Popcorn AO First-rounders: Tsitsipas vs. Berrettini, Felix vs. Thiem & more

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Thursday’s Australian Open draw has produced a number of intriguing first-round match-ups, but two in particular stand out: 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Matteo Berrettini and Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Dominic Thiem.

Below is a look at five matches to watch in the first round of the Australian Open, which begins Sunday at Melbourne Park.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Matteo Berrettini
We meet here again! Back in 2019, these two heavy hitters met in the first round of the Australian Open, with Tsitsipas emerging a four-set winner in the first of their three career Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, all of which the Greek has won.

Seventh seed Tsitsipas has been a second-week mainstay at Melbourne Park, reaching the semi-finals or better in four of the past five years, including last year when he reached the final (l. to Djokovic). He came into the 2024 season with doubts about his back, sitting out his first singles match at the United Cup before looking physically good in matches against Steven Diez and Alexander Zverev.

Berrettini, who begins the season with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig, ended his 2023 season at the US Open, where he suffered an ankle injury. Despite seeing his Pepperstone ATP Ranking drop to No. 125, the former World No. 6 and 2022 Australian Open semi-finalist remains a big danger with him booming serve and forehand and is an opponent the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion will not be taking lightly.

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Dominic Thiem
Both these players badly need a confidence-boosting run at the Australian Open, but only one will get it after the draw pitted them against each other. The players have met just once before, with Thiem claiming a straight-sets win in the fourth round of the 2020 US Open.

Auger-Aliassime, who eased his way into 2024 by just playing mixed doubles at United Cup as he recovers from a knee injury, suffered an opening-round loss in Auckland this week to German Daniel Altmaier. The Canadian has reached the fourth round or better the past three years in Melbourne.

Thiem, the 2020 Australian Open finalist, is still looking to work his way back to the top of the men’s game following a wrist injury in 2022. The 2020 US Open champion and two-time Roland Garros finalist lost to Rafael Nadal in the first round of Brisbane last week and the draw didn’t do him any favours in Melbourne by matching him with Felix.

Stan Wawrinka vs. Adrian Mannarino
Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open champion, will match his powerful game with the craftiness of French left-handed Adrian Mannarino, who at 35 comes into the Open at a career-high No. 20.

The players have met twice, with Mannarino winning both hard-court meetings in 2015 and 2022.

Watch for how often Wawrinka takes his aggressive backhand down the line to negate Mannarino’s ability to dig into extended forehand to backhand rallies. The 38-year-old Swiss has not reached the second week of a major since 2020, when he made it to the quarters at Melbourne Park.

Deep into his career, Mannarino will be looking to build on his banner year in 2023, which netted three titles.

Alex de Minaur v Milos Raonic
On recent form, newly minted Top 10 member Alex de Minaur looks a heavy favourite in his first-round battle with Milos Raonic.

Fresh off three consecutive Top 10 wins at the United Cup over Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, the Aussie comes into his home Slam in the best form of his life. Raonic, on the other hand, is far from his best playing days as a former World No. 3 and Wimbledon finalist. The Canadian has played just one Davis Cup match since last year's US Open and finds himself at No. 317 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

But dismiss the big-serving Canadian at your peril! De Minaur knows that and certainly won’t. The 24-year-old won their lone battle in 2018 in Brisbane, but is well aware of the first-strike tennis that 33-year-old Raonic can use to take the racquet out of his opponents’ hands.

Grigor Dimitrov vs. Marton Fucsovics
Fan favourite Grigor Dimitrov seems primed for a big Australian Open after snapping a six-year title drought last week in Brisbane, where he won 10 consecutive sets to close out his campaign. But if there’s one dangerous floater you don’t want to face in the first round of a major — especially the Australian Open — it’s tough-as-nails Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

Known for his mantra of ‘Every day, gym day,’ Fucsovics always enters the new season in peak physical condition and ready to cause early-round upsets at Melbourne Park, where he has reached the third round twice and the fourth round twice.

Dimitrov will be well advised to not allow this to become a fifth-set war of attrition and will look to use his serve and forehand to dictate play, keep points short and get back into the lockeroom as soon as possible.

But Fucsovics may have other plans.

In other interesting first-round matches, returning quarter-finalist Ben Shelton faces gritty Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut who is on the comeback from injury, but who never gives an opponent an inch. Frances Tiafoe, who has not been back to the second week in Melbourne since his quarter-final breakthrough in 2019, faces a testing opener against former Cincinnati Open champion Borna Coric.