The Australian Open draw ceremony Thursday unveiled several intriguing first-round matches, headlined by defending champion Jannik Sinner’s opener against Nicolas Jarry. ATPTour.com highlights five first-round matches to watch in Melbourne.
Jannik Sinner vs. Nicolas Jarry
The top-seeded Italian begins his title defence with a tough test in World No. 34 Jarry, who was just two spots from being seeded. Jarry was seeded 18th at last year’s Australian Open. Two-time major champion Sinner will put his 14-match winning streak to the test in what promises to be a heavy-hitting duel from the baseline, with Sinner and Jarry in a tug-of-war for court position.
Sinner and the Chilean Jarry are tied at 1-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with the 23-year-old winning their most recent meeting last year in Beijing. Jarry defeated Sinner in 2019 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Gael Monfils vs. [30] Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
An intriguing battle of Frenchmen features seasoned-veteran Monfils and rising 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard, who stands 6’8” (203cm) and boasts one of the biggest serves on Tour. Mpetshi Perricard was selected by his peers as the Most Improved Player of the Year in the 2024 ATP Awards.
Monfils, a two-time quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park (2016, 2022), is making his 19th appearance at the season’s first major. The 38-year-old Monfils has treated fans to superb shotmaking throughout his two-decade career while Mpetshi Perricard is not afraid to hit hefty second serves, creating difficulty for the returner.
Ben Shelton vs. Brandon Nakashima
Shelton is returning to the site where in 2023 he enjoyed a dream quarter-final run as the No. 89 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. Fast forward to this year’s edition and Shelton is seeded 21st, hungry for another deep run after his third-round exit in 2024.
Nakashima, No. 37 in the PIF ATP Rankings, looks to spoil his countryman’s hopes by earning his first Lexus ATP Head2Head win against Shelton in their third meeting. In Nakashima’s most recent Slam outing — last year’s US Open — the 23-year-old upset two Top 20 players en route to a fourth-round appearance.
Taylor Fritz vs. Jenson Brooksby
In another all-American first-round match, fourth seed Fritz clashes against Brooskby, who will be competing in his first professional match since the Australian Open two years ago. Fritz is fresh off his career-best season in which he reached at least the quarter-finals at three of the four majors, highlighted by his historic run to the US Open final. He also reached the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Former No. 33 Brooksby defeated Fritz in their lone previous meeting, a second-round match at the 2021 US Open. The 24-year-old Brooksby possesses a tricky style of play, relying on brickwall consistency to outlast and frustrate fellow competitors. Brooksby will hope to relive his memories from Melbourne in 2023, when he earned an early upset win against second seed Casper Ruud.
Lorenzo Musetti vs. Matteo Arnaldi
World No. 1 Sinner is leading the Italian charge in men’s tennis, but the country’s success goes beyond the 18-time tour-level champion. Musetti and Arnaldi are two of six Italians in the Top 50. The 22-year-old Musetti earned his career-best Slam result last year at Wimbledon, where he reached the last four. Seeded 16th Down Under, Musetti will have his sights set on getting to the second week of a hard-court major for the first time.
But Musetti will first focus on the task at hand, countryman and World No. 38 Arnaldi. The 23-year-old aims for his first win in three meetings against Musetti, having suffered a heartbreaking defeat in a third-set tie-break in their previous match (2023 Bastad). Arnaldi peaked inside the Top 30 last season, during which he reached the Roland Garros fourth round and semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal.
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