Australian Open, Aussies To Watch
Australian Open - Men's
January 16-29
Best chance: Nick Kyrgios
The people’s champ – or villain – irrespective of what side of the fence you sit on with Nick Kyrgios, there’s no denying he’s Australia’s best chance of winning the nation’s first men’s title since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
Currently ranked 21st in the world, Kyrgios’ ranking skyrocketed again in 2022 after sitting as low as 137th following his second-round Australian Open loss to Daniil Medvedev.
His career resurgence resulted in two strong performances at the grand slam level, making the quarters at the US Open less than two months after contesting the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic.
Despite going down to Djokovic in four sets, Kyrgios became the first Australian man in 17 years to challenge for a grand slam singles title. More than that, he showed the public he was back to his best. His serving was on song, and his forehand was a powerful weapon.
With the villain tag fast becoming a thing of the past and the Australian public behind him, expect Kyrgios to give this year’s title a genuine shake.
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Nick Kyrgios to win at $15
Australian Open - Women's
January 16-29
Next Best: Ajla Tomljanovic
No Ash Barty, no chance? Not exactly.
While Australians will sorely miss watching the reigning champion and sweetheart of the court this year, Ajla Tomljanovic will do her utmost to fill the void.
Ranked 35th in the world, Tomljanovic enters as Australia’s #1 women’s hope after a career year in 2022 where she reached the Wimbledon and US Open quarterfinals. She became the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1979 to do so.
Unfortunately, a recent knee injury forced her to withdraw from the United Cup and robbed her of a top-32 seeding. The seeding would’ve ensured she didn’t run into a higher-ranked opponent until the third round.
While winning the tournament might seem a stretch too far, Tomljanovic certainly has the opportunity to make her mark and go deep in a post-Barty era.
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Ajla Tomljanovic to win at $51
Australian Open - Outsider
January 16-29
Crowd favourite: Alex de Minaur
The 23-year-old ‘Demon’ gets the Australian crowd going for all the right reasons each time he steps out onto the court.
His courageous, never-say-die attitude epitomises what Aussies expect from their elite athletes, and it has helped the Demon to 24th in the world.
He won his sixth career ATP singles title in 2022 with a dominant win over Jenson Brooksby in the Atlanta Open, but it was his recent form on home soil that showcased his well-known fighting spirit.
De Minaur came from a set down against Rafael Nadal in last week’s United Cup, defeating the reigning Australian Open champion 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. In many ways, it was the biggest win of his career and couldn’t have come at a better time.
With performances like that in the lead-up to the feature event, expect the Demon to have the backing of a raucous Australian crowd behind him.
