The second round of the Australian Open continues on Thursday in both the men’s and women’s draw and we’ve picked out a four-fold acca worth 26/1.
The biggest shock of the competition landed on Wednesday when defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal suffered a straight sets loss to Mackenzie McDonald after struggling with injury.
World number three Casper Ruud features on Thursday, while Briton Dan Evans is also in action.
In the women’s draw, we focus on 2019 semi-finalist Karolina Pliskova and 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, as they face Yulia Putintseva and Caroline Garcia respectively.
Australian Open Thursday Tips
- Casper Ruud to beat Jenson Brooksby 3-1 @ 11/4
- Dan Evans to beat Jeremy Chardy @ 1/7
- Karolina Pliskova to beat Julia Putintseva 2-0 @ 6/5
- Leylah Fernandez to beat Caroline Garcia @ 15/8
Casper Ruud to beat Jenson Brooksby 3-1 @ 11/4
Casper Ruud enjoyed his breakthrough in 2022, reaching the finals of both the French Open and the US Open.
The 24-year-old, who is ranked number three in the world, will undoubtedly be keen to kick on this year and he shouldn’t encounter too many problems in trying to seal a spot in round three.
Ruud beat Czech Tomas Machac in the opening round and he now faces Jenson Brooksby, who defeated Christopher O’Connell in his first outing in Melbourne.
The Norwegian beat Brooksby when they met on clay in Rome last year, easing to a straight sets victory, however, the American tends to prefer the hardcourts and should be good to claim a set in defeat here.
Dan Evans to beat Jeremy Chardy @ 1/7
Dan Evans is back on court on Thursday after seeing off Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis 3-1 and his reward is a meeting with Jeremy Chardy, who overcame Daniel Elahi Galan.
Evans has won his last three encounters with the Frenchman, including a victory at the Murray River Open in Melbourne last year.
Chardy didn’t feature in 2022, revealing he’d suffered an adverse reaction to a Covid-19 vaccination, and it may take him some time to get back up to speed.
His first-round win over Galan may partly be down to the fact that the Colombian was struggling with injury and Evans should provide a much greater barrier.
Karolina Pliskova to beat Julia Putintseva 2-0 @ 6/5
Karolina Pliskova, who reached the last four of the Australian Open in 2019, missed last season’s edition but could prove to be a contender in Melbourne this time around.
The former world number one eased to a straight sets 6-1 6-3 victory over Xiyu Wang in the opening round.
Next up is Julia Putintseva, who beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 2-1, but history suggests she’ll struggle against Pliskova.
The Czech has won all five previous meetings, with three of those wins, including the most recent on a hardcourt in Cincinnati, coming in straight sets.
Leylah Fernandez to beat Caroline Garcia @ 15/8
Leylah Fernandez is making her first appearance in the second round of the Australian Open, having fallen at the hurdle on her three previous involvements.
But the Canadian has shown at other Grand Slam events, most notably by reaching the final of the US Open in 2021, that she is capable of finding a route through.
She beat the likes of Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka during that run in the States, while she saw off Elize Cornet in round one of this competition, and won’t hold any fear when lining up against Caroline Garcia on Thursday.
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