Sun Jan 12 03:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Australian Open Day 1: Opelka Favored, Zverev Expected to Cruise
**Melbourne, Australia** – The Australian Open men’s singles first round begins Sunday with 16 matches promising exciting action at Melbourne Park. Several key matchups have already drawn predictions from LastWordOnTennis experts Ateet Shrivastava, Ismael Gonzalez, and Yesh Ginsburg.
American Reilly Opelka is heavily favored in his match against Gauthier Onclin, despite recent concerns about his fitness following a retirement in Brisbane. All three experts predict an Opelka victory, with two anticipating a three-set win and one forecasting a four-set triumph. Onclin’s strong qualifying run is noted, but Opelka’s powerful serve is seen as the deciding factor.
Another anticipated victory is for Alexander Zverev against Lucas Pouille. While acknowledging Pouille’s wildcard entry and potential, the experts unanimously favor Zverev, citing his strong recent form and Pouille’s lack of recent competitive matches. A swift victory in three sets is predicted for the German.
The match between Aleksandar Vukic and Damir Dzumhur presents a closer contest. While Dzumhur’s recent return to the top 100 is acknowledged, Vukic’s superior hard-court form and current playing style make him the favorite, with all experts predicting a Vukic win in four or five sets.
Other notable first-round matches include Kei Nishikori vs Thiago Monteiro, Casper Ruud vs Jaume Munar, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Juncheng Shang, which will be covered in separate articles. The first day promises a compelling start to the Australian Open, with several matches expected to deliver high-quality tennis.
First Piper 