ATP Australian Open 1/64-Finals
Dzumhur – Vukic: 12.01.2025 05:30 CEST
H2H: first meeting
Damir Dzumhur has won three of his last five matches. So far this season, Damir has played two preparation tournaments. The first tournament of the season was in Canberra, losing in the second round against Kopriva in straight sets. Last week in Adelaide, Damir failed to qualify for the main draw tournament, losing against McCabe in three tight sets. Last year in Melbourne, Dzumhur failed to qualify for the main draw tournament, losing against Zeppieri in the second qualifying round.
Aleksandar Vukic has lost three of his last five matches. Last week in Brisbane, he reached the second round, losing against Dimitrov in straight sets. This week in Adelaide, he lost in the opening round against Giron in three tight sets. Vukic loves to play at home, where he has a huge support from his home crowd. Last year in the Australian Open, Vukic lost in the opening round against Jordan Thompson in five tight sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Vukic is the favorite in this match, and we agree. Aleksandar is a better hard-court player than Dzumhur at this moment. We believe that he will dominate in this match and win easily. Damir never succeeded in Australia, so we expect him to underperform again.
That being said, Vukic covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Aleksandar Vukic -5.5 games handicap @1.83 @bet365
Shang – Davidovich Fokina: 12.01.2025 04:30 CEST
H2H: 0-2
Juncheng Shang has won three of his last five matches. Last week in Hong Kong, Shang reached the semifinals, retiring mid-match against Nishikori. It was also his first tournament of the season. Juncheng is a young Chinese prospect who loves playing on fast courts like in Melbourne. Shang reached the third round last year in the Australian Open, retiring against Alcaraz. Reaching the third round last season was his best result in the Australian Open.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has won three of his last five matches. The Spaniard reached the second round this week in Adelaide, losing against Korda in straight sets. A week before, Alejandro was upset by Munar in the opening round of the ATP Hong Kong. Last season was disappointing for Davidovich Fokina, who is totally out of form. Last year in Melbourne, Alejandro reached the second round, where he lost against Nuno Borges in straight sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, this will be a 50-50 match, but we disagree. Juncheng Shang thrives on hard courts. On the other hand, Alejandro has never made it past the second round in Melbourne. He is completely out of form, and we believe he will struggle on the court in his opening match against Shang. We expect Shang to dominate in this match and win easily.
That being said, Shang winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Juncheng Shang winning @1.80 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
Know your limit. Play within it.
