Australian Open predictions and best bets for Day 10 – January 26-27
We’re fully in the swing of the 2026 Australian Open, 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 futures and daily tennis best bets. That continues with some tennis picks for Day 10 of the action, so keep reading for a few of my favorite plays for January 26 and 27. 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!
Alex de Minaur vs. Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz is 5-0 against de Minaur in tour-level matches, but we have seen some competitive matches between the two. De Minaur has won at least one set in two of their five meetings, and he worked himself pretty deep into two of the six other sets that they played. This will also be the first time that these two will be meeting Down Under, where de Minaur is stronger and Alcaraz is weaker.
Alcaraz has never been to the semifinals in Melbourne. And while he likely feels very good about changing that — and going on to achieve the career Grand Slam — there’s a chance this ends up being a battle. De Minaur is holding at a 94.9% clip since the start of this tournament. Sure, that probably isn’t sustainable, but he’s also holding at 92.3% since the start of 2026. Again, we likely won’t see his numbers anywhere near there towards the end of the year, but he did have a career-high hold percentage (84.1%) in 2025. He’s working extremely hard to get better mileage out of both his serve and his forehand, as he knows he needs more weapons in order to compete at the highest level. Well, so far, so good. He absolutely pummeled both Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik, who can be dangerous opponents in these conditions. In fact, Bublik is dangerous anywhere. He has been a top-10 player in the sport for nearly a year now.
If de Minaur can just do a decent job of making first serves in this match, I like his chances of winning at least one set. And honestly, I wouldn’t be that stunned if the Australian ends up winning this match. While Alcaraz won his last match in straight sets, Tommy Paul gave him some real problems in that one. That shouldn’t be lost on any tennis fans or bettors, as de Minaur is similarly athletic and also possesses a well-rounded game. He’s going to be able to play a lot like Paul, keeping rallies alive and asking extra questions of Alcaraz. He’ll also mix in some rushes to the net, where he’s really quick to put points away.
Alcaraz will also have to deal with being the villain, which will be new to him. It’s not often that the crowd isn’t pulling for Alcaraz, but they’re going to be going absolutely insane as they look to push de Minaur forward. I think that’ll make Alcaraz a little uncomfortable, and I expect it to bring out the best in de Minaur.
Bet: De Minaur To Win A Set (-175 – 1.5 units) & de Minaur To Win Two Sets (+175 – 0.5 units) & de Minaur ML (+350 – 0.25 units)
Elina Svitolina vs. Coco Gauff
I’m sure I can sound like a broken record when I’m writing up my Gauff previews, as I generally pick on the serve and forehand. However, until I see a serious improvement with both, it’s going to be hard not to fade her when she’s facing high-level opponents. Well, while I do think she’s making strides, I still see Gauff as a highly flawed player. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still good enough to win tournaments — which is why I had her to win the French Open last year. However, she does have some serious dips in her matches, which was on full display in her last two matches. Gauff dropped sets against Hailey Baptiste and Karolina Muchova, and I’d be surprised if she doesn’t do the same against Svitolina.
Svitolina has been one of the hottest players on the WTA Tour to start 2026, as she won the ASB Classic and is now 9-0. She also just took down Mirra Andreeva, a player very similar to Gauff, in straight sets last round. Svitolina is a brutal opponent for players like Gauff and Andreeva because she’s another world-class grinder along the baseline. So, while those are able to outlast opponents in longer exchanges, it’ll be harder to do that against Svitolina. On top of that, the Ukrainian has the ability to finish points, and she’s a rock-solid server.
I just see this being another highly competitive match, and it’s one I believe Svitolina can win in these conditions.
Bet: Svitolina +1.5 Sets (-154 – 1.5 units) & Svitolina ML (+184 – 0.5 units)
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.
