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The tennis season is back, and though we're only a few weeks in, the players are going to have to be in top form already, as one of the sport's biggest tournaments is set to kick off.
It may cold across much of North America in the dead of winter, but down under, it's sunny and hot in Australia, and the action in Melbourne should bring the heat as well.
For the first day of action, let's check in on the matches between Matteo Arnaldi and Adam Walton, as well as Jason Kubler and Daniel Galan.
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Australian Open Picks and Predictions
Matteo Arnaldi (-500) vs Adam Walton (+333)
7 p.m. ET
Taking the court as part of the many matches that will kick off the main draw, we have one of the more talented youngsters in the men's game in Arnaldi.
His ascent has been a fun one to watch, and considering his game, it's not a rise that strikes me as particularly fluky.
He can dictate points beautifully with his forehand, has enough pop on his serve to generate cheap points, his court coverage and ability to hit with a more open stance is pretty strong for someone his age and he can hit his crosscourt backhand with decent width to help wrestle control of points away from his opponents.
Walton, on the other hand, is into the main draw with a wild card and hasn't really shown signs of promise on the main circuit. Sure, he had a lot of success in the summer on the Challenger Tour, but a lot of that came in some weaker North American fields, when his somewhat underpowered game was enough to rack up the victories.
It should take someone with far more weaponry and talent to push Arnaldi here. With Walton likely to face plenty of pressure in his service games and Arnaldi's athletic ability and decent return game, I'm not sure this spread is high enough. Not only is a lopsided set more likely to occur in this match than most, but I'd consider Walton fortunate to snag a set.
Pick: Arnaldi -5.5 games (-140 via BetMGM)
Jason Kubler (-135) vs Daniel Elahi Galan (+110)
1 a.m. ET
I may have opposed one Aussie in the opening round on home soil, but I won't be doing that in this one.
Call me a square, but I'm going to take the favorite in this matchup as well, with Kubler the superior player on quick hard courts by a fair margin relative to Galan.
The Colombian may possess a decent first serve and forehand combination, but he's never really shown that he's comfortable with the timing on hard courts in general, much like the courts at Melbourne Park that tend to play more quickly than most.
There were rumblings about Kubler's fitness entering the season, but his warmup tournament saw him go toe-to-toe with the big hitting Aslan Karatsev and split a tight first two sets before the Russian retired, before being swept away by the returning Rafael Nadal (a loss that shouldn't come as a surprise, considering it takes elite weapons to trouble one of the greatest to ever play).
With those fears concerns mostly alleviated, I don't think this spread can really be as low as -2.5 to -3 games.
Pick: Kubler -2.5 (-120 via bet365)
