud faces a tough test in the form of Jakub Mensik. Other matches to watch are Tommy Paul vs. Kei Nishikori, Jack Draper vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Tomas Machac vs. Reilly Opelka.

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

(6) Casper Ruud vs. Jakub Mensik

Ruud is ranked considerably higher than Mensik, but this first-ever meeting between the two players is without question a blockbuster battle. Why? Well, Mesik is one of the tour’s rising stars–don’t forget about him just because of the rise of Joao Fonseca. Mensik surged to 48th in the rankings last season and so far in 2025 he has advanced to back-to-back quarterfinals in Hong Kong in the world with 25 main-tour match wins in 2024 and he is off to a strong start this season. Mensik reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Brisbane and Auckland, after which he disposed of Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Aussie Open first round.

It has been a good start to the year for Ruud, too. The world No. 6 posted United Cup wins for Poland over Tomas Machac and Hubert Hurkacz, which was followed by a five-set survival against Jaume Munar on Sunday afternoon. A win is a win, but the level of play in round one was not particularly encouraging. Ruud is definitely on upset alert with a dangerous opponent on the other side of the net

Pick: Mensik in 4

Kei Nishikori vs. (12) Tommy Paul

Like Ruud, Paul and Nishikori are coming off five-setters. Paul struggled with a left-shoulder issue but managed to get past Christopher O’Connell 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-5. Nishikori, already a five-set legend, saved two match points before beating Thiago Monteiro 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

Regardless of Paul’s shoulder status, he is a much more reliable player than Nishikori from a physical standpoint. The American is also 27 years old; Nishikori is 35-year-old with a vast history of physical problems. Expecting the Japanese veteran to bounce back in style from a five-set struggle is probably unrealistic. Paul should have the edge on Wednesday.

Pick: Paul in 4

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