TennisSection previews the 2022 Australian Open as Rafael Nadal (6) meets Yannick Hanfmann in the Second Round on Wednesday January 19th, 2022.
20 time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal enters the 2022 Australian Open as one of the main contenders for the title, despite his low seeding of #6. The Spaniard is a legend of the game, and a title here will see him move clear of his biggest rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at 21 major titles. Next in his path is the Qualifier Yannick Hanfmann who will be hoping to cause the biggest upset of his career, can he do the impossible?
Rafael Nadal is the fifth ranked player in the world, and is the sixth seed here at the 2022 Australian Open. After a title-winning start to the year in Melbourne, he started this event in fine form, crushing Marcos Giron in three easy sets in the First Round. Despite clay being his best surface, he has gotten a bit more aggressive in recent years on the hard court, and prefers to keep the points short in order to preserve his energy. He is the massive favorite here against Qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, and anything other than a straightforward win would be a big surprise here in Mebourne,
Yannick Hanfmann is ranked #126 in the world and came through the Qualifying Rounds here at the 2022 Australian Open. He then stunned Thanasi Kokkinakis in the First Round, a huge win for the German over one of the most in-form players on the ATP Tour who was coming off his first ever title last week. Hanfmann was very impressive in claiming his first ever win at this level, but his stay here is expected to be short lived, as he will face former champion Rafael Nadal in the Second Round, and will need a miracle to get a positive result here.
This will be the second meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, with Rafael Nadal leading the head to head 1-0. They played each other at the 2019 French Open, with the Spaniard winning in straight sets. I am expecting more of the same here, and Nadal should have no problems overcoming his opponent Yannick Hanfmann. While the German was hugely impressive in the First Round, this is an entirely different situation here against one of the best in the world, and he will go down here in straight sets at the 2022 Australian Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Rafael Nadal to win in straight sets
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