Australian Open 2024 Day 4: Men's singles predictions ft. Lorenzo Musetti vs Luca Van Assche

The fourth day of main draw action in men's singles at the Australian Open on Thursday will feature 16 matches. Fifteen seeds, three qualifiers and a lucky loser will be in action.

On the third day of action, the likes of second seed Carlos Alcaraz, eighth seed Holger Rune and 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov emerged victorious, respectively beating Richard Gasquet, Yoshihito Nishioka and Marton Fucsovics.

So, without further ado, here's a look at how the following four men's singles second-round matches at the Australian Open on Thursday could pan out:

#1 Lorenzo Musetti vs Luca Van Assche

Twenty-fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti takes on France's Luca Van Assche for a place in the Australian Open third round.

World No. 25 Musetti is coming off a four-set opening-round win over Frenchman Benzamin Bonzi and is 3-1 on the season. Meanwhile, the 79th-ranked Van Assche beat James Duckworth in five sets in his opener.

The two players haven't met before, but expect the more experienced Italian to take the win.

Pick: Musetti in four sets.

#2 Adrian Mannarino vs Jaume Munar

Twentieth seed Adrian Mannarino locks horns with Spain's Jaume Munar as he eyes a place in the Australian Open third round.

World No. 19 Mannarino is coming off a tough five-set win over 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka, recovering from two sets to one down, to improve to 2-3 on the season. Meanwhile, Munar saw off Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets to open his account in 2024.

This is yet another first-time meeting, but expect the more experienced Mannarino to prevail.

Pick: Mannarino in straight sets.

#3 Sebastian Baez vs Daniel Elahi Galan

Twenty-sixth seed Sebastian Baez takes on Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia as a place in the Australian Open third round beckons.

World No. 29 Baez is coming off a four-set win over American J.J. Wolf in the first round for his first win in three matches in 2024. Meanwhile, the 87th-ranked Galan saw off Jason Kubler of Australia in a fifth set supertiebreak to also get off the mark for the season.

Baez took the pair's lone meeting in the Winston Salem first round and should emerge victorious again.

Pick: Baez in straight sets.

#4 Francisco Cerundolo vs Fabian Marozsan

Twenty-second seed Francisco Cerundolo will look to reach the Australian Open third round at the expense of Hungary's Fabian Marozsan.

The 21st-ranked Cerundolo is coming off a five-set win over Dane Sweeny to get off the mark in 2024 after three matches. Meanwhile, World No. 67 Marozsan saw off a four-set win over 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic to improve to 2-2 on the season.

It's yet another first-time matchup, but the more experienced Cerundolo should take the win.

Pick: Cerundolo in four sets.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Siddharth Dhananjay