We have Australian Open Tennis picks and predictions for Day 5 action on Thursday, where Canadian hopeful Denis Shapovalov headlines our selections at Melbourne Tennis Park.
Australian Open Day 5 Tips & Predictions
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Best Bet
Shapovalov came through his first-round match in straight sets, and that should give him enough confidence to make a deep run.
It hasn’t been easy for the Canadian to gather momentum over the last few years, but he’s a talented player, and although Marin Cilic looked good in the first round, he could struggle against the finesse hitting of Shapovalov.
He is 8-0 in grand slams against older opponents, and he could run Cilic around the court. The younger player has the fitness edge, and if he’s anywhere near his best, he should progress to the third round of the Australian Open.
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Next Best
There hasn’t been much money for Stan Warwinka to pull off the upset against Arthur Gea on Thursday, but the Swiss player could get the job done.
It’s his last Australian Open, and he has a lot of crowd support. That will be the case again in the second round, and although his recent second-round record is poor, we don’t think Gea deserves to be paying $1.60 against a former slam champion.
Wawrinka might not be at his peak, but he played well at the United Cup, and he played some excellent shots earlier this week. Fairytales can happen in tennis, and we don’t think his final time at Melbourne Park is over yet.
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There is an upset in the making with Naomi Osaka vs. Sorana Cirstea, and we have the multiple grand slam champion bowing out in the second round.
We haven’t been overly impressed with Osaka’s form since returning to tennis, and she needed three sets to get past Antonia Ruzic in the first round. That’s not a good sign, and although we respect what she’s done in the game, she hasn’t done much recently.
Cirstea is the type of player who could frustrate the Japanese champion. She got past Eva Lys in the first round, and her win over Jelena Ostapenko in Brisbane before losing to Aryna Sabalenka was a good effort.
Punters get $2.55, and the upset is on.
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Value Bet
We tipped Karolina Pliskova to beat Sloane Stephens at $2.65, and she didn’t let us down. She scored a comfortable 2-0 win, and Janice Tjen is far too short in the market at $1.28.
Our tennis odds model has Pliskova rated as the favourite, especially given her experience playing tough matches on the big stage. Tjen doesn’t have that experience, and Pliskova could make a mockery of the market again.
She’s a world class player on her day, and with a win under her belt, she could be tough to stop at the Australian Open.
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