Australian Open day three predictions and tennis betting tips

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

Where to watch

Eurosport 1 & 2 from midnight, Tuesday

Best bets

Carlos Alcaraz to beat Dusan Lajovic 3-0
1pt Evs Coral, Ladbrokes

Pedro Martinez to beat Cristian Garin
1pt 13-10 bet365

Over 2.5 sets in Belinda Bencic v Amanda Anisimova
1pt 6-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

Day three preview

Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest player in the men's singles draw at the Australian Open but the Spaniard looked like a man on a mission in the first round of the Grand Slam.

The 18-year-old took less than two hours to send unseeded Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo packing in a 6-2 6-2 6-3 victory. Alcaraz struck 40 winners in the match, and he has a definite chance of going deep at Melbourne Park this year.

He reached the quarter-finals of last year's US Open - his best performance in a Grand Slam tournament - and afterwards he spoke highly of his displays on hard courts.

Alcaraz claimed the scalps of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Cameron Norrie at Flushing Meadows and will be eyeing a deep run in Melbourne.

The teenager, who has been likened to Rafael Nadal, won the Next Gen ATP Finals at the end of 2021, dropping only one set in the entire tournament, and he looks a good bet to win his second-round tie with Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.

While Alcaraz had a straightforward opening encounter, Lajovic was pushed to his limits in a five-set marathon by Marton Fucsovics and the Serb could start his next outing on the back foot.

Another Spaniard worth chancing on day three is Pedro Martinez, who is odds-against to beat 16th seed Cristian Garin.

Although probably not in the same class as rising star Alcaraz, Martinez enjoyed a decent 2021 campaign which he started by reaching the third round in Melbourne.

And he made a decent start to this year's Australian Open with a 7-6 3-6 6-4 6-2 triumph over experienced Argentinian Federico Delbonis.

Martinez had looked in good fettle in the Sydney International, beating home talent Alexei Popyrin in straight sets before running into third seed Dan Evans, and he could offer value against Garin.

The Chilean is a danger on his day but dropped two sets against Facundo Bagnis in round one and lost two of his three matches at the ATP Cup.

Four of Belinda Bencic's five career titles have come on hard courts and she could be considered a dark horse in Melbourne but she may face some resistance in her last-64 clash with Amanda Anisimova.

American Anisimova, 20, already has a title to her name in 2022, having won one of this month's two Summer Set events in Melbourne.

She accounted for Daria Kasatkina and Sorana Cirstea on the way to lifting that trophy and should challenge Bencic, who was ousted by Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals of the Sydney International recently. Back the clash to go to a deciding set.

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