This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Second-round play at the Australian Open continues Thursday from the hard courts of Melbourne Park, which will be Wednesday night for American viewers. Numerous emerging young stars are making breakthroughs in the women's draw, but the future of the men's game looks bright as well, and a couple of promising youngsters could announce their presence on the big stage by advancing to the third round. The Australian Open is the Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific region, and Chinese fans should have plenty to cheer about on both the men's and women's side. 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
Zhizhen Zhang (+195) vs. Ugo Humbert
Zhang had a strong finish to 2023, and the world No. 54 is looking to pick up where he left off. He upset Casper Ruud in the second round of the US Open and subsequently pushed Hubert Hurkacz to a third-set tiebreak in the Round of 16 in Shanghai. Zhang has an underrated serve that earns plenty of free points, having averaged 15.0 aces in his last five Grand Slam matches. Humbert bounced back in 2023 after an awful 2022 season, but the enigmatic Frenchman is just 4-5 in his career at the Australian Open and 12-20 in Grand Slams, so best-of-five set play hasn't been his strong suit. If Zheng wins this match, his three third-round appearances in seven Grand Slam main draws would match Humbert's career total from 21 majors.
Arantxa Rus (+185) vs. Anna Kalinskaya
Rus had one of the most impressive performances of the first round, blowing out No. 24 seed Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-0 while saving all 14 break points she faced. The 33-year-old lefty is ranked 45th, 30 spots ahead of Kalinskaya. Prior to beating 103rd-ranked Katie Volynets in the first round, Kalinskaya had been winless in four previous trips to the Australian Open, and her career Grand Slam record is an ugly 5-13.
Honorable Mention
Max Purcell (+425) vs. Casper Ruud
Australian Open Odds: Lock It In
Qinwen Zheng (-275) vs. Katie Boulter
Zheng has already climbed into the top 15, and the 21-year-old could be headed for the top five this year. Her excellent mix of timing and power off the ground allow Zheng to push opponents around with aggressive court positioning, and she's coming off a breakout Grand Slam performance at the US Open, where Zhang reached the quarterfinals. Boulter spent most of last year playing ITF tournaments before pushing her ranking up with a WTA 250 title at Nottingham on grass, but the Brit hasn't done much to speak of on other surfaces.
Juncheng Shang (-260) vs. Sumit Nagal
"Jerry" Shang has the highest ceiling among Chinese players on the men's side. The 18-year-old made a name for himself at last year's Australian Open, winning three matches in qualifying and his first-round match before losing to Frances Tiafoe in the second round. Shang avenged that loss to Tiafoe in Honk Kong earlier this month before losing a three-set semifinal to Andrey Rublev, and he looked impressive in a five-set first-round win over world No. 42 Mackenzie McDonald. The 137th-ranked Nagal will be happy to have advanced to the second round of a major for the second time in his career, taking advantage of one of the frequent off days from Alexander Bublik, but Shang is a far more skilled player than Nagal and should have little trouble moving on based on what we have seen from the talented teen so far in 2024.
Honorable Mention
Jessica Pegula (-650) vs. Clara Burel
Australian Open Predictions: Value Bets
Arthur Fils (-165) vs. Tallon Griekspoor
Few players on the ATP Tour have a brighter future than Fils, who has already climbed to 34th in the rankings at age 19. The talented Frenchman served up 18 aces in his four-set first-round win over Jiri Vesely, and his mix of power and flair is reminiscent of 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Griekspoor is ranked three spots ahead of Fils, but he came into this tournament on a four-match losing streak before climbing out of a two-set hole against Roman Safiullin to escape with a 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-5 victory. Even if Griekspoor feels no ill effects from that physical first-round win, he's already close to his ceiling at age 27, while Fils is just scratching the surface of his massive potential and could permanently leapfrog Griekspoor in the rankings as soon as this tournament.
Tommy Paul (-145) vs. Jack Draper
Paul made the semifinals here last year, and the No. 14 seed has an 11-2 record in hard-court Grand Slam matches since the start of 2023. The odds here are so close in large part because Draper handled Paul 6-1, 6-4 in Adelaide last week, but a best-of-five set match is a completely different environment. Paul has proven to have the fitness and mental toughness to thrive in such matches, while fitness and injuries have been the primary factors holding the talented Draper back in his young career. The 22-year-old Brit retired in his very first ATP main tour match due to heat-related illness in 2021, and he has been unable to finish numerous subsequent matches. Coming off a first round five-setter against Marcos Giron, it wouldn't be surprising to see Draper at less than 100 percent physically for this match.
Honorable Mention
Martina Trevisan (-170) vs. Oceane Dodin
