Australian Open Day 1 betting tips & odds – Monday 17/1/2022

The first Grand Slam of the year is upon us a majority of the world’s best tennis players descend onto Melbourne Park for the 2022 Australian Open, with action getting underway at 11am AEDT on Monday morning. BettingSite.com.au brings you the best bets on offer for Day 1 of the tournament.

Australian Open Day 1 men’s betting predictions

Facundo Bagnis $2.54 vs Cristian Garin $1.50

Both players are not expected to make it through to the second week of this tournament, but this match does provide a reasonably competitive event. Facundo Bagnis, currently ranked 71st in the world, lost in three sets to Grigor Dmitrov on January 3 in the round of 16 at the Melbourne ATP event. The Argentine left-hander loves double-handed backhand shots, which tend to do well on this surface.

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Cristian Garin is now ranked 18th in the world, but he started 2022 in ordinary fashion when he lost in two sets to world no.8 Casper Ruud recently. That means this match will be a bit more competitive than the odds suggest, and the fact that Garin has never gone past the second round in a hard-court Grand Slam suggests that he might be vulnerable here.

Sebastian Korda $2.68 vs Cameron Norrie $1.40

If tennis matches were decided by bloodlines then Sebastian Korda would’ve won this one already, because his father Petr was an Australian Open champion and both of his sisters are professional golfers. For all that, he is now ranked 40th in the world, while Cameron Norrie is ranked at 12th position.

Last year Norris went to the third round here, which was in line with his steady improvement in form over the previous year. He’s quick around the court and can play the counter-puncher role in hot conditions for five sets.

Korda has plenty of height at 196cm, but his endurance and strength have yet to be fully developed. For all that, he proved a difficult customer in Grand Slams during 2021 with two fourth-round appearances, which suggests he is capable of making Norrie work to his limits.

Australian Open Day 1 women’s betting picks

Madison Keys $1.48 vs Sofia Kenin $2.60

This all-American matchup pits a former Australian Open champion against the 87th-ranked player in the world, and you would think this match is all over judging by those two facts. Sofia Kenin has recently rehired her father as her coach after a disappointing 2021 during which she was defeated here in the second round. On January 10 she lost to Daria Kasatkina in two sets, so a sudden reversal of form would be highly appreciated by her fans.

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Madison Keys is 178cm tall and covers plenty of court area with her good lateral movement. She’s racked up six singles titles and $13 million in prize earnings, so obviously she can trouble the top players if they have a bad day. Her latest title win came on Saturday in Adelaide, so she has great momentum against an ex-champion who has questions to answer. This should make for a very interesting clash and the odds are very generous for Keys.

Ajla Tomljanovic $4.33 v Paula Badosa $1.22

Paula Badosa from Spain had a title victory in Sydney on Saturday against Barbora Krejcikova, winning a tense three-setter with a tie breaker in the deciding set. Going on that evidence, she should be a presence in the second week of this tournament and possibly make it into the top five in the world from her current rank of ninth. This means she has something you can’t buy at any tennis shop: confidence.

The 24-year-old has been quietly been building her reputation and she should be too good for Ajla Tomljanovic, who is currently ranked 45th in the world. The Australian made it to the round of 16 in Sydney and last year reached the second round of every Grand Slam. A good performer, but certainly not headline material, and she looks outclassed here.