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The only Australian left in singles at the 2016 Australian Open, Bernard Tomic will go head to head with a massive challenge in the form of second seed Scotsman Andy Murray. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7pm (AEDT).
Bernard Tomic might have been playing some very good Tennis in recent times, but the match against Murray is going to test him to a whole new level.
The first three rounds for Tomic though have brought some very strong victories. He hasn’t played what you would call an ‘easy’ opponent yet and has showed his strength to keep each win relatively comfortable. Starting against Dennis Istomin and then Simone Bolelli, he managed to record four-set victories over both playing strong Tennis.
His third round, while being a straight sets victory over fellow Australian John Millman would be described as not his best match. He just made too many errors and needs to improve from that performance.
Murray, on the other hand, started with two straight sets victories over Alexander Zverev and then Australian Sam Groth. Neither player was even able to give Murray something that remotely resembled a challenge and he ran away with both matches.
The third round match was a bit more challenging for Murray as he took on Joao Souza. He would drop his first set of the tournament although still managed to win fairly comfortably in four.
The pair have previously matched up on three occasions, but it would be fair to say the 16th seed Tomic is moving into the form of his career. In their previous three meetings, Tomic has failed to win a set.
The first was in 2012 at the Brisbane International, then in 2013 at Miami before the pair met in the Davis Cup last year. It was that Davis Cup win for Murray that really helps to show his complete dominance over Tomic so far in their respective careers, taking it in straight sets and never being challenged.
For Tomic to win this one, he must get on the attack and keep rallies short. Using his serve and forehand has to be his advantage, as letting Murray get into a rally will ultimately end in him winning. Even on the serve, it is questionable that Tomic would be able to compete, however, he can’t afford to be broken at any point.
Prediction
It would be a shock to see Murray get knocked out at this stage of the tournament. Tomic, while being seeded at 16 and in some good form just doesn’t look to have what it takes to beat Murray however he might win a set or two if he is at his best.
Murray in four sets.
Join The Roar for live coverage of this fourth round match up at the 2016 Australian Open from 7pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to leave a comment if you’re following along with the action.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde