After a couple weeks of thrilling tennis, we've reached the Australian Open semifinal, and the men's side features a quartet of Top-10 competitors, each having reached this stage in a major before.
The second semifinal is a rematch of last year, as World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev looks to make the Aussie Open final for the second consecutive year, while No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas looks to avenge 2021's defeat.
Covers Experts’ resident tennis handicapper Tennis Insiders breaks down the semifinalists and matchup with our Australian Open semifinal picks.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Daniil Medvedev odds
| (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas | (2) Daniil Medvedev | |
|---|---|---|
| +200 | Moneyline | -250 |
| +3.5 (-110) | Match Handicap (Games) | -3.5 (-125) |
| 2.5 (+110 Over/-120 Under) | Total Breaks of Serve | 3.5 (-120 Over/-120 Under) |
Odds courtesy of bet365 as of January 27, 2022.
Australian Open men's semifinal betting preview
Stefanos Tsitsipas betting breakdown
Tsitsipas had minor elbow surgery at the end of 2021 and much of the speculation suggested this tournament would come too soon, however, he’s reached his third Australian Open semi-final in four years.
His quarter-final performance against Jannik Sinner was a stunning display of attacking tennis, he faced zero break points and dominated the short points.
Daniil Medvedev betting breakdown
Daniil Medvedev came back from the brink against Felix Auger Aliassime, down two sets to love, he saved a match point in the fourth set before prevailing.
The Russian has battled the fans and the unorthodox styles of Nick Kyrgios & Maxime Cressy so far in this tournament — despite his complaints, he continues to display a champion’s mentality.
Australian Open men's semifinal matchup preview
The rivalry between these two players has been surface-dictated. Medvedev has the edge on hard courts while Tsitsipas enjoys a similar-sized edge on clay.
Scheduling will play a part, as Medvedev was struggling to hit through a very slow nighttime court, while Tsitsipas’s newfound aggression on the serve +1 could pay dividends against Medvedev’s deep return position.
Tsitsipas’ biggest problem in this matchup is the backhand, his return of serve is weaker than Medvedev’s and he still hasn’t developed an effective enough block return.
He’s making slow improvements in the footwork required to hit backhand slices, but the shot is still some way off being effective enough to disrupt Medvedev’s rhythm from the baseline.
Australian Open men's semifinal pick
- Medvedev/Tsitsipas Over 5.5 Breaks of Serve (-120 at bet365)
