2022 Australian Open Day 2 betting tips – Tuesday, January 18

The first round of the 2022 Australian Open continues on Tuesday with a full slate of singles matchups. BettingSite.com.au brings you the top plays and value bets on offer at Australia’s best tennis betting sites.

Australian Open Day 2 men’s predictions

Nikoloz Basilashvili $3 v Andy Murray $1.40

Andy Murray now has a ranking of 135 and is 34 years of age, so it’s fair to say that his best days are behind him. He’s still a tough customer, though, and the wily Scot just doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit’.

Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia has quietly worked his way up to no.23 in the world and is capable of winning at least a couple games here, as shown by his performances in 2018 and 2019. He pushes the big players hard, but does he have the ability to close out the five-setters? That’s a question which he has yet to answer.

Murray beat Basilashvili in a tense three-set battle in Sydney on Wednesday, and this should be another quality game. This one should go to five sets, and we are favouring Murray due to his class and fitness. It won’t do Murray any favours to have such a tough match this early, but he should prevail here in what will be a battle of the fittest.

Australian Open Day 2 women’s predictions

Emma Raducanu $1.80 v Sloane Stephens $2

Emma Raducanu looked completely out of it when she lost on Tuesday after winning just one game in Sydney. That doesn’t mean she has no chance against the classy Sloane Stephens, who is also a former US Open champion. Both of these players are strong performers on hard courts, but the problem for Raducanu is that she contracted Covid-19 and now lacks form and fitness, as was shown in Sydney.

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Stephens last played in November and will play her first match of the Australian Open with a ranking of 68. The market is against her but the head-to-head count is 3-0 in Stephens’ favour and given that Raducanu’s fitness is in doubt, Stephens represents excellent value at the prices currently available.

Ana Konjuh $2.10 v Shelby Rogers $1.72

Ana Konjuh has respectable Grand Slam form and should give a good account of herself here. The Croatian has a ranking of 65 and in her latest outing on Thursday she lost to Coco Gauff in straight sets after two matches earlier in the week.

Shelby Rogers is ranked 36 in the world, but more importantly she has been earning a lot of respect in the lead-up tournaments and the extreme heat that Melbourne puts on at this time of year shouldn’t trouble her. Her confidence was boosted by a big win over Maria Sakkari recently, so she knows she can go far in this tournament.

Rogers has the better recent form line and looks very fit. This should be a quality clash between two pretty evenly matched players, but the value lies in an exotic investment in these games.