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 the Round of 16 at the 2022 Australian Open!
We are now into the Round of 16 at the Australian Open and boy are there some interesting matchups. There’s still a sprinkling of Americans left, especially in the women’s draw for us all to cheer on, and worth staying up late for! 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 of 16 Tennis Picks For The Australian Open: Men’s Draw
Pablo Carreño Busta (19) vs Matteo Berrettini (7)
In one of the most intriguing matches in the Round of 16, we will see Spainard, Pablo Carreño Busta face off against Matteo Berrettini. Carreño has had a couple of close games, his Round 2 match went to five sets, and his Round 3 match went to four sets, but he successfully navigated through and is now into the Round of 16. Berrettini put on a show for us in his last round, it went the distance against young rising star, Alcaraz Garfia, and needed a fifth set tie break to decide the winner.
Denis Kirilov
The match between Pablo Carreno Busta and Matteo Berrettini in this year’s Round of 16 at the Australian Open promises to be intriguing and full of compelling rallies. The Italian came into this match following a tough 5-setter where he survived Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback from 2-0 down. He closed out the match after 10-5 in the deciding tie-break in the fifth set. Seeing someone controlling the game against Berrettini is quite uncommon, but that’s what Alcaraz did in the match. The young Spaniard finished off with more winners and unforced errors as the Italian was forced to play it safer from the baseline. Berrettini made his breakthrough in the ATP Tour last year when he reached the Finals of the Wimbledon Championships and the Madrid Open. He became the first Italian, man or woman, to qualify for the final match at Wimbledon since Adriano Panatta in 1976. His aggressive style of play helped him climb to World No. 7 towards the end of 2021 which granted him a pass to the ATP Finals in Turin.
Pablo Carreno Busta, on the other side, is also a well-developed player with a lot of potential to reach deep into the second week of the 2022 Australian Open. His best result at a Grand Slam tournament dates back to 2017 when he reached the Semi-Finals in New York – an achievement he repeated three years later at the same place. His career-best performance in Melbourne is reaching the fourth round in 2018 and 2019 when he played a controversial point in the deciding tie-break against Kei Nishikori that went the other way and became the essence for the comeback of the Japanese. The 30-year-old Spaniard has a lot more to show to the whole ATP community as he knocked out Sebastian Korda in the previous round in Melbourne. He relies much on wearing down his opponents with long rallies as he is quite mobile and responsive on the court. However, this will be a tough matchup for Carreno Busta who will struggle to play high-level defence against Berrettini who knows how to finish a point with just a single stroke. That’s why my preference will go towards the Italian in this one.
Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Matteo Berettini (-240)
Matteo Berrettini Slam record since 2021
Against anyone not Djokovic 19-0
Against Djokovic 0-3 pic.twitter.com/Fg1QM5eupT— enrico maria riva (@enricomariariva) January 21, 2022
Jack Hartman
WHAT A MATCH! Young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz showed us all once again what a top player he is but it was Matteo Berrettini who emerged victorious in a match that will live long in the minds of tennis fans all over the world. Berrettini deserves enormous credit for his victory over the young Spaniard especially as his two set to love lead was clawed back, he showed fantastic resilience and composure to stay competitive in the fifth set and fend off the pressure that was being put on him by his opponent. Heading into the tournament with questions over his form and fitness Berrettini with his three wins in the tournament so far has put those questions firmly to bed. His game looks to be at its dominant best with his serve looking huge and his forehand living up to its reputation of being one of the best in the game. Berrettini has spent an enormous amount of time on court ahead of what could be another physical match and it will be interesting to see how much he has left in the tank.
Pablo Carreno Busta is somebody who headed to Melbourne Park flying completely under the radar. The consistent Spaniard has developed a solid Grand Slam record having reached multiple semifinals and the fourth round here in 2019. Carreno Busta has had a fine start to 2022 winning three of his four matches at the ATP Cup before reaching this stage of the tournament with three good wins against varied opposition. Like Berrettini, Carreno Busta has had to battle hard with the Spaniard spending significant time on court against both Tallon Griekspoor and Sebastian Korda. This is a tough matchup for Carreno Busta who at the very top level of the game can sometimes get overpowered and the weakness in serve can become exploited. Berrettini is arguably the hardest hitter on Tour and should be able to create many pressure situations for Carreno Busta in this match up. Both players are not immune to playing matches that last the distance, but as long as Berrettini has put the previous round behind him and he is ok physically he is my pick to advance to the next round.
Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Matteo Berettini (-240)
Alexander Zverev (3) vs Denis Shapovalov (14)
One of the current favorites to win the title at the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev will face off against the 14th seeded Canadian, Denis Shapovalov, in the Round of 16. If you would like the definition of a clinical performance up until now, all you need to do is watch Zverev’s first three games, he is yet to drop a set. Things have been slightly trickier for Shapovalov, as he is yet to have a match that has only gone for three sets, but nonetheless, he has still successfully managed to make it through to the Round of 16.
Denis Kirilov
Alexander Zverev continues his long journey towards his maiden title from a Grand Slam. At 24 years of age, the German still has a long time ahead of him, but the years come and go without seeing him win the long-awaited trophy. The previous year was probably his best season in the ATP Tour as he finished off with the Olympics gold after defeating Karen Khachanov in the Final and winning the ATP Tour Finals in Turin going past Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in the deciding matches. Zverev surely improved his game throughout the course of his career as he used to make a lot of double faults in the most clutch moments. He minimised that problem and at the same time, he elevated his game in some other aspects as well. The German became a better player from the baseline and worked hard on his on-court movements. His powerful groundstrokes began to make life difficult even for the best defensive players on the ATP Tour.
Denis Shapovalov is even younger than Zverev as he was born in 1999. The young Canadian topped his career-best performance at the Australian Open with his result this year so far. His best chance at winning a Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon last year when he reached the Semi-Finals exiting after a narrow 3-0 loss to the champion, Novak Djokovic. Shapovalov lacked consistency in his first couple of years on the ATP Tour as he proved he can beat even the best tennis players in a single match. However, this inability to play on a high level throughout the whole course of a tournament resulted in just one title from the Stockholm Open in 2019. It seems, however, that he has levelled up his game as he now avoids making silly mistakes. As a left-handed player himself, he becomes an even more inconvenient opponent to face on the grand stage. His single-handed backhand resembles much the one of Stan Wawrinka and if he manages to keep on developing that part of his game, he might end up being a serious trouble for the whole ATP Tour. In my opinion, he will be a Champion one day, but he needs to work hard to achieve that. My preference in the upcoming fourth round matchup goes towards Zverev as I expect him to take a clean 3-0 win.
Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Zverev 3-0 (+140)
Jack Hartman
There seems to be a different beast emerging in Alexander Zverev and Zverev has been nothing short of supreme in his three matches so far. He has reached this round with the minimum amount of fuss and his camp will be delighted that he has reached this stage of the tournament with three consecutive straight set wins. Zverev seems to have taken his game in a new direction with the German dominating with his forehand and looking to come forward as much as possible. He is dominating the rallies and looks in complete control of his game. Due to some early casualties from seeded players around him, his draw has opened up nicely and he has played three matches against opponents all ranked outside of the world’s top 50, but here he will face a different proposition altogether in the form of fourteenth seed Denis Shapovalov.
Shapovalov is a funny player to predict, a player that is improving and has the game to go far, he can sometimes go walkabout in his matches and make life so much harder for himself than it needs to be. He almost crashed out in Round 2 beating Korea’s Soonwoo Kim in five sets, with the Canadian having to battle back from 2-1 down. He then showcased his talents and improving mindset when beating the huge serving Reilly Opelka in four sets, a match I thought he would struggle to win. Shapovalov made his Grand Slam breakthrough in 2021 by making last year’s Wimbledon semifinal and it’s clear that his Wimbledon run has given him the motivation to reach that stage once again. However, he looks to have a real challenge ahead of him here in the form of Zverev. Zverev leads their head to head 3-2 including a victory the last time these two played at the ATP finals. Although Shapovalov knows how to beat Zverev, the German looks supremely confident and in a great place on court. I’m going to take a chance on Zverev advancing through to the next round in straight sets, which looks to be a good value play here.
Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Zverev 3-0 (+140)
Taylor Fritz (20) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (4)
One of two Americans left on the men’s side of the draw, Taylor Fritz will face off against fourth seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in the Round of 16. Fritz had a mammoth battle on his hands last time out, but he ended up the victor, beating Bautista Agut in five sets. Tsitsipas has dropped two sets on his way to this match, and both of them came in tiebreaks, this will also be the first time he faces a seeded player.
Denis Kirilov
Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas take on each other in one of the most interesting matches in the fourth round of the men’s singles. The young American made a comeback from a set down against Roberto Bautista Agut to close out the match 3-2. Moreover, he managed to defeat Francis Tiafoe in the second round in straight sets. Taylor Fritz came to Melbourne on a positive note after outclassing Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cameron Norrie in the ATP Cup in the beginning of the year. The American has been performing very well in recent years as he managed to develop his game to a whole new level. He relies much on his first serve and on his aggressive style of play which came in crucial in the match against Bautista Agut when Fritz dropped 73 winners.
The world number 4, Stefanos Tsitsipas, will try to keep his high ranking as he will need to match his performance from 2021 when he reached the Semi-Finals in the Australian Open. The Greek defeated Mikael Ymer in the opening round in Melbourne. However, he has been quite hesitant in the upcoming matches against Sebastian Baez and Benoit Paire as he needed 4 sets to defeat them. Tsitipas reached world number 3 in August, 2021, a couple of months after losing the French Open Final against Novak Djokovic after being 2-0 up in sets. The Australian Open is one of his favorite Grand Slam tournaments, but it seems that he is not in top condition for this year’s format. Tsitsipas is an all-around player who combines great serve with a powerful forehand. However, I think that he might have troubles in the early moments of the match against Taylor Fritz. That’s why I would recommend picking the American as the winner of the first set.
Denis’ Australian Open Pick: To Win First Set – Fritz (+148)
Stefanos Tsitsipas did not realize he literally won. 😂#AusOpen | https://t.co/rC0MF9EtwE pic.twitter.com/2hKSsuSEaL
— Tennis GIFs 🎾🎥 (@tennis_gifs) January 22, 2022
Jack Hartman
An intriguing last sixteen encounter awaits as fourth seed Stefanos Tstispas takes on the twentieth seed Taylor Fritz. Tsitipas arrived in Australia with some questions to answer following a disappointing end to his 2021 season where he seemed to be low on confidence and was struggling with injury. His preparation for the Australian Open was hampered by his opponents picking up injuries but a loss in three sets to Diego Schwartzman in the ATP Cup did little to inspire confidence. So far Tstispas seems to have put his 2021 troubles behind him, and he has looked untroubled on his passage into Round 4 losing only two sets so far. He faces a difficult challenge here in the big serving Fritz, a player who has beaten him twice in the past. Tsitipas will need to bring his A game if he is to advance to the quarter finals. Tsitipas is looking to go one better than his previous best efforts at Melbourne Park which are two semi finals appearances in 2019 and 2021.
Taylor Fritz was one of the ATP Tour’s most improved players in 2021 and the big serving American is starting to fulfil the potential that many believe he has. With one of the biggest serves on Tour, Fritz is starting to back his serve up with a monster forehand and an all round solid game. Surprisingly this is the furthest he has ever gone in a Grand Slam which is a clear sign of his recent improvement. Make no mistake about it, it was a landmark win for Fritz in Round 3 to outlast savvy Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista-Agut. Bautista-Agut is one of the most solid players on Tour and for Fritz to outlast him and beat him at his own game is a really encouraging sign. The head to head between the two stands at two wins apiece, but the ultimate factor that will decide this match is how much energy Fritz has left in the tank following his five set epic. Ultimately Tsitsipas should just have a little too much class for what I believe will be a tired Fritz but the American will make a good fist of it and I think Tsitsipas to win 3-1 could be the way to play.
Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Tsitsipas 3-1 (+310)
Round of 16 Tennis Picks For The Australian Open: Women’s Draw
Jessica Pegula (21) vs Maria Sakkari (5)
One of four American women still left in the draw, Jessica Pegula, will face her toughest challenge yet as she comes up against Maria Sakkari in the Round of 16. After a really close call in the first round where she dropped the first set, Pegula has looked nothing short of amazing, and she will be looking to back this up again this round. Meanwhile, Sakkari is yet to drop a set, and she has only been taken to a tie break once.
Denis Kirilov
After facing slightly easier opponents in the first three rounds at the Australian Open, Jessica Pegula will now have the hard task to go past Maria Sakkari who has been playing really well this year. The 27-year-old American enjoyed an incredible 2021 season when she reached world number 18. She made her first breakthrough on a Grand Slam as she was knocked out of last year’s Australian Open in the Quarter-Finals by Jennifer Brady. She has been consistent throughout the season reaching one Semi-Final and three Quarter-Finals in WTA 1000 tournaments. Apart from that, she didn’t manage to shine on the other Grand Slams as she was being knocked out before reaching the second week. Standing close to the baseline gives her enough time to react during a rally, while playing flat shots at the same time.
Maria Sakkari has also been quite successful in 2021. She reached two Grand Slam Semi-Finals in Paris and New York, but her efforts came up short, losing to the eventual champion on both occasions. She came in really close to defeat Barbora Krejcikova in the French Open, but she managed to take the third set, 9-7. The talented Greek made her debut into the top 10 after reaching the Final at the Ostrava Open. A decent performance that saw her out of the Group Stage in the WTA Finals helped her climb the leaderboard even more as she is now world number 6. Sakkari is a powerful player who relies on her ability to cover the court and dominate the game with her groundstrokes. I think that she is in a slightly better form than Pegula and this will be the thing making the difference tomorrow. My pick here goes in favour of Sakkari as I expect to see her cruise past the American in straight sets.
Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Sakkari 2-0 (+105)
Jack Hartman
One of the matches that lives long in the memory from 2021 is the matchup between Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkara in last year’s Miami Open. In a match that twisted and turned, it was Sakkari that emerged victorious in an epic encounter winning 8-6 in the final set tie-break. That was the last encounter between the pair and if this match is anything like the previous one, we could be set for a barnstormer. Both have made easy work of their opponents in this year’s tournament with Sakkari winning all her matches in straight sets, with Pegula just losing the one set in the tournament so far.
The two players have very similar games with their games relying on their consistency and movement from the back of the court, however it’s Sakkari who has the greater weight of shot and can generate more spin, it should be the Greek player who finds herself on the front foot of the majority of rallies. When it comes to Grand Slam pedigree it’s Sakkari who has the edge, Sakkari had a good major record in 2021 reaching the semifinals of both the French and US Opens. Pegula’s Grand Slam breakthrough came here in 2021 where she reached the quarterfinals beating a string of top players on the way. If Sakkari can keep the errors at bay, she has to start as the favourite but there will be no fear for Pegula as she looks to reach the quarterfinals for the second successive year. I like Sakkari to win this match but think like their last encounter it could go the distance.
Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Set Betting – Sakkari 2-1 (+260)
Ashleigh Barty (1) vs Amanda Anisimova
Well, she’s done it again hasn’t she! Ashleigh Barty moves into the Round of 16 at the Australian Open and standing in her way for a spot in the Quarterfinals is American, Amanda Anisimova. Barty is yet to drop a set, and in terms of games, she has only dropped eight so far. On her way to the Round of 16, Anisimova has managed to navigate through the 22nd seed, Bencic, as well as the 13th seed, Osaka, to make it through.
Denis Kirilov
The home-favorite to win the 2022 Australian Open, Ashleigh Barty, will have her first reality check on Sunday. Despite already facing Camila Giorgi, in my opinion, the Italian is too risky for Barty who used that in her favor holding Giorgi to just 8 winners and massive 24 unforced errors. The Australian hasn’t lost a set in six matches already as she is on a 7-game winning streak including her winning march in Adelaide in the beginning of the year. The top-seed will be looking to continue with her decent performance in Melbourne as she reached two Quarter-Finals and one Semi-Final in recent years. Her ability to be consistent in her game led her to the world number 1 place; a position she is not willing to hand over that easily.
Amanda Anisimova has been struggling with some mental issues and didn’t manage to get the best out of the 2021 season. The 20-year-old had her best results from 2019 when she reached the fourth round in the Australian Open and a surprising Semi-Final in the French Open where she was defeated by Ashleigh Barty in three sets. In 2021, Anisimova reached the second round of the US Open and got knocked out in the first round of the French Open and the Wimbledon Championship. Now, it is looking that she managed to pick up her game and is ready to make her permanent impact on the WTA Tour. The young American is a powerful baseliner who plays well on both sides. The two handed-backhand she plays has been troublesome for plenty of opponents as she manages to give it a lot of power, accuracy, and depth. In my opinion, she is able to make Barty struggle, but I doubt that she will beat her in the end.
Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Set 1 Game Handicap – Anisimova +2.5 (-150)
Comeback complete. 💥
2019 Roland-Garros semifinalist @AnisimovaAmanda stuns Naomi Osaka 4-6 6-3 7-6(5)! Up next: World No.1 Ashleigh Barty 🍿#AusOpen #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/dhhB5iVnVi
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) January 21, 2022
Jack Hartman
It’s been a special tournament so far, with many memorable matches on both sides of the draw. Right up there with the very best was Amanda Anisimova’s win over Naomi Osaka in Round 3. The young and talented American fended off two match points before emerging victorious in a ten point third set tie-break. Anisimova headed into this year’s Australian Open full of confidence after winning her second WTA title in the second Melbourne warm up event and despite a few scares along the way, she is somebody that all of the big names will want to avoid. As she showed against Osaka, when she can combine a positive and clear mindset with her huge ball striking she can beat any player in the draw.
If Anisimova is to reach the next round for the second time at Melbourne Park, she will have to overcome arguably the biggest challenge in women’s tennis by beating world number one Ash Barty. Even the most ardent Barty fan would be surprised at the Aussies progress so far in this tournament which has been as serene as you could imagine. In her three matches Barty has just lost eight games! Her serve is firing and she looks immense from the back of the court. The two have only played once before with Barty beating the American at the 2019 French Open en route to Barty winning her maiden Grand Slam. This should be a match up that suits Barty to the ground. Her variety and consistency should pose a sizable problem for Anisimova and with the help of the home crowd, this is a match I see Barty winning. It will be a fight but Barty is playing so well, I think backing her in straight sets is a good way to play here.
Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Set Betting Barty 2-0 (-155)
Danielle Collins (27) vs Elise Mertens (19)
The American, Danielle Collins, will come out against Elise Mertens, in the Round of 16. Collins was cruising through the first two rounds, but had to dig deep in Round 3, after losing the first set. Mertens dream run continues, she is also yet to face a seeded player until now, and yet to drop a set.
Denis Kirilov
Danielle Collins survived in an epic 3-set battle against the young prodigy from Denmark, Clara Tauson. She was down one set and was trailing back 4-2 in the second before making the clinical comeback. The American needed a total of 4 match points to wrap it all up as Tauson saved herself in the tenth game in the third set. The Australian Open is Collins’ first tournament for 2022 as she hadn’t played since the tournament in Linz in November 2021. She is now looking to match her performance in Melbourne from 2019 when she reached the Semi-Finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. Collins had an easy opponent in the first round this year as she defeated Caroline Dolehide in straight sets for just over one hour. In the second round, she had to be more focused as she was up against Anja Konjuh who had a decent start to the season defeating players like Kaja Kanepi and Marketa Vondrousova. Collins eventually took the better of the Croatian in two sets.
Elise Mertens is looking to make her top 10 debut in the WTA this year. The Belgian has reached world number 12 in 2018 and after consistent three years on the tour, she is eager to make her breakthrough in the rankings. She has been probably the most consistent player outside the top 10 in recent years. Mertens reached the third round of a Grand Slam 14th consecutive time, including this year’s Australian Open. She has a top result from 2018 when she exited the tournament in Melbourne right before the Grand Final, losing to Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. Her overall tennis success is completed with her performance in the doubles. She managed to reach world number 1 in doubles after winning two Grand Slams this past year. Mertens is great both in offense and in defense as her experience from playing doubles has only improved her overall performance. She cruised past Vera Zvonareva, Irina Begu, and Shuai Zhang in straight sets as she spent slightly above 4 hours on the court. I think that she will be able to defeat Collins, thus reaching the Quarter-Finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2020 US Open.
Denis’ Australian Open Pick: Elise Mertens (+120)
Jack Hartman
The 27th seed, Danielle Collins, reached the fourth round with a fine victory over the talented Dane Clara Tauson which completely captured what she is all about as a player. Down a set and a break to the talented teenager, Collins showed her fight and clawed her way back to eventually emerge victorious 7-5 in the third set. Collins is a fighter and has a superb never say die attitude, she is exceptionally hard to beat and her victory to set up this exciting clash against Elise Mertens would have filled her with a great deal of confidence that she can advance really far in this tournament.
Nineteenth seed Elise Mertens headed to the Australian Open after a fairly understated start to her season where she lost in the second round of her only warm up event in Sydney. Mertens’ progress in this year’s tournament has been a breeze with the Belgian winning all three of her matches in straight sets. The three time Grand Slam doubles champion has form at Melbourne Park, with her best result coming back in 2018 where she reached the semifinals. The pair have met twice previously with both players having one win each. The last time these two played came in September 2021 where Collins won in straight sets. Both players play in a similar fashion and the winner of this match will come down to who plays the big points better. When it comes to the pressure moments there isn’t another woman we would rather put our money on than Collins and in what could be a tight affair, we will back Collins to get the victory.
Jack’s Australian Open Pick: Danielle Collins (-142)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
