This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Saturday's Australian Open women's final will pit the favored defending champion against a 21-year-old upstart who has quickly ascended into the upper echelon of the game. No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka is going for a 14th consecutive Australian Open victory, while Qinwen Zheng is looking to become the second Chinese player to win a Grand Slam, 10 years after Li Na won her second major title at the Australian Open. All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds 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 women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities for the Australian Open final.
Australian Open Odds: Sabalenka vs. Zheng
Aryna Sabalenka (-550) vs. Qinwen Zheng (+400)
Sabalenka has mowed down the competition, reaching the final without dropping a set. Both Sabalenka and Zheng like to control play with power from the baseline, but Sabalenka generally executes that game plan better. The only previous meeting between these two came in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open, which was uncharted territory in a Grand Slam for Zheng at the time. Sabalenka won that one handily, 6-1, 6-4.
Zheng's run to the final has been aided by a favorable draw, as the No. 12 seed hasn't faced a single seeded opponent. No. 2 Sabalenka will thus present a steep climb in terms of opponent difficulty. Conventional wisdom says that Sabalenka's edge in experience should help her, as this is the Belarusian's third Grand Slam final in the last five majors. Things haven't played out that way lately in women's tennis, though. Three of last year's Grand Slam championship matches featured a player in their first major final, and the newcomer won two of the three, including Sabalenka over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina here a year ago. Zheng's best path to the upset would be Sabalenka tightening up, as Sabalenka simply has a higher ceiling at this point in their respective careers if both play up their capabilities.
Australian Open prediction: Sabalenka def. Zheng 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
