Australian Open match predictions, odds & tennis betting tips

Where can I watch the Australian Open in the UK?

Eurosport, from midnight. All matches are also streamed live on Discovery+.

It’s worth noting that Sky Bet are offering £30 in free bets when you bet on the 2024 Australian Open.

Best bets for day three of the Australian Open

Juncheng Shang to beat Mackenzie McDonald
2pts 8-13 bet365, Coral & Ladbrokes

Jack Draper -4.5 games on handicap v Marcos Giron
1pt 5-6 bet365

Petra Martic to beat Ajla Tomljanovic
2pts 8-11 bet365

Cristina Bucsa to beat Anna Blinkova
1pt 8-11 bet365

New Sky Bet customers can also click here to get £30 in tennis free bets

Australian Open day three predictions

Mackenzie McDonald v Juncheng Shang

Chinese wildcard entry Juncheng Shang is making only his third appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam, but the 18-year-old looks a player of immense potential and can defy his inexperience against Mackenzie McDonald.

Shang won his opening contest at last season’s Australian Open, defeating Oscar Otte in four sets, and his recent exploits in Hong Kong suggest he can have McDonald’s measure.

The teenage talent reached his first ATP Tour semi-final at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium only last week, upsetting Laslo Djere, Botic Van De Zandschulp and world number 17 Frances Tiafoe before running out of steam against Andrey Rublev.

However, Shang took the Russian world number five to a deciding set and a reproduction of any of those displays should be enough to master McDonald.

The American did win the only previous meeting between the pair in Zhuhai in September - winning 6-4 6-7 6-3 - but there is little to suggest he is currently operating at that level.

The 28-year-old has lost his opening two matches this season in straight sets, losing 6-1 6-2 to Sebastian Ofner in Hong Kong while limping to a 6-4 6-2 defeat against Miomir Kecmanovic in Adelaide.

Marcos Giron v Jack Draper

Jack Draper looks like being Britain’s next big Grand Slam hope and the 22-year-old can showcase his talents with an authoritative victory over American Marcos Giron.

The big-serving Draper finished last season strongly, finishing runner-up to Adrian Mannarino in Sofia, and another ATP final appearance in Adelaide last week shows he has started the new campaign in a similar vein.

Draper again had to play second fiddle, this time to Jiri Lehecka, but he recorded four excellent wins against higher-ranked opponents to get there.

The Sutton star’s list of victims included Tommy Paul, a semi-finalist at last season’s Australian Open, as well as three-time winner on the ATP Tour in Alexander Bublik.

Giron has lost in the opening round on all four of his Australian Open starts and the in-form Draper, a lefty with power to burn on serve and forehand, should cover the handicap.

Petra Martic v Ajla Tomljanovic

Home-court advantage can be a huge aid to Australian players at Melbourne Park, but it may not work for Ajla Tomljanovic in her first-round showdown with Petra Martic.

Tomljanovic missed her home Grand Slam last season but she has failed to go beyond the second round in eight previous attempts, falling at the first hurdle on four occasions.

And that looks the likely scenario once more against Martic, who arrives on the back of a quarter-final run in Auckland.

Tomljanovic, in contrast, lost three of her four matches at the United Cup, with her sole success coming against Serbian world number 185 Natalija Stevanovic.

The Aussie suffered defeats to British world number 57 Katie Boulter and German veteran Angelique Kerber, who has played only five matches since Wimbledon 2022 following giving birth, in that team competition and looks vulnerable here.

Cristina Bucsa v Anna Blinkova

Cristina Bucsa recorded a 6-3 6-2 victory over Anna Blinkova on her way to a title success in a French Challenger event just before Christmas and the Spaniard can repeat the trick in the first round of the Australian Open.

Bucsa defeated Jasmine Paolini in Adelaide last week before putting up a decent fist of things against world number three Elena Rybakina, who prevailed 6-3 7-5.

The 26-year-old appears in much better touch than Blinkova, whose opening two matches in 2024 have seen her beaten by players outside the world’s top 100.

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