Leylah Fernandez meets Yuliia Starodubtseva for the first time at the Australian Open.
The pregame narrative: The opening-round match between these unfamiliar foes has the makings of a back-and-forth battle. I expect Fernandez to prevail, but it won’t come easy.
Check out our Starodubtseva vs. Fernandez odds and best bet for their Australian Open match on Jan. 11.
Starodubtseva vs. Fernandez Australian Open odds
Go to full Starodubtseva vs. Fernandez betting markets.
| Betting markets | Betting odds |
| Fernandez to win | -670 |
| Starodubtseva to win | +475 |
| Fernandez -5.5 games | -127 |
| Starodubtseva +5.5 games | +100 |
| Over 19.5 games | +100 |
| Under 19.5 games | -129 |
Best bet: Over 19.5 games (+100)
Fernandez returns to the hard courts in Melbourne, where she hasn’t enjoyed much success.
The Montreal native has a 5-5 record in the Australian Open and has never advanced past the second round.
Despite facing inferior opponents, Fernandez’s matches in this tournament have consistently been back-and-forth matchups. Her last five matches in Melbourne have all exceeded 19.5 games despite never reaching a third set.
Her opponent, Starodubtseva, moved into WTA’s top-100 rankings for the first time in October and reached as high as rank 79. However, the 24-year-old Ukrainian enters the tournament on five-match losing skid (and has slid to No. 100 in the rankings as of Jan. 6).
Starodubtseva retired from her last match at the ASB Classic with an ankle injury. But the 11 days of recovery and preparation since then should be beneficial.
Both players have seen better results when playing on hard court, although Fernandez — ranked No. 31 in the WTA — underwhelmed to an 18-15 record on the surface in 2024.
A key reason why I expect this match to be a battle is their struggles on first serves. In 2024, Fernandez ranked 79th in first-serves won (64%). Starodubtseva finished 193rd in first-serves won (58.5%).
Fernandez committed a career-high 249 double faults last year, which was 11th-most on tour. This remained an issue against Ekaterina Alexandrova on Jan. 6, where she recorded nine aces to nine double faults.
Starodubtseva has proven to be feisty against top-class competitors. She stole opening sets against both Coco Gauff and Victoria Azarenka, both of whom rank in the top 25.
Don’t be surprised if the same scenario plays out and this contest needs a third set to decide a winner.
Key stat: In 2024, Fernandez finished 59th in service points won (58%). Meanwhile, Starodubtseva ranked 42nd in return points won (46%).
Picks made at 12:24 p.m. ET on 01/10/2025.
