Australian Open Tips
The draw has been made for the first Grand Slam of 2026, and while the men’s draw feels like a simple question of whether anyone can stop the world’s top two meeting in the final, the women’s draw is far more open, with a bigger pool of players believing they have a genuine chance at glory.
Men’s title favourite Jannik Sinner is gunning for a three-peat, something women’s favourite Aryna Sabalenka was denied last year as Madison Keys claimed her first major title.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz has never made the final in Melbourne, but tipster Ben Smith sees that changing over the coming fortnight, as he explains in his four best bets with
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for the tournament, which starts on Sunday, 18 January.
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Men’s Singles: Name the Finalists: Alcaraz vs Sinner (Evens)
Given the inevitability surrounding Sinner, Alcaraz, and the stranglehold they have on the men’s game, I didn’t expect to be able to back them on
tennis betting sites
at Evens to contest the final.
Two-time reigning champion Sinner made all four Grand Slam finals in 2025, and Alcaraz made all bar one, with Novak Djokovic outsmarting the Spaniard at the quarter-final stage of the Australian Open.
Djokovic is perhaps the one man who could spoil the top two’s party, but it’s Sinner’s half he finds himself in, and that is far from ideal. The Italian has won the last five head-to-heads between the pair, seven if you include the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, and those victories are only becoming more convincing.
In Alcaraz’s half, you are looking at Daniil Medvedev, who is in excellent form but won only one Grand Slam match last year and has lost his last four meetings with the Spaniard.
The gap between the top two and the rest is too big to ignore this bet. It’s an obvious one, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it.
Men’s Singles: Stefanos Tsitsipas to Win Quarter Three (28/1)
If you’re going to take a big price on someone to win a quarter, this is the section to do it. There are enough fitness concerns floating around to make it feel unstable, with Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Musetti and others all far from guaranteed to be at their best.
The one I’ve gone for is Stefanos Tsitsipas. He’s not the force he once was, but the Greek still has a level that can carry him through a stretch of matches when the conditions play into his hands. He proved that in Dubai last year, and Melbourne has been his most reliable Slam across his career, so it’s not a wild place to roll the dice.
There is danger in the early rounds, though. A second-round match against Tomas Machac or Grigor Dimitrov could easily end the run before it starts. But if he gets through that and reaches round three, the likely route becomes more interesting. Musetti is projected next and may not be fully fit, then Fritz in round four, whom Tsitsipas beat at the United Cup. After that, Djokovic would be the expected quarter-final opponent, and there’s no way to know what condition he’ll be in by then.
A lot has to break perfectly, but at 28/1, it’s worth taking a chance.
Women’s Singles: Elena Rybakina Tournament Winner Each-Way (8/1)
Sabalenka deserves to be favourite after making the final three years running in Melbourne. Career Slam-seeking Iga Swiatek is next in the betting, but her form has dipped since the US Open and the early signs this season suggest she still hasn’t fully found her rhythm. Coco Gauff is also hard to back at 9/1, as the second serve remains a major concern against elite opposition over two weeks.
Amanda Anisimova looks capable of winning a Slam and came under consideration, but at the same odds I’d rather side with Elena Rybakina.
Her end to last season was outstanding. Winning the Tour Finals was a serious statement, especially as she beat Anisimova, Swiatek, and Sabalenka along the way.
She’s already been a finalist here, the conditions suit her game, and her serve gives her a huge edge.
Women’s Singles: Jessica Pegula to Win Quarter Three (7/2)
Pegula looks a fair bet to win her quarter, especially given the draw in front of her. Her route to the last 16 is workable, with Keys a possible fourth-round test. Projected quarter-final opponent Anisimova is the main danger, but Pegula leads their head-to-head 3-0.
She pushed Sabalenka all the way in the US Open semi-final, and again went close at the WTA Finals, only losing in three sets to Rybakina. Even in defeat, she keeps proving she can go toe-to-toe with the very best, and she beat Swiatek, Sabalenka and Gauff in 2025.
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