Day 1 of the 2023 Australian Open started with a bang, with the biggest news coming off the court. Hometown hopeful Nick Kyrgios withdrew with a knee injury prior to his first match, ending what was lined up to be one of the biggest tournaments of his career.
The action on the court was a mixed bag of top-seed domination, early upsets, and shaky starts for some of tennis’ stars. On the men’s side, high-profile players like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised in straight sets, while last year’s winner Rafael Nadal labored through a four-set victory vs. Jack Draper.
On the women’s side, American top seed Jessica Pegula took under an hour to dispose of Jaqueline Cristian, while tournament favorite Iga Swiatek won in straight sets against Germany’s Jule Niemeier.
Here’s a look at some of today’s top matches, odds, props, and parlays from the top tennis betting sites.
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Taylor Fritz vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili – 9:00 PM ET
On paper, this match looks like a mismatch, and it very well could be, but these two have played each other tightly in the past. Taylor Fritz and Nikoloz Basilashvili are 2-2 head-to-head, with Basilashvili winning their last match at Indian Wells in 2021.
However, Fritz is playing the best tennis of his life right now, starting the season 5-1 on the hard court. Former world No. 16 Basilashvili is off to a sluggish start this year, winning just four games against Marco Cecchinato in Pune and then retiring against Mikael Ymer in Adelaide while trailing 1-6 1-1.
Leylah Fernandez vs. Alize Cornet – 7:00 PM ET
Leylah Fernandez became a fan favorite at the 2021 US Open when she shocked the tennis world by reaching the finals as a fresh-faced 18-year-old. Injuries have slowed her down over the past year, but the Canadian did make the quarter-finals at the French last season.
Her opponent, Alize Cornet, played her best tennis of 2022 at the Australian Open. The 32-year-old French star reached the quarters before being ousted by American Danielle Collins. The two have met once before at Indian Wells in 2021, with Fernandez winning 6-2, 6-3 in straights.
Cornet is 1-2 on hard court this season, while Fernandez is 2-1.
Other ways to bet on Australian Open matches
Match parlays
If you’d rather bet on something more exotic for the match, many tennis betting sites offer pre-built parlays to throw your dime at. Depending on how risky you want to get, you’ll find odds well into the +3000s.
Set markets
Betting on set outcomes is another popular way to wager on tennis. You can choose who will win the first set, pick handicaps, and wager on how many sets the match will go.
Player prop markets
You can bet numerous ways on both players in the match with player markets. Options include first service outcome, player to win at least one set, total games played, and more.
Alternative markets
You can manipulate the betting markets at most sportsbooks through alternative betting. Change the set spread, game spread, and total games to your liking, and you’ll receive adjusted odds.
