Tennis Betting Advice - January 2026
Ones to Watch this week - at 14/1 and 250/1...
Monday 12th January 2026
Price-wise, we did a good bit of business last week. Getting Marta Kostyuk in the book for the Australian Open at 100/1…
The 23-year-old started the year with a bang, getting to the WTA 500 final in Brisbane at the weekend (she had been 50/1 for that event), only beaten by world no.1, Aryna Sabalenka.
That was the biggest final of Kostyuk’s career to date. And having beaten three Top 10 players in a row in Brisbane, the bookies have now chopped the Ukrainian world no.20 to 25/1 in general for the Australian Open, which starts next week. With Skybet now the best of the bunch at 28/1.
Ones to Watch this week – at 14/1 and 250/1…
There are four tournaments on the schedule this week; the last ATP & WTA events before the first Grand Slam of the year kicks-off in Melbourne this weekend…
As we’ve discussed many times before, the week directly before a Major can produce a few surprises. With big-odds underdogs coming to the fore, and star names/ high-ranked players having more than one eye on the upcoming big-time event. Expect to see a few (largely precautionary) injury withdrawals this week.
Playing the prices, the way we do here at Ones to Watch, the outsider picks that catch my eye this week on the tour are as follows:
VALENTIN VACHEROT was a convincing winner in his 1st-round ATP Adelaide match this morning. And after the season of his life in 2025, the man from Monaco continues to have the air of a player who can do no wrong when on court – continuing from his incredible 500/1 breakthrough run at the Shanghai Masters in October.
We’ll take the 27-year-old world no.32 to push on again this week, with odds of 14/1 or 12/1 fine with me in a modest 250-grade Australian ‘warm-up’ event of this scale, the week before a Major.
Over in New Zealand, at ATP Auckland, I like ALEJANDRO TABILO at 28/1 – 22/1 to do well again, at a tournament he won two years ago…
The Chilean collected a second career ATP hard-court title towards the end of last season (Chengdu, @ 50/1).
Tabilo has been granted a wild card here this week, and he’s been placed in a pretty tempting section of the draw. It’ll require a few scraps and a fair wind, but this is the kind of 250-grade field that the 28-year-old current world no.81 (formerly as high as no.19) can do well in.
In the women’s this week, two names for us:
DIANA SHNAIDER is already in the book as an early-bird, ante-post 100/1 pick for the Australian Open. She’s now trading at 66/1 in general.
After running 2025 Aussie Open champion Madison Keys very close in Brisbane last week – the American eventually prevailing by the closest score-line possible, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6. Shnaider can continue to build some 2026 momentum with a run at WTA Adelaide…
The Russian takes on fellow left-hander Leylah Fernandez tonight; that’s the world no.23 v the no.22, with Shnaider the younger of the two. If our player can sneak through that close-looking one, then Diana could well go all the way this week.
And finally…
Some triple-figure odds action for us at the same tournament, but in the opposite side of the draw…
KIMBERLY BIRRELL is a hope home here, with the Australian world no.107 drawn against Anastasia Potapova in the 1st round tonight. The lower-ranked Birrell beat Potapova two times out of two last year, both on hard courts. The 27-year-old finished 2025 with a run to the final at WTA Chennai, and has been quietly improving for a while now.
If any of the big names (Keys, etc) fall short in the bottom half of the Adelaide 500 draw this week, then the door will be ajar for someone like Birrell to make a splash. Rank outsider odds of 250/1 and 100/1 are on the table.
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Ones to Watch picks:
See above for full details
Outright Winner – Each Way (1/2 odds 1-2 places):
ATP Adelaide – Adelaide International:
WTA Adelaide – Adelaide International:
Play starts from 10.30pm UK in Auckland, and Midnight+ elsewhere. Bookies will take down Outright Winner markets during matches.
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I’ll be back throughout the week, as we prepare for the Australian Open…
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone