Australian Open Men's Semifinal Betting Preview: How to attack Djokovic vs. Zverev and Shelton vs. Sinner

February is a slow month in tennis—if you don't know tennis. For the astute bettor, the second month of the season is loaded with opportunity. There's no Grand Slam or significant combined event on the schedule, but a wide range of tournaments at the 250, 500 and 1000 level offer ample chances to cash in.

Two events on this week's slate generate sizable interest here: the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, a WTA 1000 in Doha, and the ABN AMRO Open, an ATP 500 in Rotterdam.

Past Doha Champions

2019: Elise Mertens
2020: Aryna Sabalenka
2021: Petra Kvitova
2022: Iga Swiatek
2023: Iga Swiatek

Past Rotterdam Champions

2019: Gael Monfils
2020: Gael Monfils
2021: Andrey Rublev
2022: Felix Auger-Aliassime
2023: Daniil Medvedev

Advertising

Jannik Sinner is back in action for the first time since winning the Australian Open.

Betting Favorites

Doha

Iga Swiatek +250
Coco Gauff +450
Elena Rybakina +550
Qinwin Zheng +1600
Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova +1800

*CLICK HERE* for the rest of the odds at BetMGM!

Rotterdam

Jannik Sinner +125
Andrey Rublev +650
Hubert Hurkacz +900
Grigor Dimitrov +1000
Holger Rune, Alex de Minaur +1200

*CLICK HERE* for the rest of the odds at BetMGM!

Court Conditions & Tournament Details

Hard courts at both events, with the women are outside and the men indoors. The Dunlop Australian Open ball will be used in Doha, which features a 56-player singles draw. Rotterdam's singles draw is only 32, with the lowest-ranked main-draw entrant 67th-ranked Fabian Marozsan.

Iga Swiatek will look to turn the page in Doha after an earlier-than-expected Aussie Open exit.

Advertising

Women to Watch in Doha

Iga Swiatek (+250): The two-time defending champion has won 18 of her last 19 matches—seven of which came against opponents in the Top 10—and she's plus-money to take home the title? You may want to grab this while you can. Elena Rybakina, the No. 3 seed, is on the other half of the draw, and the top seeds in Swiatek's side are an inconsistent bunch: No. 4 Ons Jabeur, No. 7 Maria Sakkari and No. 8 Jelena Ostapenko.

Caroline Garcia (+4000): The next two picks are longshots based on a scenario that Swiatek doesn't come through. But as you'll see, they're both extremely talented players. Garcia faces what may be another popular dark horse in Naomi Osaka (+3300). But while the Frenchwoman has really struggled to start the season, Osaka's form just isn't there. Let's see what Garcia can do with some confidence under her belt at this price.

Victoria Azarenka (+4000): Speaking of added value, Vika at 40:1 feels too good to pass up. She could face Swiatek in the quarterfinals, but if she were to win, she might become the favorite to win it all. She's coming off a semifinal in Brisbane and a fourth-round showing in Melbourne, so she's clearly hitting the ball well.

Dino Prizmic turned some heads Down Under and gets another main-draw opportunity in Rotterdam.

Men To Watch in Rotterdam

Andrey Rublev (+650): Given what I wrote about Swiatek in Doha, you may be wondering why Jannik Sinner isn't listed here, at plus-money (+125). I just need a better price for someone who, as amazing as he looked in Australia, has always felt like a possible withdrawal in Rotterdam. So I'll bank on a letdown and go with Rublev as my best bet. It's nice value for the second betting favorite—a player who has won Rotterdam before, along with five other indoor tournaments. Not counting the unlucky qualifier he'll get to face in the first round, Rublev needs to win just four matches to take home the trophy and cash this bet.

Holger Rune (+1200): Odds are that Rublev or Rune is coming out of the bottom half of this draw, and for all of the coaching upheaval that the young Dane is experiencing, he's an immensely talented player who feels incorrectly slotted as the fifth betting favorite.

Dino Prizmic (+6600): If you're looking for a real longshot play this week, consider sprinkling a few coins on Prizmic, who took a set off Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. "Tennis has a handful of players who we know by their first names alone," wrote Steve Tignor last month. "After the opening day of the 2024 Australian Open, the consensus among the sport’s cognoscenti seems to be that Dino Prizmic, an 18-year-old newcomer from Croatia, is destined to join them." If that isn't a vote of confidence...

Advertising

Baseline