A crazy day today with oh so many upsets! We have to take this into account in our Australian Open Round 3 predictions.
I made a detailed video on our YouTube channel discussing the day’s results and including predictions and odds. From here you can go to the best tennis betting sites, learn from historical results and upsets and check out our betting glossary. I was doing really well with my predictions and bets until today, but today was a tough one!
Upset(s) of the day
It’s almost difficult to pick the upset of the day, but since Rybakina was my pick to win the title in my Australian Open predictions post, her loss to Blinkova came as a shock. The final set tie-break ended 22-20 in Blinkova’s favor, a record in a Grand Slam singles tournament.
Iga Swiatek was also close to losing her match against Collins. She was down 1-4 in the third break when she found her flow and won five games on the trot to reach the third round.
On the men’s side, Holger Rune’s loss to Arthur Cazaux was a shocker. I predicted that Rune and his new Avengers-style coaching team with Becker and Luthi would go pretty far, but Cazaux impressed with his aggressive play. Back to the drawing board for team Rune then.
One commenter on YouTube noted that one reason for the shocking results was the strong winds. We all know how difficult it can be to play in strong wind and how that can level the playing field between two (on paper) uneven opponents.
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Matches to look out for in round 3 – Men’s tournament
Djokovic vs Etcheverry
The world number one has looked edgy and off his game so far in this tournament. But he has done that before and still won a Grand Slam. I don’t think Etcheverry can threaten in a five set match, but he can steal a set.
Mannarino vs Shelton
Mannarino leads the head-to-head 1-0 and they are only a few places apart in the ATP rankings, but I feel like Shelton has too much firepower for Mannarino and should win in 5.
Van Assche vs Tsitsipas
Van Assche surprised me somewhat by beating Musetti (although the Italian can be quite unpredictable), but he should be no real match for a Tsitsipas who seems to be getting back his form from last year. Tsitsi in 4.
Korda vs Rublev
Blockbuster of the round? Yes! Both players won in straight sets and can produce some blistering tennis. I look forward to this one. Rublev is a slight favorite and should win in 5.
Auger-Aliassime vs Medvedev
Medvedev came back from the dead against Ruusuuvuori. He was two sets down and looked miserable when he suddenly sprung to life like a jack-in-a-box and won in 5 at close to 4 in the morning! Auger-Aliassime does not fill me with confidence so I will go Medvedev in 4.
Zverev vs Michelsen
Zverev has not been particularly impressive so far and had to go into a match tie-break to defeat qualifier Klein. This time I think he will find his stride and manage to win in three sets. It’s just a hunch I have.
Norrie vs Ruud
Two very good players, but I feel like this match runs the risk of being boring to watch. I will pick Ruud in five, but they both struggled mightily in the previous round.
Shang vs Alcaraz
Shang is a fun player to watch, but not quite as much fun as Alcaraz. And not quite as good either. Alcaraz in four sets.
Matches to look out for in round 3 – Women’s tournament
Swiatek got through her first two matches, which on paper looked far worse than:
Swiatek vs Noskova
I think this might be the match where Iga opens her bakery again. Straight sets, one breadstick.
Ostapenko vs Azarenka
Ostapenko is looking more and more like a likely winner of the tournament. She won the warm-up event and has so far impressed with determination in the first slam of the year. She should win in 3 sets.
Andreeva vs Parry
Very entertaining match on paper. Andreeva is the superstar talent who gave Jabeur only two games in the previous round. Parry brings back Henin-Hardenne vibes with that beautiful one-hander. Tough match, but Andreeva takes it in 3.
Anisimova vs Badosa
Two in-form players with blistering backhands. Can be a fun watch. Pretty sure it will go three sets but no idea who will win. In the end, I take Badosa’s experience.
Sabalenka vs Tsurenko
It’s difficult to see who will threaten Sabalenka in this event. I don’t think Tsurenko has enough game to take even a set in the form Sabalenka is in.
What do you think of these Australian Open Round 3 predictions? Let me know in the comments!
