Australian Open: Djokovic eyes perfect 10 in Tsitsipas final
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Australian Open final tips: Djokovic bids for perfect 10
Novak Djokovic is bidding for a 10th Australian Open title when he faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final.
The 35-year-old Serb is the 1/5 favourite to win a record-equalling 22nd grand slam after brushing aside Tommy Paul in the semi-finals.
The women’s championship match gave us 11/8 winners on a three-set encounter and a victory for Aryna Sabalenka against Elena Rybakina by that method at 16/5, so hopefully we’ll have more success with our two Australian Open final tips from the men’s contest.
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Novak Djokovic
Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite to make it double-digit successes in Melbourne and reclaim his place as the world’s number one player.
The head to head between the players suggests that is a likely outcome, with Djokovic leading 10-2 and he has won all nine encounters since the Paris Masters in 2019.
The fourth seed has dropped just one set over the course of the fortnight and that came in his second-round match against French qualifier Enzo Couacaud when he was struggling with the recurrence of a hamstring injury which he continues to manage.
Imperious.@DjokerNole's perfect record in Melbourne Park semifinals continued on Friday as he booked a 10th tilt at #AusOpen glory.#AO2023
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2023
The 35-year-old set a new record of 27 straight match wins here and now faces a rematch of the 2021 French Open final, when he came back from two sets down to defeat Tsitsipas.
He said: “I respect him (Tsitsipas) a lot, he has improved a lot over the years. I actually think he’s one of the most interesting guys on tour with his interests off court, his hairstyle. But it’s all business on Sunday. Let the best player win.”
Victory for Tsitsipas would see the Greek overtake Carlos Alcaraz as the world’s top-ranked player, but he will need to be on top of his game if he is to cause an upset at 17/5.
The third seed overcame a third-set wobble to defeat Karen Khachanov and reach his first Australian Open final.
"I'm super blessed and grateful…"@DjokerNole paid tribute to the team behind his phenomenal success on the eve of another Grand Slam final. #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/lBy5XZh8pK
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2023
Tsitsipas has been a man on a mission all fortnight, troubled only by Jannik Sinner in the fourth round until now, and he looked set to cruise into the final as he stepped up to serve for a straight-sets victory.
But Russian Khachanov clung on, breaking Tsitsipas and then saving two match points in the third-set tie-break before the Greek eventually clinched a 7-6 (1) 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-3 victory.
Djokovic has looked pretty much invincible Down Under and a 3-1 win at 13/5 is the first of our Australian Open final tips.
Two of Djokovic’s last four matches have involved at least 12 games in the opening set and with Tsitsipas playing so well, that market at 2/1 also looks an interesting option.
Elena Rybakina v Aryna Sabalenka
The women’s final is expected to be a much closer affair, with Sabalenka slight favourite at 3/4 to beat Wimbledon champion Rybakina for a first grand slam title.
Sabalenka had fallen three times in grand slam semi-finals over the last two seasons but gave only a brief clenched fist after finally making it over the hurdle in her clash with surprise package Magda Linette.
The first game did not appear to bode well as Sabalenka made three unforced errors to drop serve but she quickly recovered the deficit and from there began to play really well, finishing the set with a flawless tie-break before sealing a 7-6 6-2 victory.
“There is still one more match to go,” said the Belarusian, who is yet to drop a set in 10 matches in 2023. “It’s good that I kind of broke through in the semi-finals, but there is one more match to go. I just want to stay focused.”
Rybakina also needed a first-set tie-break to get past two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in a 7-6 6-3 victory.
The Russian-born Kazakh’s huge serve has been her biggest weapon but she has also been formidable off the ground in conditions that suit flat hitters.
Elena Rybakina will make her Top 10 debut after the #AusOpen. She can rise to as high a No.8 if she wins the title on Saturday.
By advancing to her 1st major final, Aryna Sabalenka will return to World No.2.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 26, 2023
Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov said: “I think experience is a big factor. Once you go through the roller-coaster ride once, you know what to expect, more or less, emotionally. For the team and for the player, definitely.
“I think we had a really, really good pre-season. I think she’s improved a lot physically, tactically, tennis-wise, and something that maybe we didn’t do as well before winning Wimbledon, so that was more of a surprise than this.”
However, Rybakina has lost all three matches against Sabalenka – all of which went the distance.
Sabalenka may be appearing in her first grand slam final, but she has looked composed in Melbourne and has not shown any sign of the yips which caused her to commit an incredible 480 double faults last season.
For the next of our Australian Open final tips, a three-set encounter makes the cut at 11/8 which Sabalenka is expected to take 2-1 at 16/5, while a first-set tie-break also catches the eye at 19/5.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
