2021 Australian Open First Round – Dominic Thiem vs Mikhail Kukushkin Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Dominic Thiem vs Mikhail Kukushkin taking place? Melbourne Park, Melbourne
When is Dominic Thiem vs Mikhail Kukushkin on and what time does it start? Monday 8th February, 2021 – not before 02:30 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Dominic Thiem vs Mikhail Kukushkin? Click here to reach the official 2021 Australian Open ticket selection
What channel is Dominic Thiem vs Mikhail Kukushkin on? The 2021 Australian Open will be televised on Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedule for this specific match
Where can I stream Dominic Thiem vs Mikhail Kukushkin in the UK? Sky customers can stream this match on the Sky Go app. Alternatively, the match can be streamed to subscribers of Eurosport Player, either on the official website or as an add-on to an Amazon Prime subscription
THE LOWDOWN
DOMINIC THIEM
- World number three Dominic Thiem reached the final here last season before losing to Novak Djokovic in an absolute classic five-set clash that will live long in the memory in Melbourne.
- The 27-year-old comes into the 2021 Australian Open a little cold having played just three sets of tennis at the ATP Cup where he was dismantled by Matteo Berrettini and was a set up against Benoit Paire before the Frenchman retired.
MIKHAIL KUKUSHKIN
- 33-year-old Mikhail Kukushkin enters the Australian Open with a 1-1 record for the year so far after reaching the second round of the Murray River Open.
- The world number 90’s career is starting to wind down now it seems but he has good Grand Slam pedigree having reached the round of 16 twice, once here in 2012 and again at Wimbledon 2019.
THE PREDICTION
Dominic Thiem looked much sharper in his second ATP Cup tie against Benoit Paire after an out-of-sorts loss to Matteo Berrettini the match previous and it could take him a little while to break into his best form. He has never faced Mikhail Kukushkin before but finds the Kazakhstani in a fairly middling patch of results over the last few months and the Austrian should be winning this first round clash in straight sets. Kukushkin is a busy player but maximum effort is not the way to beat the world number three, who would not mind if this match takes a little while as he aims to get more match fitness in his legs.
