Fifth seeded Russian Andrey Rublev will meet Dominic Thiem in a blockbuster First Round matchup at the Australian Open. The match will be played on Tuesday January 17th, 2023.
Andrey Rublev is the number six player in the world, and the 5th seed here at the 2023 Australian Open. The Russian has a solidified his position in the top 10 over the past few seasons, and is one of those players who has been knocking at the door of a Grand Slam for some time, just waiting for a breakthrough. His relentless power game is unmatched, and this surface is perfectly suited for his game. He has had a shocking start to the season, going 0-2 in Adelaide with losses to Roberto Bautista-Agut and Thanasi Kokkinakis. His confidence will have taken a beating, so a matchup with former US Open champion Dominic Thiem is not the draw he will have wanted. Rublev will still start as the favorite, but the experienced Thiem will not allow him much room to manuever, and he will have to approach his best to overcome the Austrian here.
Dominic Thiem is unseeded here at the 2023 Australian Open and is ranked 99th in the world. The former top five player went through a very difficult period over the past few years recovering from a wrist injury, and is only now showing signs of being back to his best. Despite his recent struggles, he remains one of the hardest workers on Tour, and his experience is highly valuable. He lost his only match so far this year to Soonwoo Kwon in Adelaide, and like his opponent Andrey Rublev, his preparation has been less than ideal. He is the underdog here but is not someone to discount.
This match between two struggling superstars is likely to be a huge battle. Both men are known for giving it their all, and their never say die attitudes will make for fantastic viewing. Neither are inspiring much confidence at the moment, but we are going with Andrey Rublev here. He has the higher upside at this stage, and has been the better player over the past year. Thiem is a fighter and won’t go away easily, but back the Russian here in four or five sets.