Australian Open 2019 Bonus Offers

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament of the year and takes place from 14 to 27 January 2019, at Melbourne Park. The Australian Open 2019 comes with a total prize kitty of $50 million.

Best Australian Open Bonus Bets

Latest update: Djokovic vs Pouille

French tennis player Lucas Pouille has never played against Novak Djokovic. Tomorrow, the 24-year-old will get his first crack at the world number one. The stakes: a spot in the 2019 Australian Open final. This will be Pouille’s first grand slam semi-final and Djokovic’s 34th. Pouille will be aiming for win number 27 at a grand slam tournament and Djokovic for win number 259.

Pouille is two steps away from his first grand slam title and Djokovic from his third straight and 15th overall. Okay, you get the point: Djokovic is Goliath, and Pouille will need to play the match of his life to cause an upset. Pouille is 11.00 to win at bet365 (and Djokovic is at such tight odds that they’re not even worth mentioning). Neds is paying 3.85 for Djokovic to win 3-1, and these are decent odds given the Serb has dropped a couple of sets at this tournament.

Update January 23rd:  Women Singles Semi finals

With Serena Williams out of the 2019 Australian Open, there’s a new title favourite in town: Petra Kvitova. Although Kvitova is ranked lower than fellow semi-finalists Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova, she has the easiest semi-final match – against Danielle Collins.

Unibet has Kvitova at 2.20 in Australian Open women’s title odds, ahead of Osaka, 3.45, Pliskova, 3.80, and Collins, 12.00. Palmerbet is paying 1.23 for eighth seed Kvitova to defeat unseeded Collins and 1.95 for seventh seed Pliskova to cause a minor upset over fourth seed Osaka, who is 1.85.

A combined bet on Kvitova and Pliskova both progressing to an all-Czech singles final is paying 2.40. Pliskova saved four match points to beat Serena Williams in the quarter finals on Tuesday. But Kvitova is a deserved tournament favourite given that she’s the only player yet to drop a set. Both semi-finals take place on Thursday afternoon on Rod Laver Arena.

Update January 22nd:  Djokovic vs Nishikori

Novak Djokovic has been stretched to four sets in his last two matches at the 2019 Australian Open. It won’t get any easier for the world number one when he faces up against eighth seed Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. With that said, Nishikori has been stretched to five sets in three of his four matches at this tournament.

Moreover, Djokovic enjoys a 15-2 head-to-head record against Nishikori. His good record against Nishikori includes a straight-sets win in the 2016 Australian Open quarter-finals and a straight-sets win on the way to winning the 2018 US Open.

Djokovic leads Nishikori 9-2 on hard court. Can Nishikori cause an almighty upset? Probably not, although bet365 is paying 8.00 for him to do exactly that. Palmerbet is paying 1.73 for Djokovic to win in straight sets. With Roger Federer out of the tournament, Djokovic has firmed to 1.90 in Unibet’s title odds.

Update January 21st:  Francis Tiafoe against Rafael Nadal

Stefanos Tsipsitas’ defeat of Roger Federer was the first major upset in the 2019 Australian Open. As the singles quarter-finals get underway Tuesday, punters will be eagerly trying to predict the next upset.

From a betting point of view, Tuesday’s biggest underdog is American Francis Tiafoe against Rafael Nadal. Tiafoe, ranked 39 in the world, celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday with a win over Grigor Dimitrov that saw him through to his first-ever grand slam quarter final. Nadal has been at his blistering best this tournament and is yet to drop a set.

Tiafoe is a long shot to win this one, with Madbookie paying a whopping 12.75 in head-to-head betting. A Tiafoe win is incredibly unlikely, but if he plays like he has so far this week, then Unibet’s 2.70 odds of the match going to four sets or more seems like a pretty good deal.

Update – January 20th: Simona Halep vs Serena Williams

At most tournaments, a match between the top seed and the betting favourite would take place in the final. Clearly, the 2019 Australian Open isn’t just any tournament, given Simona Halep is playing Serena Williams in the round of 16 on Monday.

Halep disposed of Venus Williams in straight sets in the third round, but she’s the underdog against Serena. These two women have met nine times across their careers, with Halep winning just once. You have to go back to their first encounter, in the second round at Wimbledon in 2011, to find an occasion when they met so early in a tournament.

PointsBet is paying 3.03 for Halep, and frankly you’ll never get better odds on a top seed at this stage of a grand slam. But Serena has dropped just nine games in her three lead-up matches, and Neds is paying 1.95 for her to win in straight sets.

Update – January 17th: Alex de Minaur plays Rafael Nadal

It usually takes until the third round of a grand slam to get interesting match-ups and this year’s Australian Open is no different. The round of 32 begins Friday with a couple of enticing matchups on Rod Laver Arena.

Aussie teen Alex de Minaur plays Rafael Nadal in the men’s singles, and former Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova plays reigning champ Caroline Wozniacki in the women’s. De Minaur lost to Nadal in straight sets in the third round of Wimbledon last year, but this match, being played on home soil, is the biggest test of his young career.

The 19-year-old is understandably the underdog, with Unibet offering 2.23 for him to push Nadal to at least four sets.  Sharapova has been in superb form as she aims to make her fifth Australian Open final. She’s dropped just three games in her two matches, while Wozniacki has dropped 11. Madbookie has Sharapova at 2.10 to cause an upset.

Update January 16th: Wawrinka vs Raonic

It’s rare for former grand slam finalists to meet each other in in the second round of a major tournament. On Thursday, there’ll be two such match-ups at the Australian Open. During the day session, three-time grand slam winner Stanislaw Wawrinka will return to the stage where he won the 2014 Australian Open.

Wawrinka, who is unseeded, comes up against eighth seed and 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic. Neds is offering tantalising odds on Wawrinka, paying 2.75 in head-to-head betting. Wawrinka is paying 1.85 to win more games on a handicap of +3.5.

At night, title favourite Novak Djokovic faces a dangerous opponent in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga played in the Australian Open final in 2008, but injuries have seen him slip from a career high number five ranking to 177. Tsonga has a 6-16 all-time record against Djokovic, and PointsBet is paying 3.65 for him to push the number one seed to four sets.

Update – January 15th:

Rafael Nadal made quick work of Aussie wildcard James Duckworth in the first round of the 2019 Australian Open on Monday. On Wednesday, he’ll go up against another Aussie on Rod Laver Arena, with a second-round matchup against Matthew Ebden.

Ebden, aged 31 and ranked 47th in the world, has never made it past the second round of the Australian Open. In the first round, the West Aussie defeated 51st-ranked German Jan-Lennard Struff in four sets. Nadal and Ebden have met once before, on grass at the Queen’s Club Championships in London in 2011. Nadal won that encounter 6-4, 6-4.

According to Unibet, Nadal has won the first set by a scoreline of 6-3 in four of his last six Australian Open matches against opponents aged 30+. Unibet is paying 1.67 for Nadal to defeat Ebden in straight sets. Bet365 is paying 3.75 for Nadal to win the first set 6-3.

Update – January 14th:

The men’s and women’s betting favourites will both feature on day two of the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic will meet American qualifier Mitch Krueger in the night session, while Serena Williams will face Tatjana Maria earlier in the day. While both players are at extremely short odds in head-to-head betting, punters can find good value in other odds markets. Djokovic wrapped up 2018 by winning Wimbledon and the US Open, losing just six sets across both tournaments.

PointsBet is paying 1.85 for Djokovic to win at least 11 more games than his opponent (meaning Krueger must win seven games or less). Serena Williams hasn’t dropped a set in the first round of a grand slam since the 2012 French Open. There’s little chance of her dropping more than a handful of games to world number 73 Maria.

Palmerbet’s 1.29 on Williams to win in straight sets is a great deal.

Update – January 13th:

Two of the greatest players in tennis history feature on Centre Court on day one of the Australian Open Monday. Rafael Nadal is up against Aussie wildcard James Duckworth in the early afternoon, with Maria Sharapova first up against British qualifier Harriet Dart at 11 a.m. AEDT.

Ticket holders to the night session will see defending champ Roger Federer against Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin. While there’s little chance of Nadal or Federer falling this early in the tournament, there’s still plenty of betting interest.

For example, TopBetta is letting punters predict the winner and total games. It’s paying 2.68 for Nadal to blitz Duckworth in 27 games or less, meaning the Spaniard would need to concede no more than nine games.

Unibet if offering set betting. Given Istomin has taken a set off Federer in each of their last two encounters, we like the 4.50 odds of Federer winning three sets to one.

Update – January 11th:

Novak Djokovic has been gifted a good draw in the 2019 Australian Open, although he could face a major hurdle in the second round. The top seed will play a qualifier in the first round, and shouldn’t have to play a top 20 opponent until Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. However, he could potentially play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. Tsonga, once ranked fifth in the world, has been plagued by injuries the past couple of years.

The Frenchman is now ranked 239th in the world and needed a wildcard to even play in this tournament. He’ll play 40th-ranked Marin Klizan of Slovakia in the first round. Tsonga knows Djokovic well, having played him 22 times for a 6-16 win-loss record. He even took Djokovic to four sets in his only grand slam final at the 2008 Australian Open.

Djokovic is a hot favourite in Oz Open title betting, paying 2.15 at Unibet.

Update – January 10th:

All the talk leading up to the 2019 Australian Open has been of the reunion of the “big four” men’s singles players. We might see a big four matchup as early as the quarter-finals, with Roger Federer drawn in the same eighth of the draw as Andy Murray.

Federer, the second seed, plays world number 99 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the opening round. Murray, still in recovery mode after missing a year due to injury, is unseeded. He’s been drawn to play 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the opening round, and could play sixth seed Marin Cilic in the round of 16.

Federer is paying 6.00 in Australian Open title betting at Neds, while Murray is a 41.00 underdog.

Top seed Novak Djokovic is the 2.15 title favourite at Unibet. He’s been drawn to play a qualifier in the opening round. Third seed Rafael Nadal, 11.00 in Unibet’s odds, will play Aussie wildcard James Duckworth.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, who looks the most likely to take over the mantle of world’s best player when the big four retire, is also 11.00. He’ll open his campaign against Slovenian Aljaz Bedene, and looks to have a smooth ride through to the semis.

In the women’s singles, 16th seed and title favourite Serena Williams has been drawn to play world number 71 Tatjana Maria of Germany in the first round. Serena will likely play Aussie Sam Stosur in the third round and the winner of a match between her sister Venus and top seed Simona Halep in the fourth round. Despite being 15 places below Halep in the seedings, Serena is a clear favourite in Australian Open betting odds. Serena Williams is paying 5.00 at PointsBet, while Halep is well at 13.00, two-time Australian Open winner Venus Williams is 67.00, and former world number four Stosur is 201.00.

On the other side of the draw, third seed Caroline Wozniacki could potentially play Maria Sharapova or 15th-seeded Aussie Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round. Wozniacki is way back on 26.00 in Neds title betting. Her potential semi-final opponent, second seed Angelique Kerber, is an 8.00 second favourite.

Update – January 9th:

Serena Williams will get another shot at history when the 2019 Australian Open begins next week. Williams is already regarded by many as the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. But she has been stuck on 23 grand slam singles titles since the 2017 Australian Open, putting her one behind Aussie great Margaret Court’s 24.

Last year was just the fourth calendar year since 2002 that Williams didn’t win a grand slam. She missed the 2018 Australian Open after giving birth four months earlier. By the second half of the year she had returned to something resembling her best form, making the final at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Can Williams win her 8th Australian Open Title and 24th grand slam overall? Punters appear to think she can, and she has firmed in title betting in the last few days. PointsBet now has her at 5.00, well ahead of second-favourite Angelique Kerber, who is 9.50.

Update – January 8th:

Queenslander Bernard Tomic has begun his preparations for the Australian Open by defeating American Jack Sock at the Kooyong Classic. Tomic, who has struggled since cracking the top 20 in 2016, beat former world number eight Sock in three sets.

His next match at Kooyong will take place on Wednesday, against fellow Aussie bad boy Nick Kyrgios. This will be the pair’s first match since Tomic accused Kyrgios of faking illness to skip a 2016 Davis Cup tie against the U.S. Ironically, that tie was played at Kooyong and Tomic defeated Sock in the opening game – although the Aussies lost 3-1. Tomic, now ranked 83, has made the round of 16 three times at the Australian Open, in 2012, 2015, and 2016.

He is at long odds in Australian Open betting, with bet365 placing him at 101.00 alongside a host of players, including Sock. Kyrgios is paying 26.00 in Oz Open tournament odds.

Update – January 7th:

Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer has said he’s “okay” with the new tie-break rules being introduced at this year’s Australian Open. This year’s Open will feature an extended tie-break when scores are locked at 6-6 in the final set.

The first player to 10 will win the tie-break and the match. If the score is 10-9, play will continue until a player obtains a two-point advantage. Speaking after his record third Hopman Cup victory in Perth, Federer said he would miss the marathon fifth sets of the past. But he added: “When it goes to six-all in the fifth, you’ve had plenty of chances to win it, or lose it, so from that standpoint how it ends is secondary in my opinion.”

Federer and arch-rival Novak Djokovic are both aiming for a record seventh Australian Open men’s title this month. Neds has Federer second in title betting at 6.00, behind only Djokovic at 2.00.

Update – January 6th:

Punters are still bullish on Rafael Nadal’s chances at the Australian Open after his withdrawal from the Brisbane International. The Spaniard pulled out of his opening-round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, citing a “a small strain” on his left thigh.

Speaking to press after touching down in Australia last week, Nadal said that he could have played in Brisbane, but it would left him less than 100% for the Australian Open, starting Jan 14. Nadal has made the Australian Open final four times, winning once, over Roger Federer in 2018.

This may be the last time he and the other members of men’s tennis’s “big four” – Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray – all compete in Melbourne. Despite his injury worries, Nadal is still third in Australian Open title betting, paying 7.50 at PointsBet and 8.00 atUnibet. Djokovic is a firm number one in tournament betting, with Federer second.

Australian Open Bonus Bets

There are always plenty of Welcome Bonuses available with online bookmakers for new customers that can provide additional free money for your Australian Open betting bank.

Any Welcome Bonus listed above should be valid for general Australian Open betting but, as ever, always read and fully comprehend the terms & conditions that come with any free bet.

Australian Open Best Odds

It’s very early days yet, so the bookies only have ‘Futures’ bets available at present on who will be the overall winner of the men’s and women’s tournaments.

In the men’s event, Novak Djokovic is a warm favourite for another title at 6/4 with PointsBet, with Roger Federer at 11/2 with Unibet. Rafa Nadal (who having missed nearly two months with a knee injury that led to him retiring from his US Open semi-final, has recently withdrawn from the Paris Masters with an abdominal injury) is 11/2 with bet365* and Del Potro is 20/1 with PalmerBet*.

In the women’s tournament, Serena Williams is 5/1 favourite with bet365*, Simona Halep is 9/1 with PointsBet, Naomi Osaka is 11/1 with SportChamps and Angelique Kerber is 12/1 with Neds.

Other bets to look out for include head-to-head betting on each match during the Australian Open. Handicap betting is another popular option, where you bet on the match with the underdog being given a games advantage (e.g. +5.5 games) or set advantage (perhaps +1.5 sets). If the favourite wins the match while winning 22 games to the underdogs 17 games, then a bet on the underdog +5.5 games would win (17 + 5.5 = 22.5). The same principle applies to the set handicap betting.

Other popular Australian Open betting includes individual set and game betting, set scores and total games or sets played in a match. Some of the bigger matches will also offer tennis bets such as which player will serve most aces in a match, the most double faults, etc.

The bookmakers we would recommend for your Australian Open betting across the aforementioned markets are bet365, TopBetta, Unibet, Neds, Mad Bookie, Betfair Australia, PointsBet and Ladbrokes AU.

Australian Open 2019 Men’s Tips

After lengthy struggles with an elbow injury that saw him slide down the world rankings, Novak Djokovic rediscovered his best form in the latter half of the 2018 season to win both Wimbledon and the US Open. A multiple winner of the Australian Open already, he is the man to beat.

Roger Federer is the defending champion who continues to defy age. A definite contender, although the resurgence of Djokovic means he will have his work cut out to secure a seventh Australian Open title.

Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open for the only time back in 2009 and it’s certainly not his favoured surface. In addition, he’s also struggled with injury in recent months, so there have to be doubts as to his fitness going into the tournament.

There are a whole raft of potential challengers aside from the regular names, including Juan Martin Del Potro, a fit-again Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev, Kevin Anderson, Marin Čilić, Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori and John Isner.

It’s difficult to look past Djokovic now that he is back to full fitness and winning Grand Slam tournaments again, particularly with doubts of varying degrees surrounding all of his historic rivals. One player who might be worth backing each-way at 66/1 with bet365 is the giant South African, Kevin Anderson, who was a finalist at both the US Open in 2017 and Wimbledon 2018.

From an Australian perspective, the main players to look for are Nick Kyrgios, Alex De Minaur and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Australian Open 2019 Women’s Tips

Despite her advancing years and having to juggle her tennis career with motherhood, you dismiss the title chances of Serena Williams at your peril. She’ll also be looking to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles at this year’s Australian Open.

Simona Halep is always seen as a potential winner at every Grand Slam and was a beaten finalist last year. Naomi Osaka is a rising star of the women’s game and is a definite contender in the wake of her win at the US Open.

The women’s event looks potentially far more open than the men’s, with other contenders including defending champion Caroline Wozniacki (although she has been recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis), Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina, Garbiñe Muguruza, Karolína Plíšková, Sloane Stephens, Caroline Garcia, Madison Keys and Petra Kvitova among others.

Williams can never be discounted, but Kerber has tasted Grand Slam success at the Australian Open back in 2016, in addition to wins at Wimbledon and the US Open. She could be worth backing for a second Australian Open title.

The main Australian challenge is likely to come from Ash Barty (a genuine title contender) and Daria Gavrilova.

Australian Open Results 2018

Roger Federer successfully retained his Australian Open title (his sixth) in 2018, defeating Marin Cilic in the final.  

Caroline Wozniacki won the women’s title, defeating Simona Halep in the final to win her first Grand Slam.

Watch Federer vs Cilic highlights: