Australian Open predictions and best bets for Day 1 – January 17-18
The 2026 Australian Open begins this weekend, as the top players in the world are in Melbourne Park for the season’s first major. Well, at VSiN, we’re covering every important tournament, providing you with tournament futures and daily tennis best bets. That starts with some tennis picks for Day 1 of the action, so keep reading for three of my favorite plays for January 17 and 18. Also, bookmark our Australian Open tennis hub, where you’ll get all of my stories and some additional video content!
I also post more tennis plays on the Pro Picks page. I like to see how odds are moving throughout the day, so I occasionally add picks after posting these columns. That said, keep checking that page every couple of hours if you want more of my action. That’s also where you’ll find picks from Gill Alexander, who does great work handicapping tennis on A Numbers Game. You can watch Gill analyze tennis Monday to Friday. With that in mind, if you like betting this sport, you might want to consider becoming a VSiN Pro.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts are betting!
Zachary Svajda vs. Yannick Hanfmann
Hanfmann has been a tour-level player for quite some time, but I like Svajda’s chances of eliminating him in the opening round. The American is coming off an impressive run in qualifying, beating Hady Habib, Jurij Rodionov, and Kimmer Coppejans in straight sets. It’s clear that Svajda is enjoying the conditions Down Under, which suit his game rather nicely. Svajda is a very effective counter-puncher, as he covers the court well and puts a lot of balls in play. Then, once you’re the slightest bit off balance, he’ll take advantage and put points away. Well, the conditions here help him do that, as the speed of the courts makes his strokes a little more dangerous. They also bring out a little more in him as a server.
Hanfmann can also be pretty mistake-prone when he’s not in form, and I’m not sure he is right now. He turned in a sloppy performance against Terence Atmane in Brisbane qualifying two weeks ago, and it could take him a little bit to settle into the season.
This is also an interesting match when thinking about tennis betting splits. Hanfmann has a better ranking than Svajda, and 86 tour-level wins to the American’s eight. That said, you’d think Hanfmann would be favored here. That’s not the case. So, I’d expect a lot of public action on Hanfmann, but I believe Svajda is the sharper side.
Bet: Svajda ML (-128)
Liam Draxl vs. Damir Dzumhur
Draxl is another qualifier I’m looking to back in Round 1. The Canadian didn’t breeze through qualifying the way Svajda did, but he arguably came through a tougher draw. In fact, his final qualifying match was a 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over Mackenzie McDonald, who has won 115 matches at the tour level. Now, he has a very winnable match to kick things off in the main draw.
Dzumhur is a very solid baseliner, capable of winning longer rallies and capitalizing on mistakes. However, the Bosnian isn’t the greatest server in the world. That should help Draxl hang around here. Also, while Draxl is another baseline grinder — a little like Svajda — he has a good deal of power for when he turns defense into offense.
Draxl is also coming off a wildly successful Challenger season, going 44-18 and winning a title in Winnipeg. He’s ready for this jump in competition, and his success at the lower level of tennis could give him a little more confidence than his opponent here.
Bet: Draxl ML (+113)
Yulia Putintseva vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia
Putintseva’s 2025 season was a nightmare, as she went 17-27 after finishing 35-19 in 2024. However, early in the 2026 season, we’re seeing some signs of life from her. Putintseva beat Hailey Baptiste in Brisbane, then she took a set off Marta Kostyuk in the Round of 32. She then went to Adelaide, where she beat Marie Bouzkova and played a competitive second set against Emma Navarro. Well, if Putintseva is going to start playing a little more like the player that was ranked No. 20 in the world last January, she should win this match against Haddad Maia.
Like Putintseva, Haddad Maia had a disastrous 2025 season, going 16-26 after having had three consecutive winning years. The difference is that we haven’t seen anything from the Brazilian southpaw that suggests she’s turning things around. She lost to Victoria Mboko in the Round of 32 in Adelaide, so we haven’t seen her win a match since September.
I also find it interesting that Haddad Maia is 2-0 against Putintseva, yet the Brazilian is the underdog in this matchup. It feels like the oddsmakers want to catch casual bettors backing her after a deep run at the US Open last year.
Bet: Putintseva ML (-125)
Added Plays
I usually have A LOT MORE on the Pro Picks page. Those plays count towards my record and have been a big part of my success this season. Make sure you check them out. I’ll probably add a few more over there, so refresh that page throughout the day if you’re looking for action.
