AO Tennis
Grand Slam #1
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
We will post daily picks through out the tournament, so be sure to check back daily.
Day 1 Picks:
Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-0 @8/13 vs Rinky Hijikata
Stefanos Tsitsipas did well to escape a tough first-round draw against Quentin Halys without dropping a set. This matchup will probably suit him a little better. Rinky Hijikata did superbly to rally past Yannick Hanfmann from two sets down in the first round, but this should be a challenge too far for the Australian.
Sebastian Korda ML @2/9 vs Yosuke Watanuki
Watanuki was just absurdly good in the win over Arthur Rinderknech, showing how incredible his ball-striking and shot-making can be when he’s on. He can trouble Korda, but the American is probably on enough of a hot streak right now that he should make it. He’s also got a lot more control over his game.
Christopher Eubanks vs Jiri Lehecka ML @4/9
Expect plenty of winners in this one. Christopher Eubanks has made a solid start to the season, with his huge serve and attacking game well-suited to the conditions in Australia. But he was made to work very hard against Kwon Soon-woo in the first round and Jiri Lehecka, who dismissed Borna Coric in the first round, is probably an even more dangerous opponent.
Frances Tiafoe 3-0 @1/1 vs Shang Juncheng
Tiafoe looks set for a big tournament. He likes these conditions and is coming off the best season of his career. Shang Juncheng had a solid qualifying campaign and impressed in his four-set win over Oscar Otte in the first round, but Tiafoe is a huge step in the quality of opposition.
Jannik Sinner vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry – Over 30.5 Games @10/11
Jannik Sinner made light work of Kyle Edmund in the first round, with the Briton still a long way short of full match fitness. Tomas Martin Etcheverry should present more of a challenge, but it would still be something of a surprise to see the hard-hitting Italian drop a set here.
Cameron Norrie ML @1/9 vs Corentin Lestienne
Norrie won’t come into this match cold as he was forced to raise his level against Luca Van Assche. Lestienne plays a tricky game himself but Norrie is the tour’s master of changing/taking on different ball spins and heights. A bad match-up for the Frenchman.
Rafael Nadal ML @1/14 vs Mackenzie McDonald
There were some concerns over Rafael Nadal’s form coming into the tournament, but the great Spaniard looked sharp enough in beating Jack Draper in the first round. Will he win the tournament? Probably not on the basis of his showing so far this year, but he still should have the beating of Mackenzie McDonald here.
Victoria Azarenka ML @1/10 vs Nadia Podoroska
Azarenka may be fast approaching the 10th anniversary of her last Grand Slam triumph, but she should never be counted out, particularly in Australia where she won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Petra Kvitova ML @8/13 vs Anhelina Kalinina
Kvitova had a great run at the Adelaide 2 event before the Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinal. The Czech had to adjut to the court, and the first set against Alison Van Uytvanck showed that, as Kvitova needed a tiebreak to get the lead. However, once settled into the match the seed eased through the second set to get here.
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