Sunday brings us Day 2 at the Australian Open as first round matches continue. The action is in high gear on DraftKings, as they feature their $15 Line Painter contest with $5k to first. Let's break down some of my top plays.
Check out our DFS Optimizer for full projections.
Top Tier
Jessica Pegula ($10,700) over Anastasia Zakharova
We need someone we can count on for a routine win when we spend up, and Pegula has lost no more than four games the last two times she's played a sub-12 UTR opponent. Zakharova is mostly a futures level player who most recently lost in straight sets in the first round of Brisbane qualifying. This is going to be a big step up in class for her.
Alexandra Eala ($9,900) over Alycia Parks
Eala comes into Australia in good form having just lost a tight three-setter in the semis of Auckland. The 20-year-old already has wins over Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys on her resume. I like her draw here against Parks, who is ranked 150th in UTR and only has one main draw grand slam win across her last seven appearances.
Also consider: Amanda Anisimova ($11,000), Clara Tauson ($9,200)
Middle Tier
Valentin Vacherot ($8,900) over Martin Damm
Vacherot has quickly risen from being relatively unknown with only one previous grand slam main draw appearance to having won a Masters 1000 in Shanghai in October. With recent wins over the likes of Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune and Jiri Lehecka, he's climbed all the way up to being seeded here (30th) while being 16th in UTR. He gets a good draw against American qualifier Damm, who is ranked 173rd. The lefty is a big server but not consistent enough from the baseline to pose a serious threat to Vacherot.
Reilly Opelka ($8,400) over Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
Budkov Kjaer could very well just be happy to be here after getting through qualifying, where he had to win two three-setters. This will be the first grand slam appearance for the 19-year old, who will have a hard time getting into a rhythm against the big serving American. Opelka struggles against elite talent but has too much firepower for lesser opponents. We'll get some bonus points for aces, too.
Also consider: Denis Shapovalov ($8,800), Learner Tien ($8,500)
Lower Tier
Arthur Rinderknech ($7,300) over Fabian Marozsan
The sportsbooks essentially have this matchup as a pick'em, and I'll side with Rinderknech, who beat Marozsan in two tiebreak sets a few months ago. Marozsan is better suited for clay, where six of his eight lower lever titles have been on. Rinderknech is coming off a solid year in which he made the third round of Wimbledon and the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open.
Roberto Bautista Agut ($5,300) over Juncheng Shang
Trying to find a low cost option that can pull off an upset isn't always easy, but the veteran Bautista Agut seems like a good candidate. Don't get me wrong, I like Shang as an up-and coming talent, but he didn't win a grand slam match last year. Bautista Agut seems like an ageless wonder and is a former quarterfinalist here that had wins over Holger Rune and Jakub Mensik last summer.
Also consider: Francesca Jones ($7,000), Adrian Mannarino ($6,900)
