Tennis picks & predictions today for Day 5 of the 2025 Australian Open:
The 2025 Australian Open has already given us some fun matches, but the best is yet to come. The top WTA players in the world are in Melbourne for the season’s first major, and we’re not far from the portion of the tournament in which every match will feature household names. With that in mind, keep reading for my favorite selections for Day 4 of the matches on the women’s side, which will be played on Wednesday, January 15th and Thursday, January 16th for those of us in the United States. The day will feature players like Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in action, so you won’t want to miss out on it. Also, check out my men’s best bets for Day 5.
I’d also strongly suggest coming back to this story before matches start — or regularly checking the picks page. I try to write up as many matches as I can in advance, but it’s hard to do that in an international sport. I’ll occasionally see some interesting line movement and add to my card a few hours before matches begin. That said, I’ll add picks to the picks page throughout the day, but I’ll also throw them at the bottom of these articles after I do. Gill Alexander, who does a great job of handicapping tennis on A Numbers Game (M-F from 10:00 am ET to 12:00 pm ET), also posts his tennis picks to the picks page!
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts are betting!
2025 Record: 41-33 (+5.33 units)
Erika Andreeva vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia
Andreeva might not be as talented as her sister, but she’s a good player that is only getting better. Her serve used to be a big problem for her. In 2023, she held just 61.4% of the time. But she got that up to 67.2% in 2024, and it looks to be on the rise again in 2025. And if she’s doing a better job of hitting spots, she’s going to have chances to beat players like Haddad Maia. After all, Haddad Maia’s hold percentage was just 69.5% in 2024. Haddad Maia has also been pretty miserable to start 2025. While she did beat qualifier Julia Riera, it took three sets for her to do it. And she had lost three straight matches to start the season, with one coming against Xinyu Gao. All in all, the form hasn’t been there for the Brazilian, so I’m taking Andreeva to win a set. Haddad Maia might be a good fighter along the baseline, but she needs to be able to hit clean winners eventually. She hasn’t been able to do that in 2025, and she also hasn’t been able to return. So, Andreeva should have a shot at making this a match. She’s a fearless, aggressive player that will believe she can win.
Bet: Andreeva +1.5 Sets (-125)
RELATED: Check out my best bets for the men’s action on Day 5 of the Australian Open!
Veronika Kudermetova vs. Katie Boulter
People seem worried about the fact that Boulter barely got by in a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over Rebecca Marino last round. But Marino isn’t an easy player to beat, and all that should matter is that Boulter won. Now, we’re getting a really good number on the Brit to beat Kudermetova. Of course, Kudermetova did look very sharp in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Olivia Gadecki last round. And Kudermetova has been as high as No. 9 in the world, so she is very talented. But Kudermetova is a player that runs extremely hot and cold, and I’m not sure how she suddenly picked up this respect from the oddsmakers. Last year, she was 16-25 at the WTA level and she’s not exactly a player that is willing to fight for everything on the court. Well, Boulter is. Perhaps that comes with marrying Alex de Minaur.
Boulter used to be a player that just swung big for winners, not thinking much about when she had good opportunities. Now, she is a good defender along the baseline that can rip winners when she gets openings. It’s a much better mix for her and it has helped her take another step in her career. And her style should look pretty good when compared to Kudermetova’s, especially factoring in the crowd support Boulter is going to have just by being with de Minaur. These fans want to see her win.
All in all, I wouldn’t be stunned if Kudermetova wins this match and goes on to have a resurgent 2025 season. But based on what we’ve seen since the start of 2024, Boulter should be favored here. That’s enough to trigger a play for me, even if it isn’t a big one.
Bet: Boulter ML (-110)
Emma Raducanu vs. Amanda Anisimova
I’m a big fan of Anisimova’s power game. If you have been reading my tennis writeups over the years, you probably know I have backed her quite a bit. However, this is more of a fade on Raducanu than a play on Anisimova. I know Raducanu is one of the most talented players in the world, but she has been unable to stay healthy and completely focus on tennis. That has prevented her from reaching her slam-winning level from 2021. And now, Raducanu appears to be dealing with a small case of the yips. The Brit was able to earn a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) win over Ekaterina Alexandrova last round, but she double-faulted 15 times in that one. That’s not going to cut it moving forward, and it’s definitely not going to work against Anisimova. So, if that version of Raducanu shows up, Anisimova should cruise to a win. But she’s capable of moving on even if Raducanu serves better. Anisimova just has the power to move Raducanu around and rush her a bit along the baseline. That can lead to some mistakes and unforced errors.
Bet: Anisimova ML (-137 – 1.5 units)
Added Plays
I can’t guarantee there will be more picks here, but there’s always a chance I’ll add something. For big tournaments like the Aussie Open, I’d suggest checking the Pro Picks page every couple of hours. I’ll add my additional plays there and then toss them in this story after.
