The event will begin on the first Sunday for the first time in Australian Open history. That means an extra day of matches starting Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for those viewing from the Eastern time zone.
Please join me as I share my best Women’s Singles predictions for Day 1 of the 2024 Australian Open on Saturday, January 13.
Australian Open Best Bets for Saturday, January 13
It might be Saturday evening in the United States, but the matches on Sunday begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. local time. That’s 7:00 p.m. Eastern, so be sure to get your wagers in before the start of the match.
Kasatkina vs Stearns Over 20.5 games -113 at PointsBet
Russian Daria Kasatkina drew a tough matchup with American Peyton Stearns. The 15th-ranked Russian is the 14 seed here but has a 6-8 lifetime record at Melbourne Park and hasn’t gotten past the Round of 32 even once in eight attempts. Kasatkina is off to a 5-1 start to her season and, at the time of this writing, faces American Jessica Pegula in the semis in Aukland.
Stearns has struggled recently in the win/loss column. She’s dropped five of her past six and is 0-2 to begin the season. The thing about Stearns is the way she fights for every ball and has exceeded 20.5 games in five of her last six matches. Kasatkina has played a lot of tennis and maybe a little flat coming into this matchup. Play the Over 20.5 (-113) at PointsBet Ohio.
Shelby Rogers +260 over Emma Raducanu at Caesars
This is more of a shot in the dark here. I would love to play Over 20.5 games at PointsBet, but it’s difficult to trust Britain’s Emma Raducanu. She’s had a lengthy history of injuries, pulled out of an exhibition match with Japan’s Naomi Osaka, and withdrew from a scheduled tournament in Aukland.
That’s after missing nearly a year recovering from three separate surgeries, with the wrist injury being the most severe.
Saturday marks American Shelby Rogers’ first match since Wimbledon. She didn’t play any tuneup events and has dropped five consecutive matches before her injury at Wimbledon. Rogers has a big serve, and if she can keep the ball on the court, she could pull off an upset over the ailing and struggling Raducanu. Take Rogers (+260) at Caesars Ohio.
Caroline Garcia +100 over Naomi Osaka at DraftKings
Former World No. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka makes her much-anticipated return to Grand Slam tennis nearly 1.5 years after leaving the tour for personal reasons and giving birth to her first child. Once upon a time, Osaka was a force to be reckoned with but lost six of her final eight matches leading up to her departure from the tour.
France’s Caroline Garcia has game. She is 4-2 to start the season with a three-set loss to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and a tough three-set loss to Latvia’s Jelena Ostepenko. She’s a tough, all-court, battle-tested player and has been one of the best and most consistent on tour over the last 18 months. Even money for Garcia to win is a gift. Take Garcia (+100) over Osaka at DraftKings Ohio.
