Best Bets Today | Australian Open Odds, Picks For Djokovic vs Etcheverry & More
David Gray/Getty. Pictured: Novak Djokovic.
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We're onto the third round of action at the year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne, and it's so far so good for the top 10 seeds residing in the first half of the draw.
All five of them drawn into Novak Djokovic's half have made it safely to the final 32. They'll be tested again Thursday night, as we await the first big upset that shakes things up in the top half.
Let's take a look at a pair of men's matches going on at the Australian Open.
Find picks for Djokovic vs Etcheverry and Fritz vs Marozsan in my latest best bets today.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for advice on viewing Australian Open matches.
Australian Open Odds & Picks
Novak Djokovic (-2000) vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry (+800)
3 a.m. ET
It's been a rocky start by Djokovic's standards to his Australian Open campaign, as he's dropped sets in each of his first two matches. Dino Prizmic – one of the world's best young players – used incredible rally tolerance and relentless depth to sneak out a set in the opening round, while Alexei Popyrin was more about brute force in snagging one (and nearly a second) from the world No. 1 the last time out.
This matchup is a little different, however, as Etcheverry is a tenacious player that can seemingly play all day, but doesn't have the raw power to trouble one of the greatest returners in the history of the sport, nor does he have the surgical precision to push Djokovic behind the baseline for prolonged periods within a match.
He's certainly improving on hard courts, but it's still far from being his best surface, and his backhand is going to have a tough time keeping up with Djokovic on that wing in crosscourt exchanges.
I'm not one that typically relies heavily on the head-to-head record between the players, but I do think there's a reason that the majority of sets between these two have been lopsided in Djokovic's favor.
His hands on return help him work into the Etcheverry service games, while his own improved serve (which should be even more potent in quicker Australian conditions) should prove difficult to trouble.
The Argentinian has taken out two veterans in their late 30s already. This one is a different beast.
Pick: Under 30.5 games (-105 via BetMGM)
Taylor Fritz (-340) vs Fabian Marozsan (+270)
9 p.m. ET
In another match featuring one of the better players in the world, I'm once again looking to take a position when it comes to the total.
This time, however, I'm going to back the over.
Fritz looked terrific in his last match, but I'd caution that one need not read too much into that. Hugo Gaston doesn't have many weapons and is well known in the tennis community and among tennis bettors as someone who can be moody on court and mentally pack things in once it's obvious his underpowered game is overmatched and won't be enough to get him back into matches that he's trailing.
The first round was much a much tougher test for the 12th seed, who narrowly survived a five-set nail biter against clay courter Facundo Diaz Acosta.
Marozsan has been steadily rising up the rankings since last season, with his signature win coming in Rome against Carlos Alcaraz. His game has been progressing well on hard courts too, with his strong first serve and forehand combination translating well and the plus-one tennis suiting quicker conditions.
Marozsan has played plenty of sets so far this season that have gone either 12 games or all the way to a tiebreak, and what's more impressive is that the shorter sets he's played have gone his way as often as his opponents'.
He's got the biggest game Fritz has played to date at the Happy Slam, and he's more than capable of sending this one to four or five sets and keeping them close.
Pick: Over 38.5 games (-110 via FanDuel)
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