2023 Australian Open: Monday schedule, best bets, how to watch, more

The Australian Open kicked off on Sunday evening without too many wild results. Most of the top seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws advanced without much struggle, including Americans Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Sebastian Korda. Danielle Collins also advanced in a tighter affair, while 28th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova was upset by Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

Other big names advanced with ease like Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Maria Sakkari, Emma Raducanu, Jannik Sinner, and Hubert Hurkacz. However, the biggest story of the day was that hometown favorite Nick Kyrgios had to withdraw from the open with a knee injury that will require surgery. It’s a brutal blow for the Aussie who was coming into this tournament playing some of the best tennis of his career.

How to Watch the 2023 Australian Open

The Australian Open will be carried by ESPN and the Tennis Network in the United States. Due to the time difference, coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET each day and will continue until roughly 2 a.m. ET the following morning. On Monday, coverage won’t begin until 11:30 p.m. due to Monday Night Football.

Date: Monday, January 16th
Time: 11:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN2

Australian Open Schedule for Monday, January 16th

If you want the full schedule for Monday, you can check ESPN’s score updates or the match schedule on the Australian Open site.

What to Watch For:

Some of Monday’s top matches are:

13th-ranked male Matteo Berrettini vs Andy Murray (final match of the day)
20-year-old American Ben Shelton vs Zhizhen Zhang
30th-ranked Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs 36th-ranked Alexander Bublik
27th-ranked Elise Mertens vs Garbiñe Muguruza
20-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez vs 34th-ranked Alizé Cornet
2nd-ranked Novak Djokovic vs Roberto Carballes Baena

Monday’s Australian Open Best Bets

Matteo Berrettini UNDER 38.5 total games vs. Andy Murray

Andy Murray is one of the biggest names in tennis, but his best years are certainly behind him. Murray is 0-1 to start 2023, losing in straight sets to American Sebastian Korda in Adelaide. Meanwhile, Berrettini is playing tremendous tennis and should be able to easily dispatch Murray in Australia.

Where to bet: DraftKings (-120)

Xiyu Wang +4.5 games vs Karolina Pliskova

Pliskova is the ranked player here, so this may seem like an odd bet, but I’m backing the young upstart here in 21-year-old Xiyu Wang. She took a big step forward in 2022 and has the big serve to do some damage on hard courts. Neither player has started the year well, with both of them losing their first match in the tune-up tournament in Adelaide; however, Wang had to retire in the middle of the first set due to illness, so I’m going to back her to return to health and give Pliskova a run for her money.

Where to bet: DraftKings (-115)

Zizou Bergs ML UPSET over Laslo Djere

Another match where I’m backing the younger player with intriguing upside. The 23-year-old has been one of the more talked about up-and-comers for a while now but hasn’t quite been able to break through on the big stage, mostly due to injuries. He has the power in his serve and groundstrokes to do well on the fast courts in Australia, and I think is a strong play over Djere, who is more of a claycourt specialist.

Where to bet: DraftKings (+160)

Richard Gasquet ML over Ugo Humbert

At 36 years old, I believe Gasquet is being discredited a bit due to ageism. The dude is 4-1 to start off 2023, including a win over 12th-ranked Cameron Norrie to win the Auckland tournament just under a week ago. Meanwhile, fellow Frenchmen Ugo Humbert lost his only match of 2023 in straight sets to 123rd-ranked American Christopher Eubanks. Gasquet has a long track record of Grand Slam experience, and I expect him to advance on Monday (or early Tuesday morning).

Where to bet: DraftKings (-145)