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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Daniil Medvedev vs (27) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Date: January 20, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: A$86,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv | Canada - TSN & RDS
Daniil Medvedev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview
World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev will take on Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open on Saturday, January 20.
Following Terence Atmane's retirement at the start of the fourth set, Medvedev progressed to the second round, where Emil Ruusuvuori awaited him. The Russian went down a break at the start of the match and was unable to recover, and thus lost the opener.
Medvedev was initially able to turn things around in the second set as he rallied from a break down to go 5-3 up. But he failed to serve out the set, wasted three set points on his opponent's serve, and then lost the set in the tie-break.
With Medvedev halfway towards exiting the tournament, he raised his level. He gave up a part of his lead in the third set but he held his nerve this time to clinch it. Russuvuori matched him shot for shot in the fourth set, but the Russian edged him out in the tie-break.
This finally turned the tide in Medvedev's favor. The final set ended on a whimper as the former World No. 1 blanked his opponent to complete a 3-6, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0 comeback win.
Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, sneaked past Dominic Thiem in five sets to book a second-round date with Hugo Grenier. The Canadian claimed the first set for the loss of just one game.
While Grenier struck back to take the second set, he was unable to sustain his level. Auger-Aliassime dropped just three more games after that to register a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Daniil Medvedev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime head-to-head
Medvedev leads Auger-Aliassime 6-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 Qatar Open in straight sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Daniil Medvedev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime prediction
After a tough opener against Thiem, Auger-Aliassime had an easier time in the second round against Grenier. He'll certainly be more fresher than Medvedev, whose battle against Ruusuvuori lasted over four hours and ended just before 4:00 a.m. local time.
Medvedev has looked far from his best so far. He's playing a bit too passively, even by his standards. He did serve quite well in the previous round, as he thundered down 23 aces and won 70 percent of first-serve points.
Despite the obvious fatigue, Medvedev will still be considered as the favorite against the Canadian due to his perfect winning record against him. The closest Auger-Aliassime came to beating him was at the 2022 Australian Open. He had a two-set lead and a match point in the fourth set but lost the match in five sets.
Auger-Aliassime's form over the past year has also been quite shaky. If Medvedev is back to his best and isn't too tired, this match is likely to go his way. But if his level remains the same, the Canadian has a shot at notching his first win over his older rival.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev to win in five sets.
