Staying up late will be worth it for North American fans and bettors during the Australian Open quarterfinals.
The pregame narrative: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have had some epic duels. I’m siding with the former to take down the latter in a match that could be the best of the tournament. Additionally, I like Tommy Paul and Emma Navarro in other wagers for this round.
Check out my top Australian Open picks for the quarterfinals.
Australian Open picks
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Best Bet: Djokovic to win (+180)
Djokovic refuses to let the next generation of tennis superstars take over.
The 37-year-old legend continues to defy father time, advancing to the quarterfinals for the 13th time in his last 14 Grand Slams.
And despite a tough test in Alcaraz awaiting him in Melbourne, I don’t expect Djokovic to be done just yet.
The Serbian dropped his first set of the tournament but has won 12 of 13 sets since. His last two wins are notable as he took down two ATP top-30 competitors, Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka, in straight sets.
Alcaraz hasn’t been quite as tested during the Aussie Open. He is coming off a win over No. 18 Jack Draper, but the British tennis star retired after two sets due to a lingering hip injury.
Historically, this has been one of Djokovic’s best Grand Slams while it hasn’t been for Alcaraz.
Djokovic has advanced to the semifinals or later in each of his last six appearances down under. Alcaraz has never advanced past the quarters (three attempts).
The head-to-head history of these two competitors is also worth taking into consideration. Djokovic has the all-time series lead, winning four of their seven showdowns.
Djokovic is worth betting on at this price.
Key stat: Djokovic has won three of the last four meetings against Alcaraz.
Quick picks
Paul +1.5 sets (+118): Zverev has only lost one set through four matches at the Australian Open but I’m expecting Paul to push him.
The American’s serve has been excellent in his last two matches.
He fired off eight aces to zero double faults in his most recent victory, a straight-sets sweep of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He had seven aces to two doubles fault the match before, a victory over Roberto Carballes Baena.
Zverev’s 19-aces performance over Ugo Humbert in his most recent match is worth highlighting, too, but there’s one reason why I like Paul as an underdog.
Paul owns a 2-0 head-to-head series lead over Zverev, beating him twice on the hardcourts. He’s also advanced to the semifinals in Melbourne once before (2023).
Navarro to win (-110): This promises to be the most entertaining match of the women’s quarterfinals, but I really do think Navarro is the play.
The American broke through on the hardcourts with a dominant 33-14 record on this surface. She ended the year with her best-ever results at a Grand Slam, a semifinal appearance at the US Open.
Kasatkina hasn’t advanced past the fourth round at a major tournament since 2022, and she’s never done so on this surface.
These two competitors have never battled head-to-head, but recent Grand Slam results and the surface favour Navarro.
Australian Open picks made at 11:02 a.m. on 01/19/25
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.