Australian Open Predictions Today: Tiafoe vs Machac, Musetti vs Van Assche (Jan. 16)
Cameron Spencer/Getty. Pictured: Frances Tiafoe.
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Here's everything you need to know about Australian Open predictions on Tuesday, Jan. 16 including Tiafoe vs Machac and Musetti vs Van Assche.
The second round of the Australian Open gets underway on Tuesday, and with fewer matches the decisions as to which matches present the best value get more difficult. I've picked out two live underdogs who will be playing during the afternoon in Melbourne which I give a fair chance to win.
Let's get into how to bet these matches in my Australian Open predictions today.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for advice on viewing Australian Open matches.
Australian Open Predictions Today
Frances Tiafoe (-215) vs Tomas Machac (+175)
11 p.m. ET
The line here says it all — Frances Tiafoe is in trouble.
Tomas Machac has quietly been one of the toughest men on tour to solve over the last five months, finishing off his 2023 season with a 52-27 record across all competitions and two titles down on the Challenger Tour. He provides expert defense but can do some real damage with his forehand, creating incredible angles on the court.
Both of Machac's titles last season came at the end of the year, where he managed to reel off 17 wins in 18 matches, including in Davis Cup play. He then stepped to the big boys in Stockholm and Vienna, taking down the likes of Emil Ruusuvuori and Stan Wawrinka before taking Stefanos Tsitsipas to three sets in a match he may have won had it not been for his marathon schedule.
He's playing some special tennis at the moment, and up against a top-15 player he should come out swinging with nothing to lose. Tiafoe, meanwhile, will be feeling the pressure and has not had his best tennis to answer all those questions.
Tiafoe would have been in real trouble against Borna Coric had the Croat produced even his B-level tennis, and he was unable to take most of the chances offered up his way due to some incredibly tense unforced errors. This is a continuation of what we've seen early this year and the entirety of 2023; Tiafoe simply doesn't have that same magic he did when he reached his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal at the 2022 US Open.
Coupled in with the fact that Tiafoe is notoriously a slow starter to seasons, finding his game when the tour heads to North America, I think this is a match he's very much in danger of losing. I'll play Machac at what's a very generous number.
Pick: Machac ML (+175 via DraftKings)
Lorenzo Musetti (-195) vs Luca Van Assche (+160)
8:15 p.m. ET
Similar to the story with Tiafoe, Lorenzo Musetti is another top talent down on his luck right now. He had what he'd consider a disappointing 2022, one which ended on a six-match losing streak, and his confidence seems to be an all-time low right now.
Musetti was in serious danger in the first round against Benjamin Bonzi, dropping a set and nearly dropping the match considering Bonzi led by a break in the final three sets, and given the level Bonzi is playing at these days that is a big red flag. He's struggling to limit the errors from the back of the court right now, and against an expert baseliner in Luca Van Assche his lack of confidence and shakiness will be magnified.
Van Assche had to fight hard for his first-round win, which came in five sets over Australian James Duckworth, but for a teenager with little Grand Slam experience he displayed incredible resolve mentally. I think Van Assche is a future top-20 player, something that may be coming in short order, and against a player terribly out of form you have to like his chances here.
Pick: Van Assche ML (+160 via DraftKings)
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