Stefanos Tsitsipas, Lorenzo Musetti, and Denis Shapovalov all made winning starts to their respective 2026 Australian Open campaigns. Tsitsipas and Musetti are on a collision course as both could potentially face each other in the third round, should they win their respective matches in the second round.
On that note, let us take a look at the second-round matchups for the aforementioned players.
Stefanos Tsitsipas Will Look To Get Back To His Old Form As He Takes On Tomáš Macháč In The Second Round
Stefanos Tsitsipas had a shaky start to his Australian Open, as he lost the first set against Shintaro Mochizuki in his first-round match. However, the Greek player quickly regrouped and won the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. He will now face Tomáš Macháč in the second round, who began his campaign with a smooth-sailing 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win over Grigor Dimitrov.
Tsitsipas has a 1-0 head-to-head record against Macháč, having beaten him in Vienna in 2023. The head-to-head is a key factor in the PFSN Simulator, assigning a 57 percent win probability for the Greek.
Tsitsipas won 80 percent of his first-serve points in his previous match, being broken only once. However, he got 20 break point opportunities, of which he converted four, but the conversion needs room for improvement.
Macháč, on the other hand, was dominant on serve as well, as he did not get broken once in his first-round match, winning 80 percent of the first serve points and having a 40 percent break point conversion rate. However, it must be said that Dimitrov was not at his physical best, and therefore, the Czech player’s performance needs to be assessed with a pinch of salt.
Both players won their respective previous matches, depending on strong showings on serve, and therefore, the upcoming match will be decided by the same, especially in the early stages. However, Tsitsipas is a former runner-up here in Melbourne, and that will give him the edge to secure the victory.
Pick- Tsitsipas to win in four sets
Lorenzo Musetti Will Face Against Countryman, Lorenzo Sonego In the Second Round
Fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti overcame fitness concerns, securing a win via retirement against Raphael Collignon in the first round, when the Italian had a 2-to-1 sets lead. The Italian will now face compatriot Lorenzo Sonego, who began his campaign in Melbourne with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 over Carlos Taberner in the first round.
More: Lorenzo Musetti vs Alexander Bublik Preview: Head-to-Head, Prediction for Hong Kong Open 2026 Final
The head-to-head between the two players is 1-1, with Musetti winning in Vienna in 2024 and Sonego winning at the Paris Masters last year. The PFSN Simulator is bullish about Musetti’s chances in the upcoming all-Italian clash, as a 72 percent win probability has been given to the fifth seed. Musetti had an average 66 percent win rate behind his first serve against Collignon, but the Italian won over 60 percent of the points behind his second serve, which got him the lead in the match. On the other hand, Sonego won over 80 percent of the first-serve points against Taberner and broke his opponent’s serve seven times.
Musetti has come into this Slam on the back of some injury concerns, and Sonego will be determined to get one over his fellow countryman, and he also has a lot of points to defend from his quarterfinal run last year. However, the faster court in Melbourne should give Musetti the edge, with his creative strokeplay.
Pick- Musetti to win in four sets
Denis Shapovalov Is Looking For a Breakout Run As He Takes On Marin Čilić In The Second Round
21st-seeded Denis Shapovalov began his campaign in Melbourne with a 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-1 against Yunchaokete Bu in the first round. The Canadian will now go up against 2018 runner-up Marin Čilić, who started with an impressive 6-0, 6-0, 7-6 (5) win over Daniel Altmaier in the first round.
The head-to-head is 3-2 in favor of the Canadian, but it was the Croatian who won the last time they played in Stuttgart in 2021. Shapovalov was in great serving rhythm, as he did not make a single double fault and won 83 percent of the total service points against Bu in the previous round.
With two 6-0 sets, the stats were naturally in favor of Čilić in his previous match against Altmaier. The Croatian was not broken once and was able to break his opponent’s serve six times.
The head-to-head is close, but Čilić is on his last legs in his tennis career and is no longer a credible threat, whereas Shapovalov is the seeded player who will be the favorite going into the match, as shown by the PFSN Simulator, which has assigned a 58 percent win probability to the Canadian.
Pick- Shapovalov in straight sets
