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The women's quarterfinals wrap up on Tuesday night at the Australian Open, as the business end of the year's first Grand Slam is upon us.
Let's take a look at the two women's matches taking place from Melbourne Park, featuring Karolina Pliskova vs. Magda Linette and Aryna Sabalenka vs. Donna Vekic.
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Australian Open Odds, Best Bets
Karolina Pliskova (-164) vs. Magda Linette (+135)
7 p.m. ET
After what felt like years as a mainstay in the top 10 of the WTA rankings, it was quite the shock to see Karolina Pliskova tumble out of the top 30 prior to the Australian Open this year.
If not for a pair of late-season runs to the semifinals in Toronto and quarterfinal round at the U.S. Open, it would have been an even more precipitous drop.
Luckily for the 30-year old, she's once again saved her best for the biggest events, as she's reached the quarters without dropping a set.
It must be said, she hasn't had the most difficult of paths, but it isn't as though the big server has an insurmountable task ahead of her this round, either.
Magda Linette is playing the second week of a major for the first time at 30-years old and has been the revelation of this year's event.
After upsetting Caroline Garcia in a tight two sets, the Pole will look to continue her dream run in this one.
Her combination of counterpunching and ability to make the most unlikely of shots has made her so dangerous, as she's able to turn points on their head from the toughest of positions.
That's why it has taken the likes of Madison Keys to beat her so far in 2023. If you're going to beat Linette, you're going to want to have the ability to find a lot of cheap points behind a big first serve.
That, along with Grand Slam pedigree, is exactly what Pliskova brings to the table. I'm okay with laying the games here for that reason.
Pick: Pliskova -2.5 games (-115 via PointsBet)
Aryna Sabalenka (-380) vs. Donna Vekic (+290)
9 p.m. ET
Don't look now, but it seems as though Aryna Sabalenka is finally putting it all together at a Grand Slam. There are still three wins left to go for the Belarusian, but there's a reason why the books have her as the new favorite to claim the crown.
With her double fault rate finally moving in the right direction this season (though they have crept back into her game the last few matches), Sabalenka has finally looked the part of a Grand Slam frontrunner.
The talent was never in question, as her perennial status among the top five or top 10 in the rankings has shown.
It was always a matter of taming the constant bouts of erratic play and limiting how many points she gave away.
Now that she's managed to do that, it's hard to see who is going to stop Sabalenka down under. So far this season, no one has managed to take a set off her, let alone defeat her outright.
On the other side of the net, Donna Vekic has bounced back in a big way since returning from injury. It took her a while to get back up to speed, but since late September she's lost just three matches. All of those have come against top 15 players.
The big issue for the Croatian in this one? She's playing another elite player, and one whose game is firing on all cylinders.
Sabalenka actually has the advantage serving, from the baseline and in terms of movement.
Someone will be dealt their first loss on the year in this one. Call me crazy, but I won't be opposing the current iteration of Sabalenka anytime soon.
Pick: Sabalenka -4.5 games (-115 via DraftKings)
