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Australian Open Predictions 2022: SportsTips’ Top Tennis Picks For Round 3

The 2022 Australian Open is starting to heat up! Take a look at our top six picks for the third round action at the Australian Open.

Australian Open Predictions 2022: SportsTips’ Top Tennis Picks For Round 3
Picks & Predictions
Thu 20th January 2022

The 2022 Australian Open rolls on and SportsTips.com are previewing the best six games of each round. Read below to check out our picks for the three best men’s and three best women’s games for Round 3 of the 2022 Australian Open!

We are now into the third round of the Australian Open and boy are there some interesting matchups. Who will take out the championship game in the men’s and women’s draw? There have been a few upsets so far throughout the tournament, but the top seed in the men’s and women’s draw have both successfully made it through!

Enjoy our free tennis picks and predictions for each round of the 2022 Australian Open tournament.

Round 3 Tennis Picks For The Australian Open: Men’s Draw

Reilly Opelka (23) vs Denis Shapovalov (14)

Young American, Reilly Opelka will face off against the young Canadien, Denis Shapovalov in the third round of the Australian Open. Opelka has had a fairly cruisy ride into the third round, winning his first two matches in straight sets. The same cannot be said about Shapovalov, who has played nine sets in his first two matches, and five of them have gone to a tie break.

Denis Kirilov

Reilly Opelka takes on Denis Shapovalov in what promises to be one of the most entertaining matches in the third round in the Australian Open this year. The American has been playing really well in Melbourne winning his matches without dropping a set so far. He cruised past Kevin Anderson and Dominic Koepfer, spending approximately 4 hours on the court. The 29th in the world will be looking to make even further improvement for his best result at the Australian Open as he has already surpassed his previous top achievement – the second round in 2019 and 2021. The 24-year-old American relies much on his first serve that has bailed him out of trouble thousands of times in his career. His height of 6’11’’ further helps him to be a difficult opponent to receive against.

Similar to Opelka, the Australian Open is far away from being the best tournament for Denis Shapovalov. He has reached the third round three times in his career – 2019, 2021 and 2022. For comparison, the young Canadian has never exited the US Open before the Round of 32 and has reached the Quarter-Finals in 2020. However, his all-time best performance came at Wimbledon in 2021 when he squeezed into the Semi-Finals, but he lost in narrow three sets against Novak Djokovic. Being a left-handed player has had its benefits for him. On top of that, the enormous levels of risk he takes in his shots has been incredible and once he finds his rhythm, he becomes invincible. I think that Shapovalov will be able to take the upper hand against Opelka who seems the more straight-forward player with not so much diversity in his shots. 

Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Denis Shapovalov (-108)

Jack Hartman

A huge clash of styles awaits in Round 3 as the man mountain Reilly Opelka takes on Canada’s Denis Shapovalov. Opelka has overcome some tricky opponents to get to this stage beating Kevin Anderson and Dominik Koepfer in straight sets. That will be hugely pleasing for the huge serving American who would have been able to preserve bundles of energy ahead of what could be a really gruelling match.

Shapovalov’s journey to Round 3 hasn’t been anywhere near as serene with the hugely talented Canadian having to battle from a set down in Round 1 against Serbia’s Lasjo Djere, before then battling past Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon in five sets. Despite being one of the most talented players on Tour it’s his inconsistency that still stops Shapo from becoming one of the worlds best. He has a tough assignment on his plate here and will need to serve exceptionally well to keep pace with Opelka. As always when betting on matches involving Opelka the options of multiple tie-breaks are in play, this match could go either way but I am anticipating that it could go the distance. The over 43 amount of games seems like the smart play in what is a tricky outcome to predict.

Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Total Games – Over 43 (-116) 

Alexander Zverev (3) vs Radu Albot

Third seeded German, Alexander Zverev will face off against qualifier, Radu Albot, in the next round at the Australian Open. As many would have expected, Zeverv has had an easy couple of rounds to kick off his campaign, beating both Altmaier and Millman in straight sets. Albot has only dropped one set so far on his way to the third round, but will face a seeded player for the first time in this match.

Denis Kirilov

One of the favourites to win the title at the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev, will take on the qualifier, Radu Albot, in a third-round matchup. The German has been merciless so far with two wins in straight sets against Daniel Altmaier and John Millman. He struggled against his compatriot in the first round as Zverev only managed to convert 4 out 18 break-point opportunities. He wrapped up 2021 with a win in the ATP Finals in Turin defeating the finalists of the US Open, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev. The 24-year-old elevated his game throughout the last season as he became an even better hitter from the baseline. On top of that, he found a way to avoid making these silly mistakes on second serve in the most important parts of the match.

Radu Albot had to go a long way to reach the third round of this year’s Australian Open. The Moldovan has already eliminated some good players like Joao Sousa, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Aleksander Vukic. He tied his career-best performance at Melbourne as he also reached the Round of 32 in the previous year when he was eliminated by Casper Ruud. The 32-year-old had a late peak in his career as he managed to achieve most of his success in the last couple of years. Sitting in 124th place as of now, his highest-ranking dates back to August, 2019, when he reached the top 40 for the first and only time in his career. However, I don’t really think he has the right weapons to compete with Alexander Zverev on a hard surface. I expect to see a one-sided game that will further make the German a bigger contender. Hence, I would go with Zverev’s games spread for this match as he has been playing on a very high level throughout the last couple of months. 

Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Alexander Zverev -9.5 (+106)
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Jack Hartman

Alexander Zverev once again outlined his title credentials with a fine victory over the tough John Millman in Round 2. Zverev in his two previous matches against the Australian had been taken the distance and it’s a sign of where his game is at – that he was able to dispatch the Australian with relative ease, only losing eight games on his way to Round 3. Zverev has been able to save some energy in his two matches so far and he will be looking for another comfortable victory in this matchup against Radu Albot. Zverev should have far too much power for his opponent and will be looking to win in three quick sets.

It’s been a welcome return to form for the experienced Moldovan Radu Albot. Formerly a fixture at Grand Slam level, Albot has dropped out of the world’s top 100 and had to earn his place in the main draw through qualifying. Albot has made the most of a good draw beating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka and Austria’s Aleksander Vukic to reach this stage of the tournament. Albot has only dropped one set in doing so. This will be his 6th match of the tournament and you have to wonder how much gas he has left in the tank. I think this will be a match too far and all signs point towards a comfortable Zverev win. I think Zverev will continue his ruthless form and I think a swift win is in order and will be backing the under 28 games.

Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Total Games – Under 28 (+114) 

Andrey Rublev (5) vs Marin Čilić (27)

Andrey Rublev will face off against his toughest opponent so far in the Australian Open, as he takes on Marin Čilić in Round 3. The Russian has been off to a blistering start, yet to drop a set, and only dropping 13 games so far. Čilić has only dropped one set so far, and that was to his opponent in the second round, Gombos.

Denis Kirilov

Andrey Rublev is looking to top his performance at the Australian Open this year as he will try to reach the Semi-Finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. The Russian has reached the Quarter-Finals four times already, but on each occasion, he was stopped by a better player. In the previous, he was defeated by Daniil Medvedev in straight sets at Melbourne and this particular stage in the tournament. After reaching the Quarter-Finals of the 2017 US Open defeating strong players like Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin, Rublev has been improving his game as he managed to reach World No. 5 in 2021. Currently sitting in 6th place, the Russian will be looking to defend his points from last year’s Australian Open and will try to break into the top 3 as soon as possible. He relies much on his forehand that has proven to be quite useful as it is the essence of his game. Rublev can also play well on his backhand as he has learnt how to be consistent enough in order to avoid having a weak spot in his game.

Marin Cilic will once again play in the third round at one of his favourite Grand Slam tournaments. He won a title at the US Open in 2014 defeating Tomas Berdych, Roger Federer, and Kei Nishikori in the last stages. He came close to repeating his success at the 2018 edition of the Australian Open when he reached the Final. Unfortunately for him and his fans, the Croatian had to face the 36-year-old Roger Federer who was just entering into his late peak in his career as he defeated Cilic in five sets. He has been struggling recently, but this has been quite expected considering that he is already past 30 years of age. Cilic started off with a convincing 3-0 win over Emilio Gomez in a match where he ended up having 17 aces and 39 winners compared to just 8 winners from his opponent. He found some difficulties in overcoming his second-round matchup, Norbert Gombos, as the Croatian dropped the third set and was forced into a tiebreak in the fourth set. He eventually wrapped it all up after saving one set point to make it to the Round of 32 for yet another time in his career. I think that he will be able to compete with Rublev for at least two sets and my pick here will be “Rublev to win in four sets”. 

Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Rublev 3-1 (+260)

Jack Hartman

Much of Andrey Rublev’s preparation for this year’s Australian Open was impacted by a positive COVID test which ruled him out of the ATP Cup as well as any warm up events. Due to a lack of matches Rublev entered this year’s tournament as a bit of an unknown factor – however he was quick to shake off any rust with two convincing wins in the first few rounds beating both Gianluca Mager and Ricardas Berankis in straight sets. Rublev has never advanced past the quarter final stage of a Grand Slam but his game looks in fine working order to put that statistic right.

It won’t be a walkover for Rublev as he comes up against the experienced Croatian Marin Cilic. Cilic a former US Open champion is enjoying a bit of a career renaissance, rewind to this time last year and Cilic’s game seemed to be on a rapid decline, on the verge of dropping out of the world’s top 50, many questioned Cilic’s place in the game. However, Cilic found something and ended 2021 on an almighty high, losing in the final of Moscow before going one better and winning in St Petersburg. Cilic carried that good form over to the start of 2022 and reached the semi finals of both Adelaide warm up events. Cilic has just dropped one set in his journey to Round 3 and certainly won’t be intimidated by the challenge in front of him here. Rublev has won the last five meetings between the pair but two of those matches have gone the distance. Although I expect Rublev to win here, it wouldn’t surprise me if this match went the distance and had some very competitive sets. I think the smart play is to back over 38 games in the match.

Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Total Games – Over 38 (-110) 

Round 3 Tennis Picks For The Australian Open: Women’s Draw

Ashleigh Barty (1) vs Camila Giorgi (30)

The world number 1 will face a seeded player for the first time in the tournament when she hits the court and takes on Camila Giorgi. Ashleigh Barty has been absolutely clinical in her first two games, not only has she not dropped a set yet, but she has also only given up three, yes three, games. Giorgi is also yet to drop a set, and her opponents have been Potapova and Martincová.

Denis Kirilov

Ashleigh Barty comes into this third-round match against Camila Giorgi after spending less than two hours on the courts in Melbourne. The Australian has already won two Grand Slams in her career as she defeated the competition in 2019 in Paris and two years later at the mythic courts in Wimbledon. However, she is still looking to make her statement in Australia as she has only reached the Semi-Finals in 2020 when she was stopped by Sofia Kenin in a nail-biting two-setter. After winning the tournament in Adelaide defeating the likes of Gauff, Kenin, Swiatek, and Rybakina, the 25-year-old has switched her focus on the Australian Open and it seems that she has a really high chance of winning it.

Camila Giorgi has been an incredible player throughout her career. She was capable of defeating simply anyone on the WTA Tour, but somehow her playing style was always in her way. The aggressiveness and the risks she likes to take have gotten the better of her consistency as she failed to deliver up until 2021 when she won the Canadian Open. Her best result at a Grand Slam dates back to 2018 when she reached the Quarter-Finals in Wimbledon. Apart from that, she has managed to reach the Fourth Round just two more times in 37 attempts. The Italian will try to make the impossible and stop Barty’s domination on her home courts, but I think this won’t happen. In my opinion, the Aussie will take both sets before they go all the way down the wire. 

Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Ashleigh Barty -6.5 (-110)
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Jack Hartman

Camila Giorgi had a productive end to 2021 which saw her ranking shoot from the 70s up to 33 where she is ranked today. The Italian has carried that form into 2022 and she has advanced to Round 3 thanks to two straight sets victories over some tricky opponents in the form of Anastasia Potapova and Tereza Martincova. The 30th seed for this tournament, Giorgi now faces her biggest test of the tournament in Ash Barty. Giorgi won’t be phased by the matchup but she will need to find some improvement as she is yet to beat Barty in her career, having been on the losing side in each of the three times that they have played.

For Barty, things have been going perfectly and despite being one of the friendliest players on Tour she has been utterly ruthless in dismantling both Lesia Tsurenko and Lucia Bronzetti. Barty has only lost three games in the entire tournament! This matchup is an altogether different test, and despite clearly being at the top of her game, Barty will need to bring her A game if she is to advance further. Giorgi has proven she can beat the best and I think she will make life tough for Barty here. I have to back Barty to get the win but I think Giorgi will pick up a set.

Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Barty 2-1 (+380)

Amanda Anisimova vs Naomi Osaka (13)

The young American, Amanda Anisimova will face her most difficult challenge yet as she goes up against the 2021 defending champion, Naomi Osaka. Anisimova has dropped one set so far on her way to the third round, and in her last game, she took out the 22nd seed, Bencic. Osaka is showing to everyone just why she is the defending champion, after only giving up 10 games so far in this tournament.

Denis Kirilov

The third-round matchup between Amanda Anisimova and Naomi Osaka promises to be a treat to watch. The young American surprised Belinda Bencic in the second round as she defeated her in straight sets – 6-2, 7-5. She also started off the season in the best possible way winning the title in a tournament in Melbourne prior to the Australian Open. On her path to the Final, she managed to defeat the likes of Sorana Cirstea, Daria Kasatkina, and Alexandra Sasnovich. However, she experienced a lot of troubles In her first round at the Australian Open as she was forced to play three sets against Arianne Hartono. Losing the first set has never been a good sign, but she somehow managed to make the comeback despite going down 2-4 in the second set.

Naomi Osaka has taken a lot of time off the court as she was battling with mental issues. She hasn’t played for four months before she made her year-debut in Melbourne defeating Alize Cornet in three sets. The Japanese was forced to withdraw from her Semi-Final against Veronica Kudermetova, but later on, it was announced that this was just a precaution ahead of the Australian Open. In the first two rounds, Naomi Osaka squandered Maria Osorio Serrano and Madison Brengle which further boosted her confidence for the match against Amanda Anisimova. In my opinion, the World No.14 is a lot more disciplined and self-controlling as the American may crack under pressure during the most vital points in the match. However, taking into account the fact that Anisimova is on a 14-game winning streak, I am going to trust her to beat the 4-time Grand Slam winner and the defending champion, Naomi Osaka. 

Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Amanda Anisimova (+235)

Jack Hartman

An exciting contest awaits as America’s Amanda Anisimova locks horns with Naomi Osaka. It’s been fantastic to see Osaka hitting the ball so cleanly and make no doubt about it she is certainly a contender to pick up a third Australian Open title. She faces her sternest test so far in Amanda Anisimova who at just twenty is one of the youngest remaining players in the draw. Osaka has made light work of her two previous opponents Maria Camilia Serrano and Madison Brengle dismantling both in straight sets. Osaka has just dropped ten games in the tournament so far but faces a stern examination of her game here against the talented and big hitting American.

Anisimova heads into this match in arguably the form of her career thanks to a victory in the second Melbourne warm up event which landed her second WTA title. Anisimova had to battle past Dutch qualifier Arianne Hartano in three sets in Round 1 but then showcased her power and skill with a bruising victory over Belinda Bencic, comfortably beating the Swiss star in straight sets. Anisimova will need to raise her game if she is to reach the fourth round in Australia for only the second time in her career, she has one of the hardest hitting games on the entire WTA Tour but if her radar is off, she has the ability to make a lot of errors. For Anisimova to pull off the upset she will need to keep the ball in play and against a player as dominant as Osaka that could be a tough ask. Osaka will look to put pressure on Anisimova’s serve which at times can be a weakness. If she can do this, I expect Osaka to win a hard fought match in straight sets.

Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Osaka 2-0 (-110)

Clara Tauson vs Danielle Collins (27)

Clara Tauson caused one of the biggest upsets in the second round on the women’s side of the draw, and next up, she faces Danielle Collins, who is the 27th seed. Last time out Tauson dismantled the game of the 6th seed, Kontaveit, to move through to the third round in straight sets. Collins is yet to drop a set and she has defeated the likes of Dolehide and Konjuh to make her way into Round 3 at the Australian Open.

Denis Kirilov

The 19-year-old, Clara Tauson, made her WTA breakthrough last year as she reached the top 50 for the first time in her career. The talented Dane has already topped her best performance at a Grand Slam with her performance in Melbourne this year. She squeezed past the second round after a surprising victory over one of the strongest opponents in the WTA Tour, Anett Kontaveit. She defeated her in straight sets as she was more consistent throughout the match, conceding just 13 unforced errors. In her first-round meeting, Tauson outplayed the home-favourite Astra Sharma for 1 hour and 21 minutes on the court. The Dane was forced to withdraw from the Quarter-Final match against Alexandra Sasnovich in the first Melbourne tournament for the year. In 2021, she also won two WTA titles – the Chicago Challenger in the run-up to the US Open and the Luxembourg Open towards the end of the season.

Danielle Collins has made her breakthrough quite late in her career as she spent the first eight years fluctuating up and down in the ITF tournaments. In 2018, Collins managed to break into the top 50 and from then on, she has been climbing the leaderboard reaching a career-high of World No. 23 in 2019. She now sits in 30th place as the Australian Open provides her with a great opportunity to gain some points for the overall rankings. Collins has gone past the second round which was her achievement in Melbourne for the last two years and is looking to make it to the second week in Australia for the second time in her career. The American reached the Semi-Finals stage in 2019 when she cruised past Julia Gorges, Carolina Garcia, Angelique Kerber, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before getting knocked out by Petra Kvitova. She is a highly aggressive player, relying much on her first serve and powerful groundstrokes. Her style is risky, but overall, Collins has worked on it to be as efficient as possible. However, I think that Tauson will have the nerves to stop the American as although she might be inexperienced, she has proven that she is able to withstand a lot of pressure. In my opinion, the young Dane will reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after a narrow 2-1 win over Daniele Collins. 

Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Clara Tauson (+114)
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Jack Hartman

Before the tournament began I wrote a preview of both the men’s and women’s draw and one name I highlighted to keep an eye out for in the women’s draw was Clara Tauson who could be backed then at odds of +5000. Tauson at just 19 is one of the youngest players in the draw but is a previous junior champion at Melbourne Park and looks destined to spend years at the top of the game. I wasn’t surprised to see Tauson beat Annett Kontaveit in the previous round as I think the talented Dane could go really far in this tournament. Now in the third round she has a chance of advancing to the last sixteen but it certainly won’t be easy. 

Tauson comes up against Danielle Collins, who I am not afraid to admit is one of my favourite players on the WTA Tour. Collins is as fiery as they come and rarely has a bad day at the office. Seeded at 27 in the draw, Collins is a real lurker and could go far in this tournament, she has pedigree at Melbourne Park having reached the semi finals back in 2019. You know what you are going to get with Collins, solid consistent ball striking coupled with a real never say die attitude. This is one of the toughest matches to call in the entire round but I will back Tauson to carry on her dream run and just scrape through with a victory.

Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Tauson 2-1 (+330)

If you are interested in more news for the Australian Open then make sure you visit our tennis hub page, we’ve got all the details you need!

*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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