Australian Open day seven predictions & tennis tips: Tsitsipas to take control

Free tennis tips, best bets and analysis for day seven of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

Where to watch

Live on Eurosport, midnight Saturday.

Best bets

Stefanos Tsitsipas -1.5 sets on handicap v Jannik Sinner
1pt 17-20 Coral, Ladbrokes

Felix Auger-Aliassime to beat Jiri Lehecka & both players to win a set
1pt 5-4 bet365

Jessica Pegula -2.5 games on handicap v Barbora Krejcikova
1pt 7-10 Coral, Ladbrokes

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Day seven preview

The early exits of last year’s finalists Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev has opened up the top half of the draw and all eight men involved in today’s fourth-round encounters will rightly fancy their final prospects.

However, some have stronger claims than others and bookmakers believe Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who clashes with Italian ace Jannik Sinner, is the most likely to reach the final.

Medvedev’s third-round conqueror Sebastian Korda may have something to say about that and he faces Hubert Hurkacz, as will improving Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime who squares-up against Jiri Lehecka.

There are also some tasty tussles taking place in the women’s draw with Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Cori Gauff among those hoping to showcase their Melbourne title credentials.

Stefanos Tsitsipas v Jannik Sinner

Tsitsipas soared past Sinner 6-3 6-4 6-2 in the quarter-final of last season’s Australian Open and the Greek world number four can make light work of his Italian opponent again.

Tsitsipas has been as impressive as anyone at the first Grand Slam of the campaign, recording convincing 3-0 wins over Quentin Halys, Rinky Hijikata and Tallon Griekspoor.

If anything, the Athens ace is in better shape this year than last as he has now won his last ten matches, having also triumphed in all three of his singles encounters at the United Cup.

Sinner is his toughest test to date but the 15th seed had to battle back from two sets down to see off Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the previous round.

And another slow start could be costly for the chances of the 21-year-old Italian, who has lost four of his five encounters with Tsitsipas in straight sets.

Given how well Tsitsipas is performing at present, punters can profit by taking him to oblige by at least two sets.

Jiri Lehecka v Felix Auger-Aliassime

Classy Canadian Auger-Aliassime improved as the campaign progressed last season, taking four ATP Tour titles to suggest there could be even more to come in 2023.

And while the Montreal man ought to advance to the Australian Open quarter-final for a second year in a row, Czech youngster Lehecka has shown he has the game to at least delay the outcome.

Lehecka held his nerve well to see off British number one Cameron Norrie in a thrilling five-setter on Friday morning, having also upset the odds against Borna Coric in round one.

Auger-Aliassime has endured more than a few stressful moments in Melbourne, dropping sets in all three of his wins over fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil, Slovakia’s Alex Molcan and Argentinian seed Francisco Cerundolo.

With that in mind, take the sixth seed to advance but with Lehecka getting a set on the board.

Jessica Pegula v Barbora Krejcikova

Swiatek and Gauff are expected to readily outclass their fourth-round opponents and while Pegula has a stiffer assignment on paper against Barbora Krejcikova, it is a test that the third seed should pass with flying colours.

The American has won all seven of her matches this year in straight sets, which includes against Swiatek in the United Cup and all three of her Australian Open encounters.

Pegula took just 66 minutes to blitz past highly-rated Ukrainian youngster Marta Kostyuk last time out, winning 6-0 6-2, and she can win comfortably enough against Krejcikova too.

The Czech challenger was a quarter-finalist here last year and is a quality operator, but Pegula looks fully focused on the task ahead and can give up a 2.5-game start.

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