The first major of the 2026 tennis season is here, as the Australian Open begins on Saturday, January 17. On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner is looking to win this tournament for the third year in a row, but Carlos Alcaraz — and hopefully some others — could have something to say about that. On the women’s side, Madison Keys is looking to defend her title. However, it’s Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, that is the betting favorite.
Keep reading for some tournament futures for the action in Melbourne, and make sure you come back to VSiN for daily tennis best bets. I’ll be handicapping the men’s and women’s action all throughout the event. Also, make sure you’re checking out the picks page for all of my action for smaller tournaments and Challengers.
Gill Alexander will also be dishing out his favorite picks on that page, and make sure you catch his analysis on A Numbers Game — which is on Monday to Friday on our live VSiN programming. We cover everything here at VSiN, which is why we’re known as “The Sports Betting Network.” Tennis is a big part of that, so subscribe now and get ready for a fun tennis season.
Australian Open Men’s Futures
Daniil Medvedev To Win Quarter 2 (+200 – 1.5 units): Medvedev’s 2025 season was filled with perplexing results, as the Russian did a lot of things right but seemingly forgot how to finish matches. Medvedev got his hold percentage up from 80.1% in 2024 to 82.9% in 2025, making progress in working his way back to a hold percentage in the 85% range. If he can do that, he should find his way back into the ATP’s Top 5. Well, Medvedev is off to a good start. His hold percentage was 90.2% in winning a title in Brisbane, and he made 66.5% of his first serves on the week. Medvedev also served really well in a practice set against Novak Djokovic upon arriving in Melbourne.
Not only is Medvedev locked in with the ball on his racquet but he remains one of the fittest players on tour. That will allow him to continue to grind out best-of-five wins. Also, according to TennisViz’s Courtside Advantage, the Russian’s remarkable backhand has been better than normal to start the year. In Brisbane, Medvedev’s backhand quality was 8.1, which is a little higher than his career average of 7.8. His serve quality and steal score were also up, showing that he’s hitting his spots and racking up easy holds while also finding ways to make life difficult on opponents in longer rallies.
There’s just a lot moving in the right direction for Medvedev, who isn’t ready to give up his dreams of being one of the top players in the sport again. That was made clear when he moved on from longtime coach Gilles Cervara last year. He’s making the necessary steps to improve on his weaknesses, and I think we’ll see the fruits of his labor with a deep run in Melbourne. He has a very reasonable draw, as the top seed in the quarter is Alexander Zverev — which means it’s not Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, or Novak Djokovic. Medvedev has also had a lot of success at this venue.
Daniil Medvedev-Jannik Sinner To Meet In Final (20-1 – 0.25 units): I really like this play I found at bet365. I wanted to take a piece of Medvedev to make the final, but the value wasn’t there at +400. Well, I feel really good about Sinner making the final, so this is a unique way of making the same exact play.
Australian Open Women’s Futures
Elena Rybakina To Win Australian Open (+800): Rybakina has the second-highest hard-court winning percentage on the WTA Tour over the last 52 weeks, as she’s 39-12 and has claimed 76.5% of her matches. The big reason for that is a world-class serve. Rybakina’s 82.2% hold percentage on the surface over the last 52 weeks can’t be topped, and she pairs that with a powerful baseline game and better-than-expected movement for a player her size. Rybakina is also coming off an impressive WTA Finals run, as she went 5-0 in the event and earned wins over Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Aryna Sabalenka. Her win over Swiatek actually featured her winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, absolutely dominating after a shaky opening set. She also beat Sabalenka in straight sets.
When Rybakina is playing her best tennis, it’s just extremely difficult to beat her in quicker conditions. Well, the court speeds in Melbourne should suit her nicely. She also doesn’t have to face Sabalenka until a potential final. Honestly, Rybakina is the player I feel will win this tournament, so I’m surprised we can get her at +800. I don’t think there should be such a big drop after Swiatek on the oddsboard.
Amanda Anisimova To Win Australian Open (10-1 – 0.5 units): It isn’t going to be easy for Anisimova to replicate last year’s success, as she was the runner-up of the last two majors of the year. However, it’s now pretty clear that the American is a top-five talent on tour, and it feels like she’s going to break through and win her maiden Grand Slam this season. That said, as somebody that has long been a believer in her game, I’d rather not miss out when she finally does it. And realistically, there’s no reason she can’t do it here. These conditions should make her a little more dangerous as a server, and her baseline game is good enough to hold up against anyone — especially from the backhand wing. Anisimova is also in Quarter 3, which is one of the weaker ones when looking at the bracket.
Karolina Muchova To Win Quarter 2 (+550 – 0.5 units): Coco Gauff is the top-seeded player in Quarter 2, so this portion of the bracket feels like the land of opportunity. I think Gauff will be a contender to win the French Open again this year, and I also like her chances in New York. However, Gauff is still very early in the process of making some mechanical changes. Her serve and forehand still need some work, so it’s hard to imagine her actually winning Down Under. Well, Muchova is the player I like to make the semifinals. She played very well in Brisbane last week, beating Ajla Tomljanovic, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Rybakina before losing to Sabalenka. Muchova’s variety, ability to win points at the net, and overall tennis IQ make her a tough out in any tournament. And she seems to finally be healthy. This could be her chance to make a statement.
The Field (-135 – 3 units) vs. Aryna Sabalenka & Iga Swiatek: I’m a little surprised FanDuel is offering the field at -135 here. The women’s game can be really random, and that’s especially true with there being more contenders than ever. Of course, Sabalenka is a two-time Australian Open champion, so it wouldn’t be too shocking if she finds a way to win here again. However, she might see talented players like Emma Raducanu, Victoria Mboko, Clara Tauson, Marta Kostyuk, and Jasmine Paolini before even reaching the semis. That’s not exactly an easy draw, and Sabalenka’s a threat to experience an on-court blow-up at any given moment. Meanwhile, Swiatek just hasn’t played her best tennis in Melbourne, and she also suffered two alarming losses at the United Cup. Considering all of that, let’s hope to see a different champ here!
