Three must-see matches from the men's first round
The Australian Open singles draws are officially out. The first Slam of the season promises a mix of up-and-comers and established stars, and you'll get to see from Day 1 which group takes control of the fortnight.
Here are three first-round men's matches you won't want to miss:
1
Denis Shapovalov vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Shapovalov recently announced himself with his breakthrough 2017, during which he recorded wins over Juan Martin del Potro, Rafael Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Consequently, the ATP named the 18-year-old the Star of Tomorrow.
Tsitsipas, just 19, is a former junior No. 1, and he's raised his ATP ranking up to a high of No. 80 with a quarterfinal run in Doha. Both of these players could be in the Top 10—at least—someday.
2
Frances Tiafoe vs. Juan Martin del Potro
Tiafoe gained some fame when he gave Roger Federer quite the scare the in the first round of the US Open. The American teen pushed Del Potro to the brink as well, months earlier at Acapulco. While No. 12-seeded Argentine should probably win this one on paper, he may want to get Thor's hammer back.
3
Tomas Berdych vs. Alex De Minaur
Australia's De Minaur is another youngster (18) and he looks it. He earned a main-draw wildcard by winning it. Then he made the semifinals of Brisbane last week, beating Milos Raonic along the way. He also just defeated Feliciano Lopez to make the semifinals of Sydney.
Berdych, a longtime second fiddle on the ATP, will want to capitalize on what may be an injury-weakened men's draw. But he'll have to get past De Minaur first.
Main-draw action from Melbourne begins on Monday.
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