{"id":416305,"date":"2026-01-19T06:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T06:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/416305\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T06:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T06:34:09","slug":"australian-open-day-2-mens-predictions-including-rublev-v-arnaldi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/416305\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Day 2 Men’s Predictions Including Rublev v Arnaldi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 2 of the Australian Open sees most of the first round completed, with a whopping 28 men\u2019s singles matches on the cards. As always, our writers here at LastWordOnTennis share their thoughts on the matches with you. We split the 28 matches between seven articles. In addition to this article, the others feature Novak Djokovic vs Pedro Martinez<\/a>, Daniil Medvedev vs Jesper de Jong<\/a>, Tommy Paul vs Aleksandar Kovacevic<\/a>, Stan Wawrinka vs Laslo Djere<\/a>, Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Nuno Borges<\/a>, and Denis Shapovalov vs Yunchaokete Bu<\/a>. Predicting these matches are Yesh Ginsburg, Zain Mustafa, and Ilemona Onekutu. Who do you think will win?<\/p>\n

Australian Open Day 2 Predictions
\nLearner Tien vs Marcos Giron<\/p>\n

Yesh:
Giron has been a solid player longer, but Tien is looking at a meteoric rise. Eventually the youngster\u2019s lack of overwhelming weapons will catch up with him, but he is so canny around the court that he can beat almost everyone. He looks solid on the back of a Next Gen ATP Finals title<\/a>.
Prediction: Tien in 4<\/p>\n

Zain:
This should be a great contest between two American players. While Giron does have the bigger groundstrokes here, Tien\u2019s tactical awareness and ability to grind out points should be match-defining components.
Prediction: Tien in 4<\/p>\n

Ilemona:
Giron\u2019s experience and solid baseline patterns give him a reliable edge in managing tight moments. Over five sets, that steadiness matters.
Prediction: Giron 5<\/p>\n

Fabian Marozsan vs Arthur Rinderknech<\/p>\n

Yesh:
Fabian Marozsan has a large number of giant-killing wins, but he lacks the consistency in between. Still, I don\u2019t think Rinderknech has the match fitness to function properly in a best-of-five format right now.
Prediction: Marozsan in 5<\/p>\n

Zain:
Rinderknech last played tennis over 11 weeks ago, with his fitness always being a matter of concern. While on his day he has a great forehand and serve to aid him, Marozsan is the fitter player here and comes in with more momentum. I\u2019m leaning towards the seeding upset here.
Prediction: Marozsan in 4<\/p>\n

Ilemona:
Rinderknech\u2019s serve keeps him competitive, but Marozsan\u2019s creativity and ability to change patterns could open the court. Expect him to find solutions as the match goes on.
Prediction: Marozsan in 4<\/p>\n

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Filip Misolic<\/p>\n

Yesh:
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina might not have found the heights that many expected years ago<\/a>, but he\u2019s still a solid top player. Misolic can pull off upsets on clay, but he should be out of his depth in this matchup, especially on a hard court.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 3<\/p>\n

Zain:
While Misolic is far more comfortable on red clay, his forehand and movement make him a tough out for many. But if Fokina plays the sort of tennis he showed in Adelaide, he should have enough firepower to progress to the second round.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 3<\/p>\n

Ilemona:
Misolic\u2019s fighting spirit is admirable, but Davidovich Fokina\u2019s speed and shot tolerance should overwhelm him in longer exchanges. Once he settles, control should follow.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 3<\/p>\n

Andrey Rublev vs Matteo Arnaldi<\/p>\n

Yesh:
Rublev has been known to stumble in matches he should win, but he looks pretty locked in to start this season. I expect a pretty deep run from him here in Melbourne<\/a>, and the talented Italian is as good a way to get into the tournament as any.
Prediction: Rublev in 3<\/p>\n

Zain:
One of the most intriguing first-round matches\u2013Arnaldi has shown in the past that he has what it takes not only to beat Rublev but to take him down at a Major. On a hard court, Rublev might have a bit more margin for error, but I feel the Italian might once again have enough answers to frustrate the Russian.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 5<\/p>\n

Ilemona:
Arnaldi has variety, but Rublev\u2019s relentless pace off both wings can rush him into defensive positions. Sustaining that pressure should prove decisive.
Prediction: Rublev in 3<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Day 2 of the Australian Open sees most of the first round completed, with a whopping 28 men\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[29091,138998,47638,190044,53618,132267,199282,199283,198196,111497,194206,15218,15219,34800,145802,132273,132274,70794,131369,99,428,9985,9986],"class_list":["post-416305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-alejandro-davidovich-fokina","tag-alejandro-davidovich-fokina-predictions","tag-andrey-rublev","tag-andrey-rublev-predictions","tag-arthur-rinderknech","tag-arthur-rinderknech-predictions","tag-australian-open-day-2-predictions","tag-australian-open-mens-predictions","tag-australian-open-predictions","tag-fabian-marozsan","tag-fabian-marozsan-predictions","tag-filip-misolic","tag-filip-misolic-predictions","tag-learner-tien","tag-learner-tien-predictions","tag-marcos-giron","tag-marcos-giron-predictions","tag-matteo-arnaldi","tag-matteo-arnaldi-predictions","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}