Australian Open 2026 prediction, outright winner tips and odds

The first Grand Slam of the year gets underway on Saturday night in Melbourne with Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys looking to retain the titles they won 12 months ago.

Sinner is the clear favourite on betting sites in the men’s draw to win the title for the third year in a row but in the women’s draw, that honour goes to the world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

The Belarusian was bidding for a third straight title down under, only to be beaten in three sets by Keys in the final, and most tennis betting sites expect her to go close again this time around, pricing her at 2/1 to win a fifth Grand Slam title.

She could play Britain’s very own Grand Slam winner, Emma Raducanu, in the third round if the 23-year-old can overcome Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew in her opening match, and either Anastasia Potopova or Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands in the second round.

This is by far the hardest Grand Slam to predict, with so many players coming into the year relatively short of match practice. Not that they have a very long off-season, but we can certainly expect some slow starters next week.

The likes of Stan Wawrinka and Hubert Hurkacz have a better chance to hit the ground running after their recent run at the United Cup, while Sabalenka was victorious in Brisbane, but we have yet to see Sinner or world number one Carlos Alcaraz in action in 2026.

Alcaraz might only be 22 but he has already won three of the four Grand Slam events with the Australian Open the only one to evade him so far.

Last year, he was knocked out at the quarter-final stage by 10-time winner Novak Djokovic, and the previous year, he was beaten at the same stage by Alexander Zverev.

He goes into this year’s tournament as the number one seed and reigning French and US Open champion, while Sinner won the other two slams in 2025.

The two are on course to meet in the final in Melbourne and the bookmakers are confident it will be another showdown between the world’s top two with Sinner 2/5 to reach the final, while Alcaraz is a best price of 5/9 on betting apps.

If the Spaniard can hit the ground running and get off to a good start in his first-round match against Australia's Adam Walton, then that could set him on his way.

He won’t meet Djokovic this time around, with the Serb in the same half as Sinner, but he is in line to take on Zverev again.

Australian Open 2026 prediction 1: Alcaraz to win - 7/4 Ladbrokes

The third quarter of the draw in Melbourne is an interesting one and possibly provides the biggest opportunity for someone.

Djokovic has almost become part of the furniture at the Australian Open, and this will be his 21st appearance. After reaching the last four in his last six appearances, it’s hard not to think of him as a serious contender, although his Australian Open odds of 14/1 would suggest otherwise.

He is 38 now and pulled out of the Adelaide Open, admitting he was not ready to compete and cut short a practice session in Melbourne due to a neck problem on Wednesday, so he is going into his first-round match against Spaniard Pedro Martinez somewhat cold.

He can’t face Sinner until the semi-finals, which is the stage he lost at each of last year's four majors, but he will need to be physically fit, considering he could face Hurkacz in the third round.

Those fitness concerns could be a blessing for ninth seed Taylor Fritz, who reached the quarter-finals in 2024.

The American was beaten by Djokovic then, and he went out at the third-round stage last year, beaten by the veteran Gael Monfils.

On his day, there aren’t too many who can compete with his serve, as he proved on his way to the semi-finals of Wimbledon and quarter-finals at the US Open last year before losing to Sinner and Djokovic.

He faces France’s Valentin Royer in the first round, and he looks a lively contender to win the third quarter.

Australian Open 2026 prediction 2: Fritz to win third quarter - 6/1 Betfred

She might have been beaten in the battle of the sexes match by Nick Kyrgios, but in the women’s draw, no one is getting close to Sabalenka.

We’re only two weeks into the season and she’s already picked up her first title, retaining her crown in Brisbane.

She beat the 16th seed Marta Kostyuk in the final after already disposing of world number nine and reigning Australian Open champion Keys in the quarter finals.

Sabalenka has reached the Aussie Open final for the last three years and it’s hard to see who can stop her this time around.

Australian Open 2026 prediction 3: Sabalenka to win - 2/1 SpreadEx

Mirra Andreeva is still only 18, and she’s already played in eleven Grand Slams and reached the last eight twice in 2025, at Wimbledon and the US Open.

She is currently ranked eighth in the world and has already shown some good form at last week’s Brisbane International.

She was knocked out of the tournament by Sabalenka last year in the fourth round and has a tough opening match.

The Russian will face Donna Vekic, who reached the quarter-finals here in 2023 and the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2024, but if she can come through that one, then her confidence will be sky high.

She’s 2/13 on gambling sites to win her first-round match and then 20/1 on her winning her first Grand Slam.

Australian Open 2026 prediction 4: Andreeva to reach the final - 11/1 Betfred

The first Grand Slam of the year is nearly here and to celebrate, BetVictor are running a special offer, giving new customers £40 in free bets for the event.

Head to BetVictor, open an account and then opt-in to the Australian Open welcome offer. Once you’ve completed those steps, make an initial deposit of at least £10 and then wager £10 or more on any tennis market at odds of evens (2.00) or greater within seven days of registration.

Once your qualifying bet has been settled, BetVictor will credit users with 4 x £10 free bet tokens split into the following denominations:

Free bets expire seven days after being credited and must be used on selections with minimum odds of evens.

When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive, and it’s important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help them stay in control.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.