Australian Open 2022: Andy Murray vs Taro Daniel preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (WC) Andy Murray vs (Q) Taro Daniel

Date: 20 January 2022.

Tournament: Australian Open 2022

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $75,000,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv.

Andy Murray vs Taro Daniel preview

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray will lock horns with qualifier Taro Daniel in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open on Thursday.

Murray engaged in an epic five-set battle with Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round on Tuesday, winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4. This was his first victory at the tournament since 2017, when he reached the fourth round.

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Taro Daniel at the 2022 Australian Open.

While Murray had to battle hard, Taro Daniel registered a straightforward 7-6(1), 6-1, 6-1 win over qualifier Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera.

The two were evenly matched in the first set and did not drop serve even once. The Japanese fell behind 5-1 in the tie-break, but staged an incredible comeback to clinch the opening set and take control of the match. Daniel pulled away over the course of the next two sets to register just his second-ever victory at Melbourne Park.

He'll now look to progress beyond the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

Andy Murray vs Taro Daniel head-to-head

The two have faced off once before, with Murray leading 1-0 in the head-to-head. He defeated the Japanese 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 in the 2016 Davis Cup.

Andy Murray vs Taro Daniel prediction

Murray will be the favorite heading into this match, provided he recovers fully after his marathon first-round encounter. The Brit's defensive skills were on full display against Basilashvili and Daniel could struggle to hit through the three-time Slam champion, considering his lack of firepower.

Moreover, there is a huge gulf in experience between the two players on the biggest stage of tennis. Murray is a five-time finalist at the Australian Open, while Daniel has never been past the second round.

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All things considered, the chances of Daniel pulling off an upset are extremely slim.

Prediction: Andy Murray to win in straight sets.

Also Checkout : Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic Head to Head Stats

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram