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Australian Open 2022, 3rd Round, Saturday, 22.01.2022
Who will take the title at the Australian Open 2022 in the absence of Novak Djokovic? For the bookmakers, three players in particular come into question: Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The trio has made it into the 3rd round, the Greek will now meet an enfant terrible feared in the tennis circus. None other than Benoit Paire will try to cause a surprise for the second time.
He failed to do so against Tsitsipas in 2021, but he will get another chance on Friday night. The bookmakers have him pegged as a clear underdog, but I wonder if my Paire Tsitsipas tip will be the same?
Spending the new year in quarantine, giving up in Melbourne at the preparation tournament just before losing and starting the competition in Adelaide with a defeat in round 1 – Benoit Paire will have celebrated nicer starts to the year.
The eccentric Frenchman is known for being able to call up performances between heaven and hell. At this Australian Open, he once again seems to want to present his strong sporting side.
After his tennis thriller against Thiago Monteiro (6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5), he caused a big surprise by defeating Grigor Dimitrov. Few had expected his 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.
There was even room for improvement, because only half of his first serve landed with his opponent. The nine double faults can also be optimised. For the first time since 2017, Paire is now back in a 3rd round in Melbourne, back then he failed to reach Dominic Thiem.
A round of 16? That’s never happened before. Four years ago, he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas. In 2021, however, the Greek made short work of it, winning twice and conceding just seven games.
After his commanding 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 against Mikael Ymer, Sebastian Baez of Argentina managed to force him into four sets. Tsitsipas eventually took a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4, but took a long time to find his way into the match.
18 Break chances he was served, he only used four of them. Tennis fans don’t really know where he stands.
He lost to Diego Schwartzman at the ATP Cup, which alone is hardly enough for a well-founded assessment.
After his semi-final exit at the Australian Open 2021, the Greek thinks he has a good chance of going one step further this time. A place in the round of the best 16 is a must after his two clear victories against Paire last year.
My Paire Tsitsipas tip
Does Benoit Paire really pull off the sensation and knock out a real top star? The Frenchman is one of the most idiosyncratic players on the tour, when he really wants to, he can pull off true top performances
In my eyes, the Frenchman definitely has what it takes to upset the world number 4. Maybe it won’t be enough to win in the end, but Paire might just snatch a set.
So my tip: Paire wins the set
