Amanda Anisimova vs Paula Badosa
Amanda Anisimova +126 / Paula Badosa -156 Click Here for the Latest Odds
A meeting of two unseeded players in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open will see Amanda Anisimova take on Paula Badosa. The match will be played on Friday, January 19, 2024. Here's our Amanda Anisimova vs Paula Badosa Prediction.
Amanda Ansimimova
After taking an indefinite break from tennis lasting eight months, Amanda Anisimova didn't miss a beat on her return to action. The American scored a win on her comeback tournament in Auckland, beating Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets, but bowed out to Marie Bouzkova in her second match. But at the Australian Open, the 22-year-old has exceeded expectations and stands within one win from reaching the second week. Anisimova earned a Top 20 scalp in the first round, beating a subpar Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4, and then backed up that result with another routine win over Argentina's Nadia Podoroska.
Paula Badosa
Like Anisimova, Paula Badosa is also playing her first Grand Slam tournament in a while. The Spaniard has recovered from a spinal stress fracture that forced her to prematurely end her 2023 season at Wimbledon. On her return to the courts, she was beaten by Bernarda Pera in Adelaide but bounced back superbly to notch a pair of straight sets wins at the Australian Open. Badosa has beaten Taylor Townsend and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, dropping a combined nine games in those two matches. Can Badosa advance to the second week on her Grand Slam return?
Amanda Anisimova vs Paula Badosa Prediction
This will be the first career meeting between Amanda Anisimova and Paula Badosa. Surprisingly, both players have played at an incredibly high level, showing that the current rankings are not a true reflection of their talents. While Anisimova has the greater firepower in her groundstrokes, Badosa's consistency seems to hold the edge in this matchup. The American has missed many routine shots in her comeback so far, and Badosa appears to have settled much quicker. But expect it to be tight, with the former World No. 2 getting our vote to win in the ML.