Australian Open predictions and best bets for Day 8 – January 24-25
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 8 of the action, so keep reading for a few of my favorite plays for January 24 and 25. 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!
Alexander Bublik vs. Alex de Minaur
Bublik is 42-9 since May 11, 2025. In that same span, he has also won four titles and broken into the Top 10. On top of that, Bublik has won two matches in a row against de Minaur, including one over the Australian at the Rolex Paris Masters. That said, this is a very dangerous matchup for de Minaur. However, I do expect the Australian to find a way through.
I just have a level in trust in de Minaur to prevail in a best-of-five setting that I can’t quite get to with Bublik. I have fully bought into the idea of Bublik being a legitimate top-15 player on the ATP Tour, and I believe his best tennis is up there with any of the non-Sincaraz players in the world. However, he still experiences some lulls here and there, and those are more likely to present themselves in a longer match. Well, de Minaur won’t dip for a second playing in his home Slam. The shotmaking might not be there all throughout this battle, but the focus and competitiveness will be. That means de Minaur will defend his butt off, and he should also be the sharper player when it comes to point construction.
Something else that’s worth noting is that the numbers I found on Courtside Advantage (TennisViz/Tennis Data Innovations) could work out somewhat favorably for de Minaur. Their tracking data only counts non-Slams, but the 31 matches they have since June 15 show that Bublik goes crosscourt with his backhand on 23.7% of his shots. He also goes line with the forehand on 14.4% of his shots. That’s a preference to going to the backhand wing when playing a right-handed opponent. Well, de Minaur is a righty and has one of the best backhands on the planet. He’ll be happy to sit back there and hit backhands for most of this one. Also, when Bublik goes to his drop shot — which he does often — de Minaur has the speed to get up to it and reset the point.
De Minaur is also one of the sport’s best returners. The Australian should be able to scratch and claw his way into some of Bublik’s service games. On the other side of things, de Minaur will be serving to a very poor returner, and the Australian will be doing so in conditions that make his serve a little more dangerous than usual. The added adrenaline of playing at home will also play a role in doing that.
Bet: De Minaur ML (-164 – 1.5 units)
Francisco Cerundolo vs. Alexander Zverev
I’m not going to go crazy backing a player strictly based on head-to-head, but Cerundolo has had a lot of success against Zverev in the past. The Argentine won the first three matchups between these two, eliminating Zverev from Madrid twice. Those wins were impressive, as Zverev’s game is perfect for quicker clay-court events. Zverev has started to even things up a bit, as Cerundolo retired when down 4-6, 0-1 when they met in Canada last year. Then, Zverev beat Cerundolo 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the Davis Cup towards the end of the year. Still, that’s only one win in four full matches for Zverev, and I’m not sure the German has played well enough to warrant being a major favorite here.
Zverev has dropped a set in all three of the matches he has played in Melbourne, allowing Gabriel Diallo, Alexandre Muller, and Cameron Norrie to get on the board. Meanwhile, Cerundolo hasn’t dropped a single set in this tournament, which is crazy considering he faced Andrey Rublev in the third round.
With Cerundolo playing well while Zverev struggles to find his best form, it’s just hard not to put a little something on him. If Cerundolo serves well, this is undoubtedly a match he can win. The Argentine’s forehand will be the biggest weapon on the court, and he can win a majority of the baseline exchanges if he’s able to attack the Zverev forehand.
Bet: Cerundolo ML (+245 – 0.5 units)
Karolina Muchova vs. Coco Gauff
I have a play on Muchova to win Quarter 2 at +550, but I can’t help myself from getting involved in this match. While Gauff has had some long stretches in which she has looked the part this tournament, I’m just not sure she’s going to be able to keep rolling now that she’s playing an elite opponent.
Gauff’s double-fault percentage is still rather high, and there will be some more pressure on her to make serves against a quality returner like Muchova. That added pressure could lead to even worse serving. Also, Muchova is one of the most talented players on the WTA Tour, capable of hitting big while also mixing in every type of spin you can imagine. Well, Muchova uses that to construct points brilliantly, and I think she’s going to be relentless in targeting Gauff’s forehand.
Of course, Gauff is 4-0 in this head-to-head series, so that’s an obstacle that Muchova will need to get over. But this is the healthiest the Czech has been in quite some time, and I think her game is going to stack up nicely against the American’s.
Bet: Muchova +1.5 Sets (-155 – 1.5 units) & Muchova ML (+180 – 0.5 units)
Elina Svitolina vs. Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva has been one of the WTA’s best players to start the 2026 season, but the same can also be said about Svitolina. The Ukrainian won the ASB Classic two weeks ago, and she has also won her first three matches in Melbourne in straight sets. The most recent one was an impressive win over Diana Shnaider.
Andreeva will surely win a Grand Slam soon, as she has already won a bunch of 1000-level events and those are really no different than the Slams considering the best-of-three format. However, after an odd second half of last season, it’s going to take a little for me to believe in the youngster’s ability to hang in there mentally against an evenly-matched opponent that can really dig in along the baseline. And Svitolina is exactly that kind of opponent.
Andreeva is 1-0 against Svitolina in her career, having beat the Ukrainian 7-5, 6-3 in Indian Wells last season. But that was a pretty tight match, and these conditions are going to be a little more favorable for Svitolina. The Ukrainian is plenty capable of counter-punching on any surface, but the speed of this event will make her a little more dangerous when looking to end points herself.
I just think that Svitolina’s ability to remain calm in big moments, hit her spots with the serve, and extend rallies will make this thing tighter than the odds suggest.
Bet: Svitolina ML (+163)
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.
