Australian Open Predictions 2023: SportsTips’ Top Tennis Picks For Round of 16

If you think the first three rounds here at the Australian Open have been dramatic, just wait until you see what’s in store for the Round of 16! On the men’s side of the draw, the third round saw more seeded casualties. The seventh seed, Medvedev, was eliminated in straight sets. 

It was just as crazy on the women’s side of the draw in the third round. With sixth seed, Sakkari, bowing out in three sets, along with the 10th seed, Keys, also losing in three sets. Will more top seeds continue to fall in the Round of 16? Only time will tell, but we think there’s a pretty good chance!

Enjoy our free tennis picks and predictions for each round at the Australian Open for the 2023 season.

Round of 16 Tennis Picks at the Australian Open: Men’s Draw

Stefanos Tsitsipas (3) vs Jannik Sinner (15)

The highest seed remaining in the men’s side of the draw, Stefanos Tsitsipas, will face off against another young gun, Jannik Sinner, in the Round of 16. Tsitsipas has been on fire so far this Australian Open, and is yet to even drop a set. Sinner put on the performance of his life in the third round, coming back from 0-2 down against unseeded Fucsovics to move to the Round of 16.

Aleksandar Ricliev

With Novak Djokovic, the odds-on favorite to win the tournament, suffering a groin injury and being questionable for the next game, Stefanos Tsitsipas must grasp this opportunity and take advantage of the situation. The Greek tennis superstar has yet to lose a single set in the Australian Open, and he has been absolutely unplayable for his opponents. If he can keep playing on the same level, and if Djokovic is forced to forfeit the tournament, Tsitsipas rises up as the favorite to win it all. He seems to be playing on another level at the moment, and the youngster Sinner is up for one hell of a battle.

Jannik Sinner has had a decent tournament so far. He absolutely demolished Edmund and Etcheverry in the first and second rounds, but in the third round, he showed all of his youthfulness and inexperience. His inconsistency cost him two sets, and if he was playing against a better-ranked opponent on the day, he would have probably lost the match. Stefanos Tsitsipas is a much better tennis player than Fucsovics and presents a whole other challenge. In the past 5 matches between them, Tsitsipas has won four of them. Tsitsipas is playing the best tennis of his career at the moment, so I am taking him to win this, without losing a set 3:0

Denis Kirilov

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been phenomenal in Melbourne throughout the years. This has undoubtedly been his most favorite Grand Slam tournament as he is still looking for his maiden final here. The current World №4 took advantage of Rafa Nadal’s early exit and he will most likely see himself in the top 3 after the end of the Australian Open. The 24-year-old Greek player who is one of the few people relying on a one-handed backhand is yet to drop a set in the tournament. He consecutively defeated Quentin Halys, Rinky Hijikata, and Taloon Griekspoor. He will now come up against Jannik Sinner as he will be looking to make it 4 wins in a row against him. 

The young talent from Italy has had an incredible 2022 season after reaching three Quarterfinals at Grand Slams. This helped him bounce back in the world rankings, but he eventually ended up at World №16. The Italian still has some points to defend at the Australian Open as he reached the second week in 2022. Sinner took off with easy wins over Kyle Edmund and Tomas Etcheverry. He was then forced to come back from 2 sets down against Marton Fuscovics in the Third Round. Having in mind that both players are coming into this match in great form, I expect to see a spectacle on Rod Laver Arena. That’s why I will go with the “Over” option in this Round of 16 match. 

Jack Hartman

In a tournament that is becoming ever more open by the round, both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner will be slightly disappointed that they have remained on track to play one another in the fourth round. Two players who look destined to compete for the game’s biggest honors over the next decade, their fourth round meeting will be the pair’s sixth meeting with Tsitsipas holding a four one lead. The duo met at the quarterfinals of last year’s Australian Open with Tsitsipas prevailing in straight sets. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open for the third successive year and despite the seeds tumbling all around him he remains firmly on course to achieve the feat. Unbeaten in 2023, the Greek star has yet to drop a set in this year’s tournament and will be confident of knocking out his Italian rival for the second successive year. Jannik Sinner headed into this year’s Australian Open as one of the dark horses for the title. Sinner suffered an injury towards the end of 2022 and lost matches he would have expected to win. Still looking a little rusty, Sinner needed to use all of his class and mettle to oust the tricky Martin Fucsovic in the previous round. Needing five sets to have the opportunity to play Tsitsipas it will be fascinating to see how he recovers for this exciting encounter. 

Hubert Hurkacz (10) vs Sebastian Korda (29)

The 10th seed, Hubert Hurkacz, will be looking to book his place in the Quarterfinals with a win here, but standing in his way is American Sebastian Korda. Hurkacz kicked off his Australian Open well, with a straight sets victory, but his next two matches have gone the distance. Korda pulled off the (almost) unthinkable in the third round, defeating the seventh seed, Medvedev, in straight sets.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Hubert Hurkacz has been struggling in the Australian Open so far. After handily beating the overly-impressed Spaniard, Martinez in the first round by three sets to nil, Hurkacz has played 5 sets in the second and the third round. He has spent almost four hours on the court for each match, and his performances looked far from perfect. The big Polish power-hitter and power server can’t seem to find his game. Too many unforced mistakes and too many lapses of concentration have cost him so many points in this tournament. He better sort those mistakes out quickly, Sebastian Korda is not one to be messed with at the moment.

Sebastian Korda is on fire! After reaching the final of the Adelaide ATP, and forcing Djokovic to play his best to beat him by two sets to one in the final, he is continuing his impressive streak of great performances. After beating Garin and Watanuki with 3 sets to 1 and 3 sets to 0, he took the scalp of another favorite, beating Daniil Medvedev with 3 sets to 0 in the third round. Korda was flying all over the court and was one great shot after another. A true tennis masterclass. Taking the form of the two players in consideration, there should be only one winner here. Sebastian Korda.

Denis Kirilov

Hubert Hurkacz is known among the tennis community as the last man to defeat Roger Federer in an official match. This victory helped him achieve the best performance at a Grand Slam – a Semi-Final. However, the hard-hitting Polish player would love to be remembered for winning one of the four big tournaments. Hurkacz held his nerves in a 5-set thriller against Denis Shapovalov in the Third Round. This was his second consecutive match that went all the way down the wire as he also suffered against Lorenzo Sonego. He will surely face more issues if he doesn’t manage to recover in time for his battle with Sebastian Korda. 

The projected World №28 enjoyed a remarkable start to the 2023 ATP season. The young American defeated some of the best players on the Tour in Adelaide before going down to Novak Djokovic in three sets in the Final. Roberto Bautista-Agut, Jannik Sinner, and Andy Murray fell victim to his consistent performance. Moreover, he shut down Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the Third Round in Melbourne. His offensive playing style paid off as he should have an easier opponent in the face of Hubert Hurkacz. Therefore, I have no other choice, but to go with Sebastian Korda in that meeting. 

Jack Hartman

Sebastian Korda reached the fourth round of the Australian Open for the very first time in his fledgling career when he knocked out seventh seed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. Holding his nerve across two epic tie-breaks, Korda looked to show the signs of combining his huge talent with some seriously impressive mental strength. If the young American can consistently start using both, he will be a dangerous proposition for any player in the draw. Despite being ranked at 29 in the world, Korda is likely to start this match against world number ten Hubert Hurckacz as the favorite and will be confident of avenging the loss he suffered in their one and only meeting to date. 

Despite reaching the Wimbledon semifinals, netting an ATP 1000 title and being a fixture in and around the world’s top ten over the last few seasons, very few pundits would have believed that Hurckacz would be a likely contender for this year’s title. Inconsistent when it can matter the most, the big serving Pole has shown plenty of heart to win both his second and third round matches in five sets. Hurckacz took his fans on a roller coaster ride in his third round victory over Denis Shapovalov. Blowing a two set lead, Hurckacz managed to regain his composure, sneaking the final set 6-3. This will be their first ever Grand Slam meeting and both will believe that they can win the contest. It will be no surprise if this match went the distance. 

Jiri Lehecka vs Felix Auger Aliassime (6)

The giant slayer, Jiri Lehecka, is back to try and knock out another seed from the tournament, this time the sixth seed, Felix Auger Aliassime. Lehecka has eliminated the 21st and 11th seed so far at the Australian Open. Auger Aliassime has been on the court for a while so far this tournament, he hasn’t played a straight sets match.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Jiri Lehicka has had an outstanding Australian Open. The crowd loves him and his popularity is growing by the day. In the first round, he quickly and easily defeated Coric in three straight sets. In the second round, it took him four games to secure victory against Eubanks, and he needed five sets to win against Norrie in the third round. Lehicka’s aggressive playstyle has been well-received by fans. He came to the tournament as a relatively unknown player, but he has already made a name for himself!

The number 7 on the ATP list, Felix Auger Aliassime, will be looking to take advantage of this opportunity to win the tournament. With Medvedev and Nadal already out, and Djokovic dealing with injury concerns, Felix Auger Aliassime is one of the favorites to win it all. The young Canadian star came to the Australian Open in great form, which he has continued to display in this tournament. His performances have been steady and calculated, and he has always been in control of his matches. This match against the ultra-aggressive Lehicka will present a different challenge, but I expect Felix Auger Aliassime to handle it and win the match, covering the games spread.

Denis Kirilov

Jiri Lehecka had a fantastic 2022 season that saw him move into the top 60 for the first time in his career. The hard-hitting Czech player made the Semi-Finals in Rotterdam, thus becoming the lowest-ranked semifinalist at this event since 1995. Unfortunately, he struggled during his Grand Slam endeavors in 2022 as he was unable to proceed past the First Round. All in all, his game gradually improved throughout the year as he occasionally defeated players from the top 100. At this year’s Australian Open he pulled off two upsets already – beating Borna Coric in the First Round and outplaying Cameron Norrie in the Third Round. 

Felix Auger-Aliassime is known for his lack of consistency in “Best of 5 Sets”. He usually loses a set or two in the process. He is still looking for a win in straight sets in Melbourne and he let Vasek Pospisil, Alex Molcan, and Francisco Cerundolo get the better of him at some of the matches. However, the World №7 will try to top his best performance at the Australian Open from 2022 when he reached the Quarter-Finals stage. I think that he will be able to at least have a shot at it as he should easily take down Jiri Lehecka. Moreover, the experience factor is on his side and that’s why I feel confident taking his spread on Sunday. 

Jack Hartman

A matchup in the last sixteen awaits between two of the most promising talents in the game as the unseeded Jiri Lehecka takes on sixth seed Felix Auger Aliassime. This is the first time that Lehecka has ever advanced past the first round of a Grand Slam and he is doing so in impressive fashion. He first beat Borna Coric before beating Chris Eubanks. His third round win over Cameron Norrie was arguably the best of his career with the young Czech star battling back from two sets to one down to wrap up victory in five sets. He faces another test in the form of world number seven Auger Aliassime. 

Despite his abundant talent, Auger Aliassime has struggled at Grand Slam level with the young Canadien only reaching the quarterfinals once in his career. That quarterfinal berth came in last year’s tournament and he will be hopeful of repeating the feat this year. The problem for Auger Aliassime at the Slams has been his inability to get off the court quickly, and this has been the case this year. Aliassime has yet to win any of his three matches in straight sets, with two of his wins coming in four sets and his second round clash against Alex Molcan going the distance. Fitness concerns could become a worry the further that Auger Aliassime advances but he will be hopeful of a quick day’s work here

Round of 16 Tennis Picks at the Australian Open: Women’s Draw

Jessica Pegula (3) vs Barbora Krejčíková (20)

Can anyone stop Jessica Pegula? Well, the 20th seed, Barbora Krejčíková, will certainly give it a red hot crack. Pegula hasn’t dropped a set so far at the Australian Open, and in her Round 3 clash, she only dropped a total of two games. Krejčíková also hasn’t dropped a set at the Grand Slam, but this will be the first time she will face a seeded player.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Jessica Pegula comes to the Australian Open ranked 3rd on the WTA list and as one of the favorites to win the tournament. The fiery American is coming in great form in Australia, having comfortably and easily won the WTA tournament in Mexico. She has yet to lose a tennis match in 2023. Her powerful serve and shots continue to be an unsolvable enigma for opponents, and her footwork and desire to win are sublime. In the Australian Open, she has been unplayable for her opponents, and she has yet to lose a single set. However, her opponent in this round has also been playing some great tennis and is yet to lose a set as well. This should be one hell of a match!

Barbora Krejcikova comes to the Australian Open after winning the Ostrava WTA tournament in 2022, beating the outworldly Swiatek in the finals. The Czech star is showing outstanding performances in this tournament as well. A combination of aggressive attacks and impeccable defense keeps her opponents on their toes. Both Pegula and Krejcikova have similar playing styles, making this a real fight until the end between two battle-hardened gladiators in a must-watch game. If I had to bet on a match winner, I would probably pick the underdog, Krejcikova. However, the smart bet is taking the total games over.

Denis Kirilov

Jessica Pegula is certainly one of the few players who can stop Iga Swiatek on her way to grab yet another Grand Slam title. The World №3 has to defend a Quarterfinal from the previous year, meaning that she will most likely give it all she has until the very end. Pegula’s impressive baseline shots and her on-court coverage have been unparalleled by many on the WTA tour. She has been quite dominant in the beginning of 2023 as she is yet to lose a set. At the same time, she hasn’t yet played against a tough contender at the Australian Open. However, defeating Jaqueline Cristian, Aleksandra Sasnovich, and Marta Kostyuk in straight sets remains a decent achievement. 

On the other hand, the 2021 Roland Garros champion, Barbora Krejcikova has had a tough 2022 season as she dropped from World №2 to the 21st place in the rankings. The Czech has been struggling to deal with both the singles and the doubles tournaments. His aggressive playing style has helped her a lot throughout the recent years in the WTA, but against Pegula things seem to be different. Despite the dominant victories at the Australian Open, she lacked some finesse and movement against Kalinina in the Third Round. That’s why I will certainly go with Jessica Pegula covering her spread on Sunday. 

Jack Hartman

The women’s draw for this year’s Australian Open has a lopsided feel to it. Most of the big seeds have departed from the bottom half, but the top half remains packed with former Grand Slam champions and top quality players. One of these former Grand Slam Champions, Barbora Krejcikova will lock horns against Jessica Pegula in what looks set to be a great match. Ever since shocking the world when she won the French Open back in 2021, things have gone from bad to worse for the Czech star who had to miss a lot of 2022 with a spate of different injuries. Thankfully those injuries seem to be behind Krejcikova and in reaching this year’s fourth round, she has been able to play some fantastic tennis. Krejcikova has yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament but knows this matchup against the red hot Jessica Pegula will be by far her greatest test. 

Jessica Pegula has enjoyed a super start to 2023 having gone unbeaten to this point. Pegula has shown why she is a great player as she has swept through the draw without dropping a set. Her wins in both the first and third rounds of this year’s tournament have been particularly ruthless with the third seed only losing 3 games across the four sets that were played. Heading into the year many believed that Pegula still lacked the game to go all the way in the world’s biggest tournaments but that narrative was flipped on its head when she beat world number one Iga Swiatek in this year’s United Cup. Anything close to that performance here will see her run out a comfortable winner. 

Iga Świątek (1) vs Elena Rybakina (22)

It’s been pretty smooth sailing so far for world number one, Iga Świątek. Will she continue her great run of form in the Round of 16? Standing in the world number one’s way is the 22nd seed, Elena Rybakina. Rybakina proved too good for the 13th seed, Collins, in the previous round, winning in three sets.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Iga Swiatek comes to the Australian Open as the best woman tennis player of 2022 and is looking to continue her streak. The Polish sensation was on another level throughout the year, and if she starts 2023 by winning the Australian Open, I would be scared for everyone who has to play against her in the near future. She seems to be improving in the tournament: after struggling in the first round, in the second and third rounds, she showed up fired up and ready to play, and her opponents were in trouble from the very first serve. With her marvelous technique, enchanting footwork and the ability to hit any shot she can imagine, Swiatek is a pleasure to watch on any given day.

Elena Rybakina comes to the Australian Open on a high note. She has lost only one set so far against Collins, who was obviously struggling due to an injury. The Kazakhstani power-hitter on a good day can beat anyone and is a nightmare for every opponent. The last time Rybakina played against Swiatek, she obliterated her by two sets to nil, 6-3, 6-1. However, I see this more as a revenge game for Swiatek. I expect her to start the match quickly and put Rybakina under a lot of pressure. Swiatek wins, 2:0.

Denis Kirilov

Iga Swiatek has had a mesmerizing 2022 WTA season. The young player from Poland found herself winning two Grand Slams and claimed the World №1 spot back in April. Ever since then, she has been increasing her lead on top as nobody should be able to surpass her in the near future. Her dominance arises from a mixture of tennis IQ, competence on court, dedication, and impeccable consistency. However, Swiatek has been struggling on her serve in her first two games at the Australian Open and this might play a crucial role in her match in the Fourth Round against Elena Rybakina. 

The young Kazakhstani tennis player ended up under the spotlight after lifting her maiden Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon last year. Rybakina reached World №12 in no time before dropping back to №23. With her wins over Cocciaretto, Juvan, and Collins, she managed to top her previous-best at the Australian Open. Her performance in the third set against Danielle Collins makes me think that she might have something up her sleeve for the match against Iga Swiatek. Hence, I will go with the “over” option as an outcome for one of the most long-awaited meetings on Sunday in Melbourne. 

Jack Hartman

Three of the four Grand Slams on offer in the women’s game in 2022 were shared between Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, with the French and US Open champion taking on the Wimbledon Champion. This won’t be a match for the faint-hearted as both players are amongst the biggest hitters and servers on the WTA Tour. Iga Swiatek headed into this year’s Australian Open following a few disappointing results and after a slightly shaky first round win over Jule Niemeier, Swiatek’s game has gone from strength to strength and the world number one is yet to have dropped a set. Swiatek enjoyed one of the most dominant years ever recorded in 2022 and she will be looking to start her 2023 in a similar fashion. 

Elena Rybakina stands in the way of Swiatek reaching yet another Grand Slam quarterfinal, and the Wimbledon champion will be hopeful of showing that her first Grand Slam won’t be her last. Rybakina will arrive at this match fresh off battling past last year’s losing finalist Danielle Collins in three sets. Rybakina will be confident of victory knowing that she beat the World Number 1 just a few weeks ago. Despite that match being an exhibition, it was the first time that Rybakina had gotten the better of Swiatek and she will be hoping to repeat the feat again. 

Victoria Azarenka (24) vs Zhu Lin

Victoria Azarenka is rolling back the clock and is looking for her third Australian Open title, and standing in her way of making another Quarterfinal appearance is unseeded Zhu Lin. Azarenka has only dropped one set so far and this is also the case for Lin.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Victoria Azarenka comes to this match on the heels of an impressive victory against Madison Keys. The Belarusian power hitter has been amazing in the Australian Open tournament, and will be looking to continue her strong form. The matchup against Zhu Lin will be interesting to watch because it’s a clash of completely different styles. The powerful serves and attacks of Azarenka, against the quick feet and notorious defense of Zhu. In these types of matchups, the attacking player usually prevails, but if Azarenka is not on her game and starts making unforced errors, Zhu could prove to be a tough opponent.

Zhu Lin is also coming to this matchup after an impressive win against one of the favorites to win the tournament, Sakkari. Zhu played magnificent defense and counter-attacking tennis, and she drove Sakkari crazy with her unbreakable will and desire to win. That match has prepared her perfectly for the draw against Azarenka. She will, once again, have to show that same fire and desire to fight and claw for every ball. Azarenka is the clear favorite here, and it all depends on her performance on the given day. If Azarenka plays her normal game, this should be a relatively easy 2-0 win for her.

Denis Kirilov

Victoria Azarenka might have just found her way back to the WTA Tour following several years of injuries, pregnancy hiatus, and tournament withdrawals. The former World №1 and the two-time Australian Open winner proved her critics wrong with a Final during the 2019 US Open. However, ever since then she has been unable to go past the Fourth Round of a Grand Slam. The experienced Belarusian is certainly a top favorite against Zhu Lin who is one of the pleasant surprises of the tournament. 

The Chinese has had a late breakthrough in tennis as she made it into the top 100 at the age of 25. In 2021, she won her first WTA 125 title after defeating Kristina Mladenovic in Seoul. With her performance at this year’s Australian Open, she topped her best performance in a Grand Slam. Prior to that, she only had 4 wins in total throughout 14 appearances in the Main Draw of such events. So far in the tournament Zhu defeated Rebecca Marino, Jil Teichmann, and pulled off an upset against Maria Sakkari in the Third Round. I think that the pressure might take its toll on her as she will face off against a much more experienced opponent at such an advanced stage of a Grand Slam. Hence, I will go with the option for “Under” games hoping that Azarenka will once again assert her dominance from the very beginning.

Jack Hartman

Victoria Azarenka rolled back the clock on her way to an impressive victory over tenth seed Madison Keys. The two time former champion knows what it takes to win here and has been in great form through the first three rounds of the tournament. Azarenka has lost just one set and despite now being 33, she clearly showed that her game is still the force it once was. Azarenka has never played Zhu Lin but will start as the undoubted favorite for the clash. 

The seeds in this year’s Australian Open continue to fall and Zhu Lin has now accounted for both the 32nd and 6th seeds. Ranked at 87 in the world, few would have believed that the Chinese player could have advanced this far but she has been in superb form. Her win over 6th Maria Sakkari in the last round was by far the most impressive of her career to date. After sneaking through in a tense first set tie break, Zhu recovered from a trouncing in the second set to impressively serve out the final set 6-4. Zhu will be full of confidence ahead of this matchup against the Belarusian veteran but this might be one match too far.

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