Australian Open Wednesday tips: back Medvedev to roll on

The final two semi-finalists in the men’s and women’s singles draws will be decided on Wednesday in Melbourne.

So far, we know that Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini are set to comprise the top half of the men’s draw, while Ashleigh Barty and Madison Keys will square off in the women’s event.

Medvedev to continue Auger-Aliassime dominance

The four remaining players in the men’s draw are somewhat predictable, though perhaps the biggest surprise has been that No.4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has made a habit of disappointing on the big stage, remains.

The 23-year-old Greek reached the semis in Melbourne last year and squares up against Jannik Sinner, who is enjoying a career-best run at a hard-court major amidst a sharp rise towards the top of the game.

Tsitsipas has laboured thus far. He needed four sets to beat Sebastian Baez and Benoit Paire before squeezing past Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. Sinner, meanwhile, has dropped just a single set.

In terms of their head-to-head record, it is the Greek who holds a 2-1 edge, though all these previous encounters have been on clay.

Sinner is the man in form, reflected by his 1.74 favouritism, with the No.4 seed on offer at 2.32. With the Greek 4-0 in Grand Slam quarter-final matches in his career, the better value is arguably on him.

Daniil Medvedev starts the other quarter-final as a hot 1.15 favourite to overcome Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Russian has dropped a couple of sets on route to this stage, with the young Canadian, meanwhile, having gone the distance on three occasions.

Medvedev should prove too strong for his game rival, against whom he has an outstanding record. He swept past Auger-Aliassime at the US Open in straight sets, and bageled him at the ATP Cup.

While the top-ranked player may not have looked at his best in Melbourne, against a rival who has a 1-9 career record against Top 5 players, the odds of 2.02 on a 3-0 victory look healthy.

Cornet to keep playing

The women’s singles draw has been littered with upsets, which is reflected by the fact that only three of the remaining six players are seeded.

Danielle Collins may be the favourite to overcome Alize Cornet, who is into her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the age of 32, but the American has physical issues to overcome. She did not sit down during the changeovers in her three-set success over Elise Mertens in the fourth round and has played close to eight hours of singles so far – not including three doubles matches.

Looking to take advantage is a resurgent Cornet. With wins over Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep under her belt already, at 3.4 she looks good value to overcome an opponent physically ailing.

In the final women’s quarter, Iga Swiatek will be wary of veteran Kaia Kanepi, who beat No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the last 16. Kanepi will be involved in her seventh Grand Slam quarter-final and has won just a single set before.

Swiatek should be feeling good after coming from behind to defeat Sorana Cirstea in the sort of match that should tune her up to secure a straight-sets win, which is on offer at 1.72.

Recommended bets:

Medvedev to beat Auger-Aliassime 3-0 @ 2.02
Cornet to beat Collins @ 3.4
Swiatek to beat Kanepi 2-0 @ 1.72