The first round of the Australian Open begins Sunday morning from the hard courts of Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, with the action starting while it's still Saturday night in the United States; the first matches are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. Two top-10 seeds on the men's side could face surprisingly stiff challenges from unseeded opponents, while a women's top-10 seed is in good position for a smooth start.
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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 favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
Australian Open Tennis Picks: Upset Alert
Jenson Brooksby (+310) vs. Alexander Bublik
Bublik has climbed into the top 10 after dropping out of the top 80 in March, but hard courts have been by far the worst surface for him over the past year, as he's just 20-15 on this surface in the last 52 weeks compared to 16-5 on clay and 5-1 on grass. Fans of unconventional tennis will want to tune in for this one, as Bublik and Brooksby both deviate from the norm in terms of both technique and strategy. Bublik has a massive edge in serving prowess, but his enigmatic nature makes it tough to predict how any of his matches will go. The only previous time these two matched up, Brooksby picked up a 6-2, 6-3 hard-court victory in 2022. Brooksby has been ranked as high as No. 33, and the 25-year-old American has worked his way back into the top 50 after a suspension pushed him out of the top 900 in early 2025.
Gabriel Diallo (+470) vs. Alexander Zverev
Zverev should absolutely be favored to get through this match, but Diallo has a much better chance of pulling the upset than the Canadian underdog's odds suggest. Both players are big servers, so this match could be decided by just a few key points, and Zverev isn't exactly known for his mental fortitude. The third-seeded German is just 2-2 in his last four Grand Slam matches, losing in the first round of Wimbledon and third round of the U.S. Open. Zverev lost to Hubert Hurkacz at the United Cup leading up to the Australian Open, and the 6-foot-8 Diallo is capable of executing a similar game plan to the 6-foot-5 Hurkacz, taking care of his serve and being the aggressor in big moments while Zverev settles for his usual risk-averse approach.
Honorable Mention
Jaime Faria (+179) vs. Arthur Cazaux
Australian Open Tennis Odds: Lock It In
Sebastian Korda (-294) vs. Michael Zheng
Korda had a chunk of last season wiped out by injuries, but the 25-year-old American has regained health and should soon climb much closer to his career-high ranking of No. 15 than his current No. 51 spot. He has played some of his best tennis over the years at the Australian Open, with a 9-4 career main-draw record at this event that his father, Petr Korda, won in 1998. Sebastian has never lost in the first round here, and that's unlikely to change against the 174th-ranked qualifier Zheng. This will be the first ATP Tour-level match for the 21-year-old Zheng, who isn't used to facing consistent groundstrokes of Korda's caliber.
Jasmine Paolini (-257) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Paolini has a rock-solid track record since beginning her breakout at the start of 2024, reaching at least the third round in eight consecutive Grand Slam events. The seventh-seeded Italian employs controlled aggression, using her speed to defend effectively when needed but also taking opportunities to get on the front foot while giving herself more margin than some of the WTA Tour's big bashers that struggle to crack the top 10 because they beat themselves too often with errors. The 102nd-ranked Sasnovich did well to get through qualifying here, but she lacks the weapons to make Paolini uncomfortable. The 31-year-old Belarusian is just 6-9 at the Australian Open in her career and has gone 2-9 in her last 11 hard-court Grand Slam main draw matches.
Honorable Mention
Emilio Nava (-164) vs. Kyrian Jacquet
Australian Open Tennis Predictions: Value Bets
Beatriz Haddad Maia (+107) vs. Yulia Putintseva
Haddad Maia and Putintseva both had underwhelming seasons in 2025, but the Brazilian found her game down the stretch, reaching the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open to keep her ranking in the top 40. Putintseva has plummeted to No. 105 after starting last year in the top 25, and she hasn't beaten a top-50 player since a first-round win over then-No. 41 Elina Avanesyan at last year's Australian Open. Putintseva's lack of confidence will make it tough for her to overcome Haddad Maia's significant edge in firepower, as the 6-foot Haddad Maia has a much easier time generating pace and angles than the 5-foot-4 Putintseva.
Miomir Kecmanovic (+109) vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry
There isn't much separating these two at first glance, as Kecmanovic currently holds a two-spot edge in the rankings at No. 59 and both of these 26-year-old players have a career-high ranking of No. 27. Kecmanovic is a nice value as a slight underdog based on that information alone, but surface splits also work in his favor. The Serb has roughly even performance across surfaces, with Kecmanovic's .493 career hard-court win rate representing his highest mark. Etcheverry's more of a clay-court specialist, with a .516 win rate on clay and only a .455 mark on hard courts. This will be their first meeting on outdoor hard courts, though Etcheverry leads their head-to-head 2-1 overall despite Kecmanovic having won five of the nine sets they have played.
Honorable Mention
Damir Dzumhur (-143) vs. Liam Draxl
