Tennis picks & predictions today for Day 8 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 into the best part of the tournament. It’s nothing but blockbuster matches from here. With that in mind, keep reading for my favorite selections for Day 8 of the matches on the women’s side, which will be played on Saturday, January 18th and Sunday, January 19th for those of us in the United States. The day will feature players like Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in action, so you won’t want to miss out on it. Also, check out my parlay for the men’s action on Day 8.
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: 55-45 (+8.79 units)
Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka
Andreeva beat Sabalenka at last year’s French Open. That’s probably in the minds of many as we look to this matchup. But Sabalenka was dealing with a stomach illness in Paris, making it pretty reasonable to throw that match away. Andreeva hasn’t won a set against Sabalenka in their four other matches, and all of those matches have had a set in which the Belarusian won 6-2. That includes a 6-3, 6-2 win in the semifinals in Brisbane two weeks ago.
Sabalenka just has a little too much raw power for Andreeva. I love the 17-year-old’s ability to defend along the baseline, and her backhand is definitely one of the best shots in women’s tennis. But the next step in her development will be adding some power to her serve and forehand. Slowly but surely, she’s doing that. But we saw two weeks ago that it’s not happening fast enough for her to give Sabalenka too much trouble.
I just love Sabalenka’s read on the Andreeva serve, so I don’t anticipate the teenager holding very easily. We’ll just need Sabalenka to serve decently in this match. She didn’t in her meeting with Clara Tauson last round, but she still won that match in straight sets. That’s impressive in its own right. Her worst level is enough to beat talented players.
Bet: Sabalenka -4.5 Games (-105 – 1.5 units)
RELATED: Check out my parlay for the Day 8 men’s action at the Australian Open!
Olga Danilovic vs. Paula Badosa
Badosa was pretty fortunate to escape with a win against Marta Kostyuk. The Spaniard was broken four times in the match, and she just didn’t play clean tennis throughout. She actually hit just 33 winners to 48 unforced errors. Some of that had to do with the wind. But Badosa also made some questionable decisions from the baseline. And overall, I’m not sure she deserves to be this big of a favorite against a player with as much talent as Danilovic.
Danilovic’s win over Jessica Pegula was a true breakout moment for the Serbian. After going 12-7 at the WTA level in 2024, it certainly feels like she now has some momentum to turn in a big season. Danilovic has actually won 12 of her last 13 matches, with some of those coming at the W100 level. But she also won a hard-court title in Guangzhou in October, beating some solid WTA players along the way. She has always been a pretty dangerous ball striker, but confidence should go a long way for her. And she should have that after beating an elite player like Pegula.
This just feels like a match in which both players will be looking to slap winners, and I think it’s going to be pretty even throughout. However, Danilovic has been serving at an insanely high level in Melbourne, and that could give her an edge against Badosa. I’m going a little bigger on Danilovic to win a set in this match than I am the moneyline, but I’m feeling pretty good about both. I also like that this is a house-money situation for Danilovic, while Badosa will be under pressure. And Badosa hasn’t been great under pressure recently.
Bet: Danilovic +1.5 Sets (-154 – 1.5 units) & Danilovic ML (+184 – 0.5 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.
