In the second round of the Australian Open, world No. 2 Alexander Zverev will face 44th-ranked Pedro Martinez. This match should go Zverev’s way, so you’re not going to find me making the case for Martinez to win or even cover. But I do think there’s a good chance this match will go Over the 28.5-game total. Even a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 loss for Martinez would do the trick. That’s not asking much of the Spaniard, who looked good in the first round before Luciano Darderi retired.
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Martinez was leading 6-3, 4-1 when Darderi decided to call it a match, and he was only on the court for an hour and 11 minutes. So he got a nice little feel for the court conditions, but he didn’t have to exert much energy. He’ll be as fresh as can be when he takes on Zverev, and he’ll have nothing to lose.
Zverev, meanwhile, earned a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Lucas Pouille, and he was largely untested when it was his turn to serve. But he was also dismal as a returner, converting just 15 of his 18 break-point chances.
