Former champion Stan Wawrinka stormed into the third round of the Australian Open with an emphatic straight-sets victory over Radek Stepanek on Thursday. He will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win when he takes on Czech veteran Lukas Rosol in the round of 32 this coming Saturday.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this blockbuster matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the third-round match between Andy Murray and Joao Sousa.
[sc:TennisArticles ]Stan Wawrinka vs. Lukas Rosol Betting Preview
Where: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
When: Saturday, January 23
Line: Stan Wawrinka (-1,200) vs. Lukas Rosol (+700) – view all Australian Open Men’s Singles lines
Betting on Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka barged into the third round of the Australian Open with a convincing 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Radek Stepanek on Thursday. It was an impressive performance from the 30-year-old who needed just two hours and one minute to record the straight-sets victory.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Key to Wawrinka’s victory was his excellent return. Wawrinka won 44 percent of his receiving points against Stepanek with the Swiss star converting five of his 12 break point chances. He also found some success in his occasional forays to the net, winning 11 of his 21 points there. With the win, Wawrinka is through to the third round of the Australian Open for the eighth straight year.
Wawrinka will look to keep the momentum going when he takes on Lukas Rosol in the third round. The fourth seed will fancy his chances of doing just that as he has fared extremely well against Rosol of late. Wawrinka has beaten Rosol in each of their last two meetings with the world no. 4 dropping just one set during that span.
Wawrinka is 8-2 in his last 10 matches.
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Betting on Lukas Rosol
Lukas Rosol booked a place in the third round of the Australian Open with a stunning 7-6(6) 7-6(5) 6-3 win over No. 25 seed Jack Sock on Thursday. It was a fantastic showing by Rosol who needed just two hours and 16 minutes to record the straight-sets win. With the victory, Rosol is through to the round of 32 at the Australian Open for the first time in his career.
Things are bound to get tougher, though, for the Czech star as he will next face the 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka. He is 0-2 lifetime against the world no. 4. Rosol will take comfort in the fact, however, that he pushed Wawrinka to the brink in their last meeting in Geneva last year. He lost to Wawrinka in three sets in that contest, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
For Rosol to grab the massive upset this time around, he will need to continue his excellent play on the service end. He put into play 58 percent of his first serves against Sock with Rosol winning an incredible 80 percent (61-of-76) of those points. Rosol served beautifully in the big points, saving all of Sock’s 10 break-point opportunities in the second round.
Rosol has to be aggressive right from the get-go for him to stand a chance against the two-time Grand Slam champion. He will need to put pressure on the Swiss star and he can do that by employing his highly-effective net play. He won 21 of his 28 net points in the previous round against Sock. For the tournament, Rosol has won 72 percent (55-of-76) of his total net points.
Rosol is 6-4 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Wawrinka (-1,200) edges past Rosol in four tough sets.
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