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The Australian Open second round continues with more fascinating matches on tap!
I’ve found value on two of Wednesday's matchups —Martina Trevisan vs Oceane Dodin and Dayana Yastremska vs Varvara Gracheva.
Read on for my 2024 best bets today in my latest Australian Open match previews & picks,.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing tennis matches and seeing tennis odds.
Best Bets Today
Martina Trevisan (-190) vs Oceane Dodin (+150)
8:30 p.m. ET
Martina Trevisan came back to defeat Renata Zarazua 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round. Trevisan won 60% of her service points, but she was broken on four occasions. The Italian also won 47% of her return points, breaking six times.
Trevisan is just 69-72 on hard courts for her career, although she did go a solid 19-15 last season on the surface. Trevisan has a heavy, lefty forehand that she uses to control the baseline. Her point construction is strong, as the Italian has a high tennis IQ, and she places the ball well. Trevisan gets consistent depth on her groundstrokes and defends at a high level, although she's better on defense on clay.
But, Trevisan's backhand is a liability and opponents are able to rush the Italian's forehand on a quicker surface.
Oceane Dodin upset Lin Zhu 6-4, 6-3 to advance in Melbourne. Dodin won 86% of her first serves and didn't get broken the entire match. On return, the Frenchwoman won 42% of her return points, breaking on three occasions.
Dodin has an impressive 275-146 career-record on hard courts, going 49-12 last year. Dodin's game is built around her huge first serve and attacking groundstrokes. The Frenchwoman takes time away from her opponents with aggressive baseline play from both wings. She can take the racquet out of her opponents' hands and she is clearly comfortable on the quicker Australian Open surface.
She does have times, though, where unforced errors pile up.
The quicker conditions favor Dodin's power over Trevisan's baseline game. Zarazua lacked power, so the Italian was able to drag her around the court and was able to play her game, despite the court speed.
However, this is a totally different matchup. Dodin should get plenty of free points on her first serve and should be on top of the baseline, controlling the baseline, and forcing Trevisan out of her comfort zone.
Dodin should be able to rush Trevisan's forehand and effectively target the Italian's weaker backhand. Trevisan will also have a much harder time on return, as Dodin's serve is miles ahead of Zarazua's.
Pick: Dodin +3.5 games (-125 via PointsBet)
Dayana Yastremska (-125) vs Varvara Gracheva (+100)
9 p.m. ET
Dayana Yastremska destroyed Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. Yastremska won 62% of her service points, only getting broken once. The Ukrainian also won a ridiculous 59% of her return points, breaking five times.
Yastremska has a strong 129-93 career-record on hard, with a 23-16 mark in 2023. Yastremska has a high-risk, high-reward game, going huge on her serve and from the baseline. She takes any opportunity she can to play offense, putting her opponents on defense and deciding the match on her racquet.
While Yastremska has easy power from the baseline, that power can get away from her. The Ukrainian has long periods where she can't find the court, interspersed with stretches of brilliance where she's unplayable.
To kick off her Melbourne campaign, Varvara Gracheva defeated Yanina Wickmayer 6-3, 6-4. Gracheva won 60% of her service points, getting broken twice. The Frenchwoman also won 45% of her return points against Wickmayer's big serve, breaking on four occasions.
Gracheva has a solid 109-95 professional-record on hard, going 26-21 last season. She is a jack of all trades, doing a lot of things pretty well. She hits her spots on serve, can dictate play with her forehand and moves decently well, absorbing pace fairly effectively. However, her backhand breaks down, she's not the most dynamic athlete and she lacks some variety.
This should be a roller coaster matchup. While Yastremska easily beat a disintegrating Vondrousova, she went to three sets in all three of her qualifying matches, showcasing wildly different levels within sets and even games.
When the Ukrainian is at her best, she should rip through Gracheva with her overwhelming power. However, particularly in recent seasons, Yastremska has been incredibly hit-or-miss, leading to some wild swings within matches.
While Gracheva doesn't so anything special, she's solid from the baseline with a good serve and forehand. She is certainly competent enough to take advantage of the dips in Yastremska's play, and send this match over the total.
Pick: Over 21.5 games (-125 via BetMGM)
