Australian Open day two predictions and tennis betting tips

Free tennis tips, best bets and analysis for day two at the Australian Open, which starts at midnight on Monday UK & Ireland time.

Where to watch

Eurosport 1 & 2 from midnight, Monday

Best bets

Andy Murray to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili
2pts 11-20 Coral, Ladbrokes

Sloane Stephens to beat Emma Raducanu
1pt 11-10 bet365, Betfair, Paddy Power

Maxime Cressy to beat John Isner
1pt 4-5 general

Day two preview

For Andy Murray the Australian Open was the one that got away.

The three-time Grand Slam victor has finished runner-up in the Melbourne Grand Slam five times and although his best chance to lift the trophy may have passed him by, he can progress past Georgian ace Nikoloz Basilashvili in this year's first round.

The players locked horns only last Wednesday in the Sydney International with Murray prevailing 6-7 7-6 6-3 in the round of 16.

Murray did not stop there, though, reaching his first ATP final since winning the European Open in October 2019.

The Scot was defeated by Russian top seed Aslan Karatsev in the Sydney showpiece but his confidence should be high ahead of his rematch with Basilashvili.

The Georgian enjoyed a decent 2021 but has started the new year on the back foot. His defeat to Murray in Sydney followed a disappointing showing in the ATP Cup, in which he was thrashed by Diego Schwartzman and retired when 4-1 down in the first set against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

One of the closest betting heats on day two in Melbourne sees two US Open winners clash as Emma Raducanu faces American Sloane Stephens.

Raducanu has been the talk of British tennis since her 400-1 triumph at Flushing Meadows last year, but the 19-year-old has since had a tough time of it, losing four of her six assignments since landing her maiden Grand Slam.

Her 2022 campaign got off to an inauspicious start as she was blown away 6-0 6-1 by Elena Rybakina in the Sydney International and her preparations and training for the first Grand Slam of the season have been limited.

She is undoubtedly a star in the making but may fall at the first hurdle against unseeded Stephens, who is a former Australian Open semi-finalist.

Maxime Cressy is playing in only his second Australian Open this year but looks a value selection to get the better of experienced compatriot John Isner on day two.

Despite his strength on hard courts, Isner has never progressed beyond the fourth round in Melbourne and he does not look in good shape right now, having lost two of his three matches at the ATP Cup before he was ousted by unseeded Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Adelaide International.

Cressy, meanwhile, advanced all the way to the final of the Melbourne Summer Set earlier this month, defeating second seed Reilly Opelka and veteran third seed Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets along the way.

He lost to Rafael Nadal in the final but still pushed the Spaniard close and also boosted his confidence with victories over Adrian Mannarino and Dusan Lajovic in Sydney last week.

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