Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic look like they are headed to the men’s singles final at the 2023 Australian Open. Djokovic struggled early but has found his groove, rolling over three seeded players in the last three rounds to get to the semis. The top player left in the field is Tsitsipas, as several of the top ten seeds went down early to upsets. This would be the second meeting between the two in a Grand Slam final, as Tsitsipas won the first two sets over Djokovic at the final of the 2021 French Open, only to watch Djokovic roar back and win the last three. But first, Tsitsipas and Djokovic must get past Karen Khachanov and Tommy Paul. How will those matches turn out? In the women’s draw, who will win the final between Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka? Don’t miss our Australian Open betting previews.
Tennis News: 2023 Australian Open Betting Preview
Thursday, January 26
Stefanos Tsitsipas (#3) vs Karen Khachanov (#18) (10:30 pm ET, ESPN)
Tsitsipas has made it to the semifinals in Melbourne four times in only six appearances; Khachanov has advanced past the third round for just the first time. The two have met five times in the past, with Tsitsipas holding a perfect 5-0 record. None of these meetings have come at majors, but four of them have taken place on the same hard court surface they face in Melbourne.
In two of the matches, Khachanov has won the first set before Tsitsipas came back to win the second and third. Khachanov is in his second major semifinal in a row; at the 2022 U.S. Open, he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets. Tsitsipas should be grateful that his semifinal match does not have Rafael Nadal or Daniil Medvedev, as both bowed out with early upsets. Despite Khachanov’s solid play so far, there is no reason to predict an upset here, based on both players’ form. Tsitsipas to win.
Friday, January 27
Novak Djokovic (#1) vs Tommy Paul (3:30 am ET, ESPN)
Tommy Paul benefited from the upset bug, which cleared the bottom half of the men’s singles draw of the top seeds. Paul only had to get past the 24th seed (Roberto Bautista Agut) and the 30th seed (Alejandro Davidovich Fokina) to get to the semifinal. In the quarterfinal, he took down fellow American Ben Shelton, another unseeded player. Now Paul has the toughest match of his career against Djokovic.
Djokovic demolished three seeded players in straight sets to get to the semifinals. In his quarterfinal, he made Andrey Rublev (the fifth seed) look like a rookie in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 mauling. The expectation is another straight-set win for Djokovic, whose mysterious hamstring injury seems to have cleared up after he got questions about its veracity from the press. Djokovic to win.
Saturday, January 28
Elena Rybakina (#22) vs Aryna Sabalenka (#6) (3:30 am ET, ESPN)
Both players have to be riding high in terms of confidence in this final. Rybakina has had a dominant serve in Melbourne, winning 80% of her points in the tournament off her first serve. Sabalenka is the more complete player, with the athleticism to get to her groundstrokes with more efficiency. Sabalenka has also gotten through the semifinal round for the first time, a major step toward the mental challenge of a final. She is 11-0 so far in 2023, and a win on Saturday would make her a perfect 12-0. In an even match that will likely be determined largely by serving, I’m picking her. Sabalenka to win.
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