Australian Open Quarterfinal Predictions: Ben Shelton vs. Tommy Paul, Aryna Sabalenka vs. Donna Vekic

Australian Open Quarterfinal Predictions: Ben Shelton vs. Tommy Paul, Aryna Sabalenka vs. Donna Vekic

Three American men reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the first time since 2000, but one of them already fell overnight as Sebastian Korda retired with an injury after losing the first two sets to Karen Khachanov. The two remaining Americans face off against each other in another quarterfinal tonight, and Mike Spector previews that as well as one of the most anticipated women’s matches of the day. 

Interested in betting on the Australian Open? We've got you covered! Click here for over $5,000 in free bets for the entire tournament!

Ben Shelton vs. Tommy Paul Prediction

Shelton vs Paul Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: Tuesday, January 24
• Time: 10:30 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN+

Click Here for Shelton vs. Paul odds

Tommy Paul has the sixth-best odds (+3500) of any of the eight men who reached the quarterfinal stage, but he is a worthy favorite over fellow American Ben Shelton, who may be playing this match with a “house money” approach in what has been a whirlwind of a year.

Just last year, Shelton was winning an NCAA championship, but the lefty is still unproven with four career matches against top 50 opponents (2-2 record) and nine against top-100 players (6-3). Conversely, Paul already owns wins against the No. 30 and No. 24 seeded players in this tournament alone, and his elite return-of-serve should neutralize one of Shelton’s biggest weapons. Moreover, Paul has made quick work of his opponents in his six matches in 2023, with the only one going over the projected number of games being the five-set marathon against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Round of 64. In that match, Paul served 18 aces to six for Davidovich Fokina and won an impressive 73% of his first-serve points.

The draw has broken well for Shelton, as he has yet to face a seeded player. Thus, we are not getting too excited about this deep Grand Slam run, as he did not even make it past qualifiers at the Adelaide International and lost in the second round at Auckland leading up to this tournament. We expect Paul to cruise but will instead back the game spread instead of him to win in straight sets.

Ben Shelton vs. Tommy Paul Pick

PICK: Paul -3.5 games (-135) Bet $100 to collect $174 Get the best odds at DraftKings, click here to bet

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Donna Vekic Prediction

Sabalenka vs. Vekic Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: Tuesday, January 24
• Time: 10:30 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN+

Click here for Sabalenka vs. Vekic odds

Aryna Sabalenka fittingly is the favorite to win the Australian Open at this stage (+210), as she started the tournament as the second-biggest favorite behind Iga Swiatek. However, her upcoming match against Vekic could be her trickiest remaining match of the tournament, considering Vekic owns a 5-1 head-to-head advantage, including three-set wins in their last two meetings. 

Sabalenka enters on an eight-match winning streak (all by straight sets) and has covered the game spread in eight of her last nine WTA main draw matches on a hard court. However, even though she will be tough to break (she has won 71% of her service points in this tournament), Vekic’s service point winning percentage is up 5% from last year. In addition, she is the only remaining player who can match Sabalenka’s power from the baseline. Even if this is another Sabalenka straight-set win, Vekic’s success against her in the past suggests that the game spread of -4.5 is too high.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Donna Vekic Pick

PICK: Vekic +4.5 games (+105) Bet $100 to collect $205 Get the best odds at DraftKings, click here to bet

Are you already signed up at DraftKings and FanDuel? Click "CLAIM NOW" on the amazing offer below for a new place to bet on the Australian Open!