This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Both Australian Open women's semifinals will be played in the night session Thursday, which will be the early hours of Thursday morning in the United States. One semifinal is a rematch of the 2023 US Open final, and the winner of that clash will go into the Australian Open final as a favorite to win their second career Grand Slam title. The other is a match between two players who have never been this far before, and the first trip to a Grand Slam semifinal will turn into a maiden Grand Slam final appearance for one of those two competitors. All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
All women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets.
Australian Open Odds: Sabalenka vs. Gauff
Aryna Sabalenka (-225) vs. Coco Gauff (+180)
This is a rematch of the 2023 US Open final, which Gauff won 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win her first Grand Slam title and improve to 4-2 lifetime against Sabalenka. Conditions in New York were perfect for Gauff, as the slower US Open hard courts are a better fit for her game and the crowd was heavily in her corner. Sabalenka has a nice opportunity to flip the script on the faster Australian Open courts, where the 2023 Australian Open champion has won 12 consecutive matches. The Belarusian's massive power off both wings plays up on the faster surface, and she's one of the few players capable of blasting the ball by the speedy Gauff consistently. Sabalenka will look to direct the ball to Gauff's forehand, which can break down when the American lacks time.
Neither of these players had dropped a set heading into the quarterfinals, but Sabalenka looked far more impressive in the most recent round. The No. 2 seed took out No. 9 seed Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3, so Sabalenka still hasn't lost more than five games in a match at this tournament. Gauff faced a much tougher quarterfinal battle against Marta Kostyuk, as the No. 4 seed ultimately defeated the unseeded Ukrainian 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-2. Gauff has yet to face a seeded opponent at this tournament and hadn't made it past the Round of 16 in four previous Australian Open appearances, so she still has a lot to prove at this venue.
Australian Open prediction: Sabalenka def. Gauff 6-3, 7-6
Australian Open Odds: Zheng vs. Yastremska
Qinwen Zheng (-220) vs. Dayana Yastremska (+175)
Zheng is making her move into the top tier of the women's game, so while this is the 21-year-old's first Grand Slam semifinal, it isn't too surprising to see her still vying for the title. The 2023 US Open quarterfinalist has won nine of her last 10 Grand Slam matches, and her path to the semis has included a mix of routine wins and battles. The 12th-seeded Zheng has yet to face a seeded opponent at this tournament, and that won't change against Yastremska, whose impressive run here has come out of nowhere.
Yastremska is ranked No. 93 and had lost her last eight Grand Slam main draw matches heading into this tournament, but the 23-year-old Ukrainian is on an eight-match winning streak at this tournament alone. After winning a trio of three-set qualifying matches to get into the draw, Yastremska has won five consecutive main draw matches, defeating three seeds and dropping just one set along the way. A qualifier riding a hot streak to a Grand Slam title isn't unheard of, as Emma Raducanu did it at the 2021 US Open, but Yastremska has a much lengthier history of mediocre play than Raducanu did when the Brit broke through as a teenager. Zheng is the rightful favorite in this match, but Yastremska makes for the more appealing bet as a substantial underdog in a match that looks much more like a toss-up than the odds suggest.
Australian Open prediction: Zheng def. Yastremska 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
