The Australian Open finals take place this weekend in Melbourne, headlined by the controversy of Novak Djokovic, who faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in his final. The first final takes place at 8:00AM (GMT) on Saturday morning, with Elena Rybakina against Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles. The only reigning champions left in the tournament across the four disciplines are the Women’s Doubles first seeds Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková.
I’ve covered a preview behind this weekend’s finals below, as well as a couple of my best bets. You can find markets on Betfair and get your money back on your first bet if it loses with this sign up offer.
Australian Open Men’s Singles Final
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Sunday 29th January @ 8:00AM GMT
Novak Djokovic will play for his 10th Australian Open title, a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam championship and the world No. 1 ranking.
Djokovic approached the tournament with his fair share of problems, including his nagging left hamstring issue and the debate of being deported just a day prior to last year’s Australian Open was due to start as he was not vaccinated against Covid-19. To add to his controversy, his father was seen celebrating with Russian spectators who were detained after waving pro-war Russian flags during the Serb’s quarter-final win over Russian Andrey Rublev.
Politics aside, Djokovic now has 27 wins in a row at the Australian Open, surpassing his coach Andre Agassi’s record of 26. Djokovic won the tournament on his last 3 attempts (2019-21), and looks to equal Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 Grand Slams.
The World Number 5 has the World Number 4 in his wake in Stefanos Tsitsipas, who’s aiming for his first Grand Slam, after being beaten in his last final by none other than Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2021.
In that French Open final in 2021, Djokovic ended up the victor in five sets, coming from 2-0 down (6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4), with the only other time they’ve met in a Grand Slam being the year before in the Semi-Final. Also a gruelling five setter (6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1) with Novak the eventual winner. Despite the Greek losing the head-to-head 10-2, he narrowly edges his opponent 2-1 on outdoor hard courts.
With Djokovic’s injury, their head-to-head record, Tsitsipas’ serve and the Serb being far from his usual convincing self – making 24 errors in the first set of his Semi-Final versus Tommy Paul, I’d fancy a tight game, and so see over 36.5 games as good value at 1.83.
Best Bet: Over 36.5 total match games @ 1.83 (5/6)
Australian Open Women’s Singles Final
Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka
Saturday 28th January @ 8:00AM GMT
Aryna Sabalenka is favoured to win her first Grand Slam title in her Australian Open final clash against Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka, the fifth seed, has been in top form, while Rybakina has flown under the radar since her Wimbledon win in 2022.
Sabalenka’s consistency and desire to win her first Grand Slam are expected to lead her to victory in Melbourne. The Belarusian has now won 20 consecutive sets to get to the final.
She entered this year’s Australian Open after winning her 11th career title at the Adelaide International, also in Australia and also on hard courts, and has been a dominant force during the tournament.
The bookie’s rank her as the favourite at 1.73, but it’s clear to see why. Her head to head against the Kazakhstani is 3-0, and that includes twice beating her on a hard surface.
Best Bet: Sabalenka to win @ 1.73 (8/11)
Australian Open Men’s Doubles Final
Rinky Hijikata/Jason Kubler vs Hugo Nys/Jan Zielinski
Saturday 28th January @ 9:45AM GMT
Just like last year, an all-Australian pair who made their name in singles have reached the final of the doubles. Although the two don’t have the same fame-levels as the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, they’re quality can’t be underestimated.
They’ll face two veterans in Monagasque Hugo Nys and Pole Jan Zielinski, in the final. The Aussie duo have already taken out the first, eights, and sixth seeds, while Nys and Zielinski have beaten the second and thirteenth seeds.
Both unseeded, and both surprise names at the end of the tournament, it’s a tough one to call especially with the heavyweights that the two duos have knocked out, with the bookies slightly favouring Nys and Zielinski.
Australian Open Women’s doubles Final
Barbora Krejčíková/Kateřina Siniaková vs Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara
Sunday 29th January @ 00:00 GMT
This match sees the only players in Australia that can retain their title from last year’s Grand Slam. Czech duo Krejčíková and Siniaková are the number one seeds and come into their match against Japanese pair Aoyama and Shibahara heavy favourites.
The tenth seeds have eased through their last four matches in straight sets, although struggled through their first-round tie. Krejčíková and Siniaková also took their time to warm up, with a three-setter in the first-round before winning their next eight in a row.
