The best tennis bets and tips for day 2

Tennis tips today for day 2 of the Australian Open 2025:

After a very short off-season, the 2025 Australian Open is just around the corner. The best ATP and WTA players in the world are in Melbourne for the first major of the season and I’m looking forward to handing out my daily best tennis bets during the event. Read on to find out my favorite picks for Day 2 of the promotion, which will be played on Sunday, January 12th and Monday, January 13th for those of us in the United States.

I would also strongly recommend that you come back to this story before the games begin – or check the tips page regularly. I try to write down as many games as possible in advance, but in an international sport that’s difficult. Occasionally I see some interesting line movements and add them to my map a few hours before games start. That said, I’ll be adding tips to the selection page throughout the day, but also posting them at the end of these articles after I’ve done that. Gill Alexander, who does a great job in handicap tennis A numbers game (MF from 10:00 a.m. ET to 12:00 p.m. ET), also posts his tennis tips on the tips page!

MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page to see everything our experts are betting on!

2025 record: 36-26 (+6.27 units)

Sofia Kenin vs. Coco Gauff

For me this is nothing more than a tiny dart throw, so I wouldn’t recommend risking the usual amount on this game. But we saw some good performances from 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin in Auckland and Hobart. Kenin defeated Xiyu Wang in the round of 32 at the ASB Classic and then lost 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) to the highly talented Clara Tauson. Then Kenin won in Hobart over Lulu Sun and Anna Blinkova. Kenin has been a very disappointing player in recent years, but she is incredibly dangerous when she hits the ball cleanly – which is really just a matter of whether she sticks with her footwork or not.

Of course, Gauff is the hottest player in the world right now, having won the WTA final in 2024 and opened 2025 with a United Cup win. Gauff is hitting the forehand better than ever, and that shot was an anchor that kept her from crashing into the top tier of the WTA Tour. If she comes out and hits the shot with confidence, she will have no trouble beating Kenin. However, I have a feeling we’ll see at least one competitive set here. Since this is a battle between two American players, Kenin will feel like she should win this game. Tennis players are generally not afraid of their compatriots. And if Kenin hits the ball on Gauff’s forehand side, she may be able to make some mistakes there.

I should note that I consider Gauff a legitimate contender to win this tournament, and I’ve had nothing but compliments on her over the past few weeks. Last year I was very critical of her inability to hit the forehand and fix her double fault problems. But I’m very impressed with how hard she’s working to overcome these issues. I just think there’s a chance Kenin can make things a little uncomfortable at Rod Laver Arena. So with almost 3:1 odds, I trust my instincts. You only have to go back to October to see a tournament where Kenin defeated Xinyu Wang, Clara Tauson, Daria Kasatkina and Katie Boulter. And she had a chance against Qinwen Zheng in the final. There’s still a high-ranking player in there somewhere.

Bet: Kenin +1.5 sets (+275 – 0.25 units)

Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Jakub Mensik

This will be a very interesting game. Mensik is only 19 years old, but he is already number 49 in the world. Many see Mensik as a future top 10 player, and he is coming off a season in which he posted a 26-20 record at the ATP level. Mensik has good size, the ability to go big with his serve, and plenty of power from the baseline. He can directly bully the people from back there. However, Mensik managed a pretty brutal draw in Basilashvili. Although the Georgian had to go through qualifying to get into the main round, he is much more than just a qualification-level talent. He’s a former world No. 16 who almost won Indian Wells in 2021, and it’s not like he’s high up in age. At 32 years old, he can easily have success again at the ATP level. Basilashvili just needs a little more luck with injuries.

As far as the matchup goes, Basilashvili has the ability to match Mensik’s baseline strength. He can hit cover away from the ball, especially from the forehand side. And it is this forehand that gives me a very good feeling when it comes to a game that takes longer than three sets to decide. Basilashvili should be able to control the points from this side of the pitch. He just needs some consistency when he has to serve. As much power as Basilashvili could generate with his forehand, the strength of his right arm never translated into above-average serving. That’s ultimately what keeps me from picking him to upset Mensik. But I trust Basilashvili can put together a set or two where he rises to the occasion and hits his marks with the ball on his racket. He served comfortably in qualifying. And if he doesn’t give Mensik any easy breaks, the game may be longer than people think.

Bet: Over 3.5 sets (-130)

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Ashlyn Krueger

We haven’t seen Tomljanovic at his best in a long time, but I like her chances of winning a set against Krueger. These two just played each other in Adelaide, where Krueger won 7-6, 6-4 in qualifying. Sure, a win in straight sets doesn’t seem that close, but Tomljanovic was 5-2 up in the first set and didn’t let it be taken away. She was supposed to be promoted there, but she got into trouble at important moments. However, Tomljanovic suffered a minor knee injury before the competition. Here it should be a little closer to 100%. Plus, I’d be pretty surprised if it wasn’t Krueger who gets tight in big moments here.

This game will be played at Margaret Court Arena, where Australian fans will be thronging to try and see Tomjlanovic through. This might be a little difficult for Krueger. She is only 20 years old and this will be only her fourth main round match at a major outside the United States. If Tomljanovic catches Krueger going through it mentally, she will change her strategy a bit and force Krueger to beat himself. While Tomjlanovic likes to play an aggressive style of tennis, she’s been around long enough to know how to adapt. Speaking of adjustments, I trust a veteran like Tomljanovic can learn from the Adelaide game better than a young player like Krueger.

Bet: Tomljanovic +1.5 sets (-128)

Dominic Stricker vs. James Duckworth

Stricker’s ranking has absolutely fallen, which is why Duckworth is a slim favorite to win this match – and that being Australian doesn’t hurt. However, it’s a little hard to imagine Duckworth doing anything here to make Stricker uncomfortable. Last year, Duckworth achieved a record of 9:15 at the ATP level. Including the two ATP-level matches he has played this year, Duckworth is now 18:37 since the start of the 2022 season. Even though Duckworth has more experience as a knitter, this isn’t exactly an intimidating matchup for the southpaw. In fact, Stricker has more ATP-level victories than Duckworth over the last four years, and in far fewer matches.

Over the years, Stricker’s serve has been more of a weapon than Duckworth’s. And while Duckworth has slightly higher break percentages, Stricker should be able to put some pressure on his serve. And when it comes to baseline play, Stricker has the potential to push him around. Duckworth likes to think of himself as an aggressive player, but he’s not exactly dangerous in any way. is a knitter. The Swiss player may have problems with consistency, but he is a ball hitter. If he gets hot, he has the potential to run Duckworth off the field. So even though none of these guys can put up compelling numbers for this game, it’s hard to discount Stricker as plus mod odds. We’ve seen the left-hander play his best tennis on the biggest stages. This is a guy who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2023 US Open.

Bet: Stricker ML (+120)

Jacob Fearnley vs Nick Kyrgios

It’s hard to defend some of Kyrgios’ off-field antics. He’s annoying and borders on evil. He’s a lot of fun to watch though, so I’m excited to see him in action again. But Kyrgios has not won an ATP match since October 6, 2022. However, he’s not exactly the guy who made it to the Wimbledon final three years ago.

In a three-set loss to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard two weeks ago, Kyrgios showed that his serve and overall baseline strength have not wavered. He had a real chance to win this match. However, competing against the Frenchman isn’t exactly real tennis. These are very, very quick points and Kyrgios’ agility and endurance were not tested. Well, Fearnley is a player who can play great counter-attacking tennis, so he will be looking to find out what Kyrgios has in his pocket. And I tend to believe that the Brit will outlive him here.

Fearnley isn’t a household name, but he was 30-4 at the Challenger level last year. He also won three hard court titles at this level. Additionally, Fearnley put in some impressive performances at the ATP level – including a four-set loss to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. He really knows how to win games and he won’t be afraid of the moment.

I’m also very concerned about two minor injuries that Kyrgios has struggled with over the last two weeks. He had to withdraw from a friendly match due to an abdominal injury and also said his surgically repaired wrist was a little sore. Will he even be able to finish this match?

Bet: Fearnley ML (+112 – 1.5 units)

Pieces added

I can’t guarantee that there will be more tips here, but there’s always a chance I’ll add something. For big tournaments like the Aussie Open, I would recommend checking the Pro Picks page every few hours. I’ll add my additional pieces there and then merge them into this story.

Tennis links

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Tennis odds

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