Tennis picks & predictions today for Day 7 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 7 of the matches on the women’s side, which will be played on Friday, January 17th and Saturday, January 18th 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 7.
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: 53-41 (+10.03 units)
Yulia Putintseva vs. Daria Kasatkina
Kasatkina has all the talent in the world, but she has been very sloppy for some time now. Her serve doesn’t give her a big advantage — and she can occasionally rack up double-faults. She also isn’t as dangerous from the baseline as she once was, as she sprays errors when swinging for small targets. If she can figure out the serve and play a little smarter from the baseline, she can probably get back to being a legitimate contender in big events. But until then, she’s going to struggle against consistent players. That’s why I like Putintseva to beat her.
Putintseva is small and lacks the types of weapons Kasatkina has, but she makes up for it by playing great defense, keeping balls in play and ultimately out-thinking her opponents. All of that should serve her well against a player that has very low lows.
Kasatkina did beat Putintseva 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (6) in Ningbo last year. However, Putintseva has beaten her before, so I’m not putting much into one result. I’m trusting that Putintseva is a grinder that has a game that translates well to this type of high-pressure environment. She should be able to frustrate Kasatkina by forcing her to play extra balls. And when the time is right, Putintseva will attack with her forehand.
Bet: Putintseva ML (-147)
RELATED: Check out my best bets for the men’s action on Day 7 of the Australian Open!
Ons Jabeur vs. Emma Navarro
Navarro is a player that can be very tough to beat when she’s on, but she hasn’t been at her best in Melbourne. The American barely survived her opening-round match against Peyton Stearns, and she really should have lost that one. Stearns was the better player and had her chances. Then, Navarro beat Xiyu Wang 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in another match that could have gone either way. Overall, she hasn’t been very precise with her serve, and she’s not playing the type of mistake-free baseline game that we’re used to. So, she’s vulnerable heading into this meeting with Jabeur, who happens to be a three-time Grand Slam runner-up. The Tunisian has fallen in the rankings, with injuries being a big problem in the last 52 weeks. But she’s playing well in 2025.
When Jabeur is at the peak of her powers, she’s a little better than Navarro. She’s a solid server and returner, and she also has one of the most unique playing styles in tennis. Jabeur is remarkable at utilizing spin to throw off her opponents, she has an elite drop shot and she’s good at knowing when to come to the net. And when all of that is working, it can be very difficult to play against her. So, if Navarro isn’t going to have her A-game, I just wouldn’t be surprised if Jabeur gives her hell out there.
For as good as Navarro is, her peak Elo rating is just 1991.1. Jabeur’s is 2101.1. That said, if Jabeur is healthy and ready to put last season behind her, this is a bargain. So far, it certainly feels like that’s the case.
Bet: Jabeur ML (+100 – 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.
