Preview: Tomic v Dolgopolov

If tennis is a game of learning, then Alexandr Dolgopolov and Bernard Tomic are PhD students.

The Ukrainian and Australian, who meet in the third round this evening, make no secret of the fact that they think of themselves as cerebral tacticians rather than blind big-hitters, slicing, dicing, dinking and diving as they seek to frustrate and frazzle whoever stands across the net.

But when two such players face each other? Does it become a level playing field, all tactics out the window? Or is it about who can out-maneouvre and out-think the other.

There is precedent in such a situation. The other member of the tactics brigade, Andy Murray, has bested both Dolgopolov, on these very courts last year, and Tomic, in Brisbane last week, without too much ado.

But the tale of their forehands and backhands is sure to be rather different under the bright lights of a Rod Laver Arena night session.

For both have a huge amount on the line. For Dolgopolov, quarterfinalist here last year before being felled by Murray, this evening’s match represents the opportunity to continue his quest for a breakthrough. For although he is the world No.13, he remains a nearly-man.

For Tomic, the world No.38 at just 19, the reward is even greater. A fourth round at the Australian Open, the first male native to reach that stage since … Lleyton Hewitt in 2010. So not that long. But seminal, nonetheless.

The pair have met just three times in their careers, and, as you might expect given the four-year age gap and Tomic’s relative inexperience on the ATP World Tour, Dolgopolov has won the lot.

But none of them have been easy. Most recently, ‘the Dog’ as he is known, won 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 in the fourth round at the 2011 Shanghai Masters. Before that, three sets again, 6-7(3) 6-1 6-2 in the second round in Sydney in 2011, and before that, a more straightforward 6-4 6-4 in the second round in Brisbane in 2010.

Tomic, however, is still flying on the fumes of his extraordinary five-set survival against Fernando Verdasco on Monday, followed with another escape against Sam Querrey on Wednesday.

 “I’ve seen his match last night,” Novak Djokovic said when asked about the young Australian. “It was an impressive performance again. For somebody his age hanging in there mentally, knowing what to do, looking really comfortable on the court.”

From a player who knows exactly the power of mental resolve, praise indeed.

But Dolgopolov has the survival instinct too. The 13^th seed has had to come through not one but two five-setters, the first from two sets to love down against Australian wildcard Greg Jones, the second 8-6 in the fifth against an extremely gutsy Tobias Kamke.

“I think he’s improved from last year, that’s for sure,” Dolgopolov said of Tomic, revealing that he has been suffering from a blood condition. “It will be tough, if he plays well. But I won all the three times so that give me a bit of confidence. I know how to play him.”

The Ukranian’s tactics will be to stamp his authority and take time away from Tomic. With his lightening-quick service motion and ability to swing through from the baseline, he’s certainly capable of doing so.

“I’ll have to show my game instead of going into his,” he said. “If I can be aggressive, and always control the points, try to hit a lot of winners. That’s pretty much it.”

Tomic will take the opposite tack. To out-smart, rather than out-hit.  

“He’s a very difficult player to play,” Tomic said. “I think he doesn’t like my game. I don’t like his. He is a very good player, and a lot of people struggle with him. All I’ve got to do is smart things when I play him. You just have to hold your game against him and hope for the best. You can play really good and you can’t do nothing sometimes.”

It will be one for the analysts, Murray among them. 

"There will be some junk in that match for sure," the Scot said. “I'll watch a bit of that."