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Can Bernard Tomic get his 2016 campaign off to a strong start with a win over Nicolas Mahut? Join The Roar for live scores from around 9:00pm (AEDT).
Tomic is raring to go after a long two-month break and will be hoping that he can show his home crowd what he is capable of doing with an impressive win over Mahut.
Bernard is the Australian with the highest expectations and will be expected to at least set up a quarter-final meeting with world number eight Kei Nishikori.
A strong tournament will put him in a great position for the Australian Open as he hopes to become the first Australian since Mark Edmondson in 1976 to win a men’s singles grand slam on home soil.
Seventh seed Bernard Tomic is the only seeded Australian in the tournament and will be hoping to come off of a poor finish to 2015 that saw his win-loss record in his last ten matches drop considerably to 4-6.
The Queensland local has not played since he was knocked out in the second round of the Paris Masters last year by world number four Stan Wawrinka after defeating highly-rated Italian Fabio Fognini in straight sets.
Mahut also has a record of 4-6 in his last ten matches and last played at the Paris Masters where he lost in the first round to Dusan Lajovic. The Frenchman is unseeded and has not experienced a win since he defeated Australian Matthew Ebden in three sets back in October of last year.
Mahut has polished off his boots and packed up his racket in preparation for a good start to 2016 and will challenge Tomic for a second round spot.
The crowd will be against him but if Mahut can pull through it will be seen as a great feat for the 74th ranked right-hander.
Tomic lost to Mahut the only time they met with the Frenchman winning at home in a qualifier for the Paris Masters back in 2011, 7-6, 6-2.
Prediction
Tomic will be far too strong for Mahut and breeze through to a second round match-up with Radek Stepanek.
Tomic in straight sets.
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