Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2024 Australian Open match.
Luca Van Assche
Luka Van Assche had only 8 games on hard in the previous season, losing 7 of them. He has already won 5 matches in 2024. Yet, it’s hard to say that he’s made a big leap. He won twice in the qualification for the Auckland tournament. He’s managed to beat his opponents in Melbourne only in decisive sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas has already eliminated a player from the top 50. Tsitsipas beat Jordan Thompson in the previous round, despite the Australian is in the perfect form (4:6, 7:6, 6:2, 7:6). The Greek player made 13 aces, saved 9 out of the 11 break points and was better than his opponent, playing at the net (67%).
Luca Van Assche – Stefanos Tsitsipas prediction
Luca Van Assche had to play 10 sets in the previous two games, spending over 7 hours to complete the matches. Advancing to the third round is the best result in the Australian Open and in the Grand Slam tournaments in general. Van Assche has played against an opponent from the top 10 only once. Tsitsipas has a better level, and he’s more experienced, so he should win easily.
This is the fifth time Tsitsipas reaches this stage in Australia. He reached at least semi-finals on four occasions. I think that Van Assche has little chance to win.
