Following a massive rise in the rankings since this tournament last year, there are high expectations in Australia as 16th seed Bernard Tomic opens his campaign against the potentially tricky Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan. This is the final match on the Hisense Arena on Tuesday, taking place at any time after 16:00 Melbourne Time, and the winner of this match faces Simone Bolelli or Brian Baker in the second round.

Bernard Tomic: So Far In 2016

It has been a good build up for Tomic coming into the Australian Open. Tomic started at the Brisbane International where he recorded strong wins over Nicolas Mahut, Radek Stepanek and second seed Kei Nishikori before falling in a tight semi-final to eventual champion Milos Raonic.

The Australian then moved onto the Apia International Sydney where he recorded a strong win over Jordan Thompson, before retiring as a precaution against Teymuraz Gabashvili. Though the retirement in Sydney was a disappointment, Tomic played some strong tennis in the build up to Melbourne and will be very confident.

Denis Istomin: So Far In 2016

The Uzbekistani player hasn't had the ideal build up to the Australian Open, though hasn't had easy draws. Like his opponent Istomin has played in Brisbane and then in Sydney.

Istomin lost his first match of the year in Brisbane in straight sets to Mikhail Kukushkin and then also lost in the first round in Sydney, though had a slightly better result as he pushed 5th seeded Andreas Seppi in three sets. It's fair to say that it wasn't a great start to the year for Istomin, though he didn't have easy opponents.

Analysis

Tomic leads the head to head 3-1, though Istomin was the victor in their last meeting- a straight sets win at the Citi Open in 2014. None of their four meetings have been particularly one-sided so it seems that this will not be easy for either player.

Tomic is more powerful than Istomin and his game is generally stronger; his serve, forehand and backhand are all bigger than Istomin's. Whilst this is a clear advantage for the Australian, he can be erratic and can lose his temper- he must remain focused at all times throughout this. Whilst Istomin cannot match Tomic's power, he is much more calm than his opponent and his game is arguably more consistent. He may struggle if Tomic is at his best, but if the Australian is faltering the Uzbekistani has the experience and skill to take advantage.

Assessment

Naturally Tomic is the favorite for this match and considering his form and confidence it is hard to bet against him here; having the bigger weapons is also a strong advantage. The Australian should win and it may well be fairly comfortable, though Istomin could well make this a little tricky.

Prediction: Bernard Tomic in three sets