5 matches to watch out for on Day 1 of the Australian Open

There are less than 24 hours to go for the start of the Australian Open, and Day 1 has plenty of exciting matches lined up! The top seeds cannot take the opening rounds lightly as unseeded players and wild cards will look to pounce on them and cause an upset.With that said, here are five matches you shouldn’t miss on Day 1Reminder: You can watch all the action live on Sony Liv Sports here.

#5 Yuki Bhambri vs Andy Murray

It’s good news for Indian tennis fans as Yuki Bhambri has made it to the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. But he will have his work cut out as he faces two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in the first round, which would be the second match of the day on Margaret Court Arena (starting at around 7 am IST).

Murray had a disappointing 2014 where he went out of the Top 10 for the first time since 2008. However, the Scot bounced back strongly by winning tournaments in Shenzhen, Austria and Valencia, thus ensuring his qualification for the ATP World Tour finals in London.

Murray is currently ranked No. 6 in the world and will look to kick off the year in style with a strong showing in Melbourne. Bhambri on the other hand would look to come out all guns blazing from the first game in his bid to cause an upset and progress to the second round.

This would be the first meeting between the two.

#4 Jiri Vesely vs Viktor Troicki

Vickor Troicki couldn’t have asked for a better preparation for the Australian Open; he clinched the Sydney International this week for only his second title on the ATP tour. Jiri Vesely on the other hand is a promising talent and beat Gael Monfils in a tough five-setter to reach the third round of Wimbledon last year.

Troicki is high on confidence at the moment, but Vesely will make the Serb work hard for his win. The duo, who haven’t met each other before, will face off at 6 pm Australian time (12.30 pm IST).

#3 Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Ernests Gulbis

Ernests Gulbis is not in the greatest of form and the local favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis would love to capitalise on that. Kokkinakis has been handed a wild card for the tournament and can give the Latvian a tough test in the opening round. The two will face off at 6 pm Australian time (12.30 pm IST).

Gulbis lost to qualifier Jiri Vesely in Auckland and will hope for an improved performance in Melbourne. But the Australian youngster is known for his attacking brand of tennis and Gulbis will be wary of taking too many risks against him.

This will be their first meeting.

Don’t forget to tune in to Sony Liv Sports to catch all the action from Day 1 live.

#2 Roger Federer vs Yen-Hsun Lu

Roger Federer started off 2015 with a bang, winning the Brisbane International where he notched up his 1000th win on the ATP tour. In the first match of the night session (7 pm Australian time, 1.30 pm IST) he will take on Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan.

Lu, the silver medallist at the 2014 Asian Games, has the game to upset the 17-time Grand Slam champion, but it would be an uphill task for him to win do so on such a big stage.

Federer has a tricky draw ahead of him with the likes of Grigor Dimitrov, Andy Murray, Nick Kyrgios, Tommy Robredo and David Goffin placed in the same quarter. The Swiss maestro leads 3-0 in the head-to-head against Lu.

#1 Rafael Nadal vs Mikhail Youzhny

Rafael Nadal will open his campaign in Melbourne against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny at around 2 pm Australian time (8.30 am IST). Nadal lost to qualifier Micheal Berrer in Doha and is coming back from yet another injury lay-off, so Youzhny will definitely fancy his chances against the Spaniard.

It will be interesting to see the 9-time French Open champion’s approach against the Russian, who doesn’t mind occasional forays to the net and would look to attack Nadal’s backhand with his ferocious crosscourt forehand.

Nadal has a relatively easy passage to the quarters if he gets past the Russian in this match. He leads their head-to-head rivalry 11-4.

Don’t forget to tune in to Sony Liv Sports to catch all the action from Day 1 live.