Looking for Monday Australian Open picks? Check here for our quarterfinal match previews.
We're less than a week away from crowning the 2024 women's champion of the Australian Open!
As is to be expected these days, the draw has completely blown up, with the door wide open for many women to have a breakout run deep into the second week.
Let's delve into a pair of fourth round matches that take place on Sunday night.
Find my Thursday Australian Openpicks for Anna Kalinskaya vs Jasmine Paolini and Elina Svitolina vs Linda Noskova.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for advice on viewing Australian Open matches.
Sunday Australian Open Predictions
Anna Kalinskaya (-150) vs Jasmine Paolini (+120)
1 a.m. ET
It still surprises me that Kalinskaya is sitting outside the top-50 in the WTA rankings. Make no mistake, she is easily a top-50 talent. Heck, she hasn't even broken into the top-50 in the past.
I'd attribute most of that to injuries, because her game is strong enough to reach the top-25 and stay there – at least on hard courts.
She doesn't boast overwhelming power, but don't sleep on her ability to dictate points and hit through space. She's coming off one of the matches of the tournament (by my estimation) against Sloane Stephens, that saw both women take the ball early, hit both groundstrokes to all parts of the court and generate some great angles.
Combine all that with decent pace and the ability to back up the first serve admirably on quicker courts, and I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that the Russian ends up as one of the finalists.
That top-50 debut is one win away and I make Kalinskaya a favorite that wins this 64-65% of the time.
Pick: Kalinskaya ML (-150 via Caesars) | Kalinskaya -2.5 (+100 via DraftKings)
Elina Svitolina (-150) vs Linda Noskova (+125)
9:30 p.m. ET
Another match from the wide open first quarter of the draw, both Svitolina and Noskova have a great opportunity to make a run to a grand slam final.
For the Czech, it would mean announcing herself on the scene on the biggest of stages, a year after stunning much of the tennis world in Adelaide.
For Svitolina? A potential maiden grand slam final is in the cards at 29 years old, after years of being one of the elite players on the WTA Tour, reaching a trio of semifinals and amassing 17 career titles.
I wouldn't put it past either of them, but I'm leaning towards Svitolina being the one to emerge victorious here and add yet another quarterfinal appearance (it would be her third down under) to her resume. Forget the decided edge in pedigree and experience (which is certainly on her side), but the game itself is better than it was when it appeared she was in her prime.
Formerly a defensive counterpuncher who could generate pace against lesser opposition, but really struggled with hitters, the Ukrainian has returned with a renewed sense of aggression and is not shy to take it to her opponents nearly as much.
She hasn't played anyone of note to date in Melbourne, but she has won by the margin you would've expected her to, crushing all three of her opponents en route to the final 16.
This one comes down to how solid her backhand will be on the day. She should have the edge in forehand exchanges and I'm not so concerned about her rally tolerance and consistency relative to that of her opponent. The only question is, can she stick with Noskova, whose backhand is already one of the better ones on tour, despite her being just 19.
Pick: Svitolina ML (-150 via PointsBet)
