Blake Krass breaks down his best bets and picks for the first round of the 2026 Australian Open on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The first Grand Slam on the tennis calendar begins on Sunday in Australia. The first matches start on Saturday night for American viewers and continue through the next couple of days.
These are my Australian Open best bets to target on DraftKings Sportsbook for the first round.
2026 Australian Open First Round Best Bets
Jason Kubler vs. Frances Tiafoe: Kubler to win at least two sets (+120)
The American Frances Tiafoe takes on the hometown qualifier Jason Kubler. Kubler made it into the field through the qualifiers, and at times, that can be an advantage since it means players often come into the tournament field with confidence. As an Australian, Kubler will also have the crowd strongly at his back to pull off the upset over Tiafoe, who had a really poor 2025 season. It started with being eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open. He was also eliminated in the second round at Wimbledon and the third round at the US Open. Since the US Open, he lost his first match at the Japan Open, lost his first match at the Shanghai Open, and most recently got dominated by Daniil Medvedev at the Brisbane Invitational.
Tiafoe may have little confidence in his game at the moment following that stretch. If Kubler can ride his momentum from the qualifiers and jump out to an early lead with the crowd at his back, Tiafoe could crumble. Tiafoe has never performed well in Australia, even when he was in much better form. He has only made it past the second round once in his career here, and in that instance, he was eliminated in the third round. Tiafoe might be able to pull out a fifth-set win like he did in the first round in Australia last year, but Kubler has a great chance to take him the distance and even pull off an upset.
Parlay: Carlos Alcaraz to win 3:0, Jannik Sinner to win 3:0, Alexander Zverev -1.5 Sets (+100)
There is absolute dominance at the top of the sport on the men’s side at the moment. Last year, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner met each other in the finals of the last three Grand Slams. They also dominated their competition on the way to those finals. Alcaraz is facing Adam Walton in the first round in Melbourne. He faced Walton for the first time in 2025 and beat him 2:0. If Alcaraz comes focused, it’s hard to see Walton taking a set off him in this match.
Sinner is the new king of Melbourne. He has won back-to-back Australian Opens and is the favorite to make it three in a row. At the 2025 Australian Open, Sinner won five of his seven matches 3:0, including his first-round match. He should start this tournament on the same note against the World No. 94, Hugo Gaston. Sinner has faced Gaston twice in his career, and Gaston didn’t win a set in either of those matches.
Alexander Zverev is the No. 3 player in the world at the moment. He is not on the level of Sinner and Alcaraz, but he should be in for a strong tournament in Australia. He was the only man not named Carlos or Jannik to make it to a Grand Slam Final last year, and it came here in Australia. In 2024, Zverev made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open, so that makes two straight years with strong performances in Melbourne. At last year’s Australian Open, Zverev won each of his first three matches 3:0. He is facing the youngster Gabriel Diallo in the first round this year. Zverev should use his experience to come out on top.
Venus Williams vs. Olga Danilovic: Williams to win at least one set (+140)
Venus Williams continues her return to the sport at the Australian Open. It was thought that last year’s US Open might be her final tournament, but one of the all-time greats is back for another major. Venus Williams is a two-time Australian Open singles finalist, a four-time doubles champion and a mixed doubles champion. She is nowhere near that form at this point in her career and has not made it out of the first round of a Grand Slam since 2021. However, Williams has a good chance to steal a set from Olga Danilovic. She won a set against the at the time World No. 11, Karolina Muchova, at the US Open.
Danilovic is the No. 68 player in the world, far ahead of Williams. The latter has not proven that she has the stamina to win a match since making her return. However, she can use her experience and power to take control of one set and make the match interesting. At odds of +140, it is worth a bet on Williams to win at least one set against Danilovic.
