Best Bets Today: Australian Open Predictions, Picks (Jan. 15)
Steve Bell/Getty. Pictured: Sloane Stephens.
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Here's everything you need to know about Australian Open best bets today on Monday, Jan. 15 — our expert predictions and betting picks.
One more action-packed day of the opening round remains at the Australian Open. Let's take a look at a pair of matches on the women's side of things.
I'm willing to take a position in the Katie Boulter vs Yue Yuan and Sloane Stephens vs Olivia Gadecki matches.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for advice on viewing Australian Open matches.
Best Bets Today
Sloane Stephens (-215) vs Olivia Gadecki (+180)
7 p.m. ET
This is a real trap spot for the former US Open champion. No, I don't mean a "trap game" betting wise, but more a trap in the sense that this is an opponent that may not be on many people's radar that could be dangerous.
Stephens has a solid, well-rounded game that has allowed her to rise to the upper echelons of the women's game in the past, but also has some clear hustle and footwork issues that have seen drop back down a bit in the rankings in recent times.
Give me a player at +180 against someone that is capable of losing any given day and struggles with losing skids, and I'm going to be in more often than not.
Give me that same price with a natural hard courter, whose game has some power to it, is on home soil and who is generally undervalued in market according to my number (most likely because of a relative lack of familiarity with her game) to oppose Stephens and I'm even happier.
I'm not making the case that Gadecki should be the favorite in this one, but I don't think we should see her valued down in the 35% range either.
Picks: Gadecki ML (+180 via FanDuel)
Katie Boulter (-155) vs Yue Yuan (+130)
10:30 p.m. ET
I'm generally in the camp that Boulter hasn't progressed as much as she probably should have by this point in her career with her game. As someone that has a pretty decent first serve and can punish the ball on her forehand wing, the lack of success prior to the last few months has been a bit mystifying.
That said, we're now starting to see her beat the player she should more often and she should be right at home on quick Australian hard courts, which reward power and flatter hitting – two things she does very, very well.
In fact, we didn't just see her beat players she should leading into the first slam of the season, but she even pulled off an upset from a set down against Jessica Pegula and has looked pretty impressive in most matches to date.
Yuan is a quick courter herself, but she can't generate the pace that Boulter does and really doesn't have any particular part of her game that is better than the Brit's. I have this spread in the -3.5 range, so a full game crossing the 3 is a number I have to play.
Pick: Boulter -2.5 games (-115 via DraftKings)
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