This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Second-round play at the Australian Open begins Wednesday from the hard courts of Melbourne Park, which will be Tuesday night for American viewers. Two of the top seven seeds on the men's side are on upset alert against opponents who have racked up some big wins recently, while a former women's champion has a straightforward path to the third round. All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
All men's singles matches at Grand Slams such as the Australian Open are best of five sets, while women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be viewed as overwhelming favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
Australian Open Picks: Upset Alert
Jordan Thompson (+450) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Thompson has pulled off a few notable hard-court upsets over the past year, defeating Tsitsipas at Indian Wells last year before adding a win over Alexander Zverev in October and beating Rafael Nadal earlier this month. Tsitsipas caught a break when Matteo Berrettini pulled out prior to their first-round match, and 129th-ranked lucky loser Zizou Bergs -- who cramped in his qualifying loss -- simply didn't have the energy to put up much of a fight after taking the first set 7-5 over Tsitsipas. The 47th-ranked Thompson is no stranger to best-of-five play and will be ready to battle against the No. 7 seed, who hasn't played up to his lofty ranking recently; Tsitsipas won two or more matches in only three of his last 11 tournaments coming into this one. While this has been his best major over the years, Tsitsipas has let external factors affect his on-court performance at times, so a partisan crowd pulling for his Australian opponent could get under Tsitsipas' skin.
Christopher Eubanks (+500) vs. Andrey Rublev
Eubanks had a breakout year in 2023, highlighted by quarterfinal runs at the Miami Masters and Wimbledon, as well as his first ATP title in Mallorca. The first of those three results came on hard courts and the other two on grass, so the faster the surface, the better for the big-serving American. Eubanks took out the fifth-seeded Tsitsipas at Wimbledon, and he'll look to defeat another No. 5 seed here in Rublev, who looked shaky in his first-round match. The big-hitting Russian required a fifth-set tiebreak to get past Thiago Seyboth Wild, who has a 1-10 career hard-court main draw record. Rublev converted just four of 23 break point opportunities, and he won't have nearly as many chances to break Eubanks, so he'll need to raise his level to avoid yet another early exit at the Australian Open, where Rublev has failed to get past the third round in four of seven previous appearances.
Honorable Mention
Alina Korneeva (+255) vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia
Australian Open Odds: Lock It In
Caroline Wozniacki (-295) vs. Maria Timofeeva
Wozniacki dropped just two games to 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette in the first round, and the 2018 champion should find similar success in the second round against an unproven opponent. Timofeeva did well to battle through qualifying and even win a match in her first Grand Slam main draw appearance, but this is likely the end of the line for the 20-year-old Russian at this tournament. The 170th-ranked Timofeeva's first-round win came over Alize Cornet, who hasn't beaten a top-80 player since June. Wozniacki's a different level of opponent, and the Dane's consistent and cerebral game gives her a higher floor than some bigger hitters prone to off days.
Karen Khachanov (-600) vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic
Khachanov has been a top-five performer at Grand Slams when healthy since the 2022 US Open, and the back injury that hampered him in the second half of 2023 looks to be a thing of the past, as the 15th-seeded Russian looked no worse for wear as his competitive four-set win over Daniel Altmaier in the first round unfolded. While Altmeier was a tricky first-round draw with a few significant upsets at Grand Slams, Kovacevic has a less impressive resume. The 25-year-old American will enter the top 100 for the first time after this tournament, and this is just his second Grand Slam main draw appearance.
Honorable Mention
Adrian Mannarino (-350) vs. Jaume Munar
Australian Open Predictions: Value Bets
Francisco Cerundolo (+145) vs. Fabian Marozsan
Cerundolo's a nice value as a slight underdog in this match despite being ranked 46 spots above Marozsan at No. 21. Both of these guys are most comfortable on clay, but Cerundolo isn't your typical diminutive Argentine in the mold of Diego Schwartzman or Sebastian Baez. The 6-foot-1 Cerundolo can push opponents around with a big forehand and has made some noise on hard courts over the past couple years. He made the third round in his Australian Open main draw debut last year and has also reached the semifinals and quarterfinals at the Miami Masters over the past two years, so Cerundolo doesn't mind playing in the heat. Maroszan is best known for last year's shocking clay-court upset of Carlos Alcaraz, but the 24-year-old Hungarian is just 2-2 in Grand Slams, so he's unproven in best-of-five play.
Diane Parry (-110) vs. Kamilla Rakhimova
It can be hard to keep track of all the young talent on the WTA Tour, so Parry flies under the radar, but the 21-year-old Frenchwoman could be ready to make a big move up the rankings in 2024. She was the No. 1 ranked junior player in 2019 and made a pair of Grand Slam third rounds in 2022. After taking out No. 30 seed Xinyu Wang in the first round, the 72nd-ranked Parry has a nice opportunity to reach another major third round, as she just needs to get by the 90th-ranked Rakhimova, who had lost her last five matches against top-125 players before beating 89th-ranked Emina Bektas in the first round.
Honorable Mention
Gael Monfils (-170) vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry
