Tsitsipas vs. Khachanov Odds
| Tsitsipas Odds | -270 |
| Khachanov Odds | +220 |
| Over/Under | 39.5 (-125 / +105) |
| Time | How to Watch | Thursday. 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Odds via DraftKings. For tips on how to watch the Australian Open, click here. | |
As Novak Djokovic walks into his semifinal as a massive favorite, expecting to have a chance to compete for yet another Grand Slam, Thursday's other semifinalists can't say the same.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov will meet for the sixth time on Tour, and while the career head-to-head has gone the way of the Greek, there's a chance this match could be hanging in the balance.
Let's get into the Australian Open odds for the semifinal of Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Karen Khachanov, with my preview down below.
Tsitsipas Looking Like a True Contender
The World No. 4 hasn't been seen as a legitimate contender at Grand Slams ever since he blew a two sets-to-love lead against Novak Djokovic at the French Open a couple of years ago, but this Australian Open presents yet another opportunity for the Greek to lift that elusive trophy.
This is the third straight year where Tsitsipas has reached the semifinal in Melbourne, but the first where he hasn't had to face Daniil Medvedev. With that, this is the first time he's ever been a favorite in the semis at the event.
Tsitsipas has had very few issues to this point in the tournament. He was forced into a pair of tiebreaks in early matches against Quentin Halys and Tallon Griekspoor, but only ran into real trouble when Jannik Sinner came back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set in the fourth round.
He has now won all nine matches he's played in this season, dating back to the United Cup a couple of weeks ago where he took out the likes of Taylor Fritz and Matteo Berrettini in a dominant display.
Khachanov Playing Like a New Man
The Russian still hasn't garnered the respect he deserves despite the fact that this is his second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.
Khachanov has defeated some talented players in recent rounds, handling the power and physicality of American Frances Tiafoe in the third round and wiping the floor with Yoshihito Nishioka in the fourth. He even took the first two sets in that one without dropping a game. Then, he dominated Sebastian Korda for two sets before the American retired.
In all three matches, Khachanov looked dominant.
He has been cracking winners off of both wings and demonstrating a level that we haven't seen out of him since 2019. His serve has been excellent, and it seems as if nothing can stop him.
Tsitsipas does own a 5-0 head-to-head against Khachanov, though they've gone the distance in two of their last three meetings.
Tsitsipas vs. Khachanov Pick
I continue to think Khachanov is undervalued by oddsmakers, and will continue to advocate for betting on him in what is a very big fade of the public.
Tsitsipas may struggle here with these low, flat Khachanov groundstrokes and I'm not quite sure his returning has been strong enough for my liking entering a match against a man who has been dominant on service.
Khachanov can break down the Tsitsipas backhand and he's done well against some big servers in recent rounds. I think he has all the tools to finally crack Tsitsipas, and I'd argue that in the five previous meetings he's never been playing at such a high level.
At the very least, I think Khachanov will make this a very close match. I'll happily grab the games here on a man who's been hard to negotiate a break against and who looks like the second-best player in the tournament.
Pick: Khachanov +4.5 games (-110 via DraftKings)
