Australian Open, Day 4: Men's singles predictions

Even though it feels like the Australian Open has just started, we are already approaching Day 4 of the first Grand Slam of the year. The top half of the draw went pretty much as expected in the first round, and now we have the second round to look forward to.

The main contenders of this half, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem, all won their opening matches without too many hiccups. How will they fare in their second-round matches? Here, we look at their upcoming matches and predict what the outcome is likely to be:

Rafael Nadal vs Federico Delbonis

2020 Australian Open - Day 2

Despite his shaky time at the ATP Cup, Rafael Nadal looked in fine form during his match against Hugo Dellien. Admittedly, this was perhaps the easiest draw for any of the top players, but Nadal did not take it lightly and was ruthless during the match.

His next opponent is Federico Delbonis, who also won his first-round match in straight sets. The two players have met on three occasions over the years, with Nadal winning all of the matches.

Having only dropped 10 games overall whilst playing Delbonis, we can expect this to be another easy victory for the Spaniard - which would keep him on course to play Nick Kyrgios in the 4th round.

Prediction: Nadal to win in straight sets.

Dominic Thiem vs Alex Bolt

2020 Australian Open - Day 2

Thiem had one of the tougher opening round matches among the top contenders, but the Austrian was masterful on the court and easily dismissed Adrian Mannarino in straight sets.

His next opponent is Australian Alex Bolt, who qualified for the event through a wildcard. The two have met before, but both of those matches were in Futures events eight long years ago.

Bolt struggled through his first-round match and doesn't look as though he will be able to do too much damage to the Austrian. Although Bolt will have the home crowd behind him, it is Thiem who is likely to prevail.

Prediction: Thiem to win in straight sets.

Daniil Medvedev vs Pedro Martinez

2020 Australian Open - Day 2

Many feel that Medvedev will go far in Melbourne, and it is hard to disagree with that. Though he dropped a set against Frances Tiafoe in his opening match, the Russian still looked every bit as dangerous as he has for the last six months.

His next opponent is Pedro Martinez, who gained entry into the tournament via the qualifiers. It is hard to imagine that Martinez will pose any threat to the NextGen star; the Russian will most likely win this fast and easy.

Prediction: Medvedev to win in straight sets.