Three to See: Federer-Tsitsipas, Kvitova-Anisimova, Tiafoe-Dimitrov

Before each day's play at the Australian Open, we'll preview three must-see matches.

“He could be my son,” the 37-year-old Federer joked after facing 20-year-old Tsitsipas for the first time at the Hopman Cup earlier this month. If that spirited exhibition encounter is any indication, their first tour meeting at the Australian Open on Sunday should be a cracker, and a feast for lovers of tennis in all of its various possibilities. While Federer won their exhibition match in two tiebreakers, Tsitsipas more than held his own during the rallies. Only a couple of ill-timed double faults made the difference.

Federer, of course, will have experience and confidence on his side; he has won 17 straight matches in Melbourne dating back to the 2016 semifinals. Since then, it seems the surface and the conditions in Rod Laver Arena have played exactly to his liking. This time, though, he won’t have the entirety of the crowd in that stadium behind him. Tsitsipas has been buoyed by a vocal Greek contingent this week, one that should only get louder on Sunday night. Tsitsipas, like Federer, has a nuanced game that can take a while to develop. He’s been developing it quickly over the last 10 months, but this match may have come a little too soon for him.

Winner: Federer

Of late, the women’s game has produced some jaw-dropping efforts from its own Next Gen. Most famous among them was 20-year-old Naomi Osaka’s surreally composed win over Serena Williams in the US Open final. If anything, though, the 17-year-old Anisimova’s cool, calm and collected demolition of No. 11-seeded Aryna Sabalenka on Friday in Melbourne may have been even better. Anisimova, playing quickly and with nary a grunt, laced ball after ball past the gob-smacked Belorussian. It was a stunning, potentially future-changing performance.

But just how stunned should we have been? This wasn’t the first time Anisimova has casually flicked away a highly-ranked player. Last spring at Indian Wells, she did something similar to the woman she’s going to face on Sunday, Kvitova. The more pace that Kvitova fed Anisimova, the better and more accurate Anisimova became. Is Kvitova prepared to mix things up if the same thing starts to happen in this fourth-rounder? She better be.

Winner: Anisimova

Suddenly, with the success of Anisimova, Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Danielle Collins and Sloane Stephens this week, a future seems to finally be taking shape for American tennis. In the case of Tiafoe, is that future now? During his close, clutch wins over Kevin Anderson and Andreas Seppi in the last two rounds, the Maryland native has looked like a different, more confident player—and with a better backhand to boot.

But Dimitrov also looks rejuvenated at the moment. That’s what tends to happen to him when he hires a new coach, and he has a famous one in his camp right now: Andre Agassi. Dimitrov likes the Australian Open, where he has reached two quarterfinals and a semifinal. Last year, though, he was ambushed by a young breakout player, Kyle Edmund; could Tiafoe do the same thing? Dimitrov should already know how dangerous he is: These two played into a third-set tiebreaker in Toronto last summer, before Dimitrov prevailed. It wouldn’t be a surprise if something similar happens in Melbourne.

Winner: Dimitrov

Kickoff each day of the 2019 Australian Open with Tennis Channel Live, reviewing the day's most important news and previewing the day's biggest matches. Watch LIVE at 6 p.m. ET.

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