Australian Open Day 3 matches to watch
MELBOURNE, Australia -- The women's schedule leaves something to be desired in terms of potentially competitive matches, so we're focusing on the men Wednesday. Roger Federer will play at Hisense Arena for the first time since 2004 (against Andreas Beck), a nice treat for that crowd, which otherwise is stuck with an underwhelming lineup. With cooler temperatures expected, here's hoping some good second-round action takes center stage. Click here for the TV schedule.
Bernard Tomic vs. Sam Querrey (first night match, Rod Laver Arena): With Samantha Stosur out of the tournament, the 19-year-old Tomic owns the home stage (sorry, Lleyton, but it's true). Querrey won his first match at the Australian Open since 2008 on Monday, which was also his first victory of 2012. The injured-plagued American, 24, still has a big game, but Tomic is surging both in form and confidence after his win at the Kooyong exhibition and, of course, his comeback from two sets down against Fernando Verdasco in the first round. Querrey wants to hit the ball and Tomic will try to goad him to go for too much. If Querrey gets impatient, this could go quickly.
John Isner vs. David Nalbandian (third match, Margaret Court Arena): Nalbandian is coming into this one fresh after his first-round opponent, Jarkko Nieminen, retired in the second set. Isner, the 16th seed, had 40 winners and 42 unforced errors in his straight-set victory against Benjamin Mitchell. The two have played only one full-length match, with Nalbandian defeating Isner in New Zealand last year.
Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Marcos Baghdatis (fifth match, Margaret Court Arena): Tennis Australia loves Baghdatis. How do I know this? Because it scheduled his second-rounder against No. 21 Wawrinka as the last match on Margaret Court Arena. That place is going to be loud and rowdy when Baghdatis takes the court, well-supported by his Cypriot fans. I'm hoping this one goes five sets.
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Nicolas Almagro (fourth match, Court 6): How little respect does Spain's Almagro have as the 10th-ranked player in the world? The ATP didn't even bother to feature this match in its daily match notes. This is one of those matches that just screams to be played over five sets with a couple of racket smashes and heated umpire arguments thrown in to boot. Dimitrov took a big step forward on Monday when he defeated Jeremy Chardy in five sets, while Almagro got past Lukasz Kubot in four. The 20-year-old Bulgarian is a huge talent who needs the self-belief.
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