The Australian Open is well underway and the usual suspects remain at the head of the betting for the Melbourne title. There have been very few upsets so far, although eighth seed Mardy Fish has crashed out, and world number one Novak Djokovic remains the 11/10 favourite with William Hill.
Fish was humbled by Alejandro Falla in the second round of a tournament he was fancied to do well in but there have been no such problems for the other top seeds.
Defending champion Djokovic destroyed Pablo Lorenzi 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 in his opening match and he meets Santiago Giraldo in the next round. Djokovic is looking to build on a stunning 2011 season which saw him win three of the four Grand Slam tournaments on offer and he will be keen to confirm his dominance of the men's game.
Roger Federer will hope to have something to say about that in Melbourne though as the sixteen-time Grand Slam champion cruised into the third round. The Swiss star won his opening match in straight sets and then enjoyed the benefit of a walkover in the second round as his scheduled opponent, Andreas Beck, withdrew with a back injury. The benefits of a rest day during a testing major tournament cannot be underestimated and William Hill have clipped Federer in to 7/2 in the betting to win the tournament outright.
Rafael Nadal would have welcomed a rest day with open arms as question marks surround his fitness after he hurt his knee on Sunday evening. The Spaniard has played down those worries by winning his opening two matches in straight sets, including a second round win over Tommy Haas. The 2009 champion has exited the Australian Open at the quarter-final stage for the past two years and whether his knee holds up for two weeks will be a concern, with WilliamHill.com easing him out to 7/1 in the latest betting.
Andy Murray though remains unchanged at 5/1, despite struggling in his opening match against the up-and-coming Ryan Harrison. Murray, finalist for the past two years, eventually came through 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 as he ensured there was a British player left in the tournament.
Elsewhere, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was also made to work hard in his opening match as he needed four sets to beat Denis Istomin, with Hills pricing the Frenchman 16/1.
Also at 16/1 is Juan Martin Del Potro and the former US Open winner has been clipped in from 20/1. Del Potro needed four sets in his first round match but looked in fine form when beating Blaz Kavcic 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the second round and as a former Grand Slam winner he cannot be underestimated at this stage.
Tomas Berdych is the next best in the betting at 33/1 after he came through a tricky tie with Olivier Rochus in straight sets, with Kevin Anderson lying in wait in round three.
11/10 Novak Djokovic
7/2 Roger Federer
5/1 Andy Murray
7/1 Rafael Nadal
16/1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
16/1 Juan Martin Del Potro
33/1 Tomas Berdych
50/1 David Ferrer
66/1 BAR
Odds supplied byWilliamHill.com bookmakers, who provide live in-running betting for all Australian Open matches.
Posted: Wednesday, 18th January 2012
Author: Chris James
Tags: australian open, novak djokovic, roger federer, andy murray, william hill,
 | Novak Djokovic Heads The Australian Open Betting And Seedings Serbian is number one seed and favourite in Melbourne | 11th Jan |
 | Australian Open Tennis Betting Preview Federer Looks Tempting In The Latest Odds Djokovic favourite to retain his title in Melbourne | 4th Jan |
 | Rafa Nadal Drifts In The Latest ATP World Tour Finals Betting Roger Federer now the odds on favourite | 24th Nov |
 | ATP Tour Finals Betting Tempting Odds For Murray To Win In London Defending champion Roger Federer starts favourite | 17th Nov |
 | ATP World Tour Finals Odds Roger Federer Heads The Betting Andy Murray second favourite for season ending event | 16th Nov |
Headline News
 | Valencia V Stoke Betting Spanish Side Odds On To Win At The Mestalla Valencia Firm Favourites To Reach The Last Sixteen |
 | Man Utd V Ajax Betting Tempting Odds For Welbeck To Score First United Massive Odds On To Qualify For The Last Sixteen |
 | Mayakoba Classic Odds Back Johnson Wagner To Retain His Title In Mexico Defending Champion Well Fancied In The Latest Betting |
 | Racing Plus Chase Odds Planet Of Sound Heads The Kempton Betting Philip Hobbs Bids For A Fifth Win In The Valuable Grade Three |
 | Meryl Streep Falls Behind In Oscar Odds The Artist Looks Set To Sweep The Board |
BRAND NEW £200 free bets offer.
Open Account - Free £200 Bets With Paddypower
£25 free bet with William Hill.
Open Account - Claim £25 Free With William Hill
Ladbrokes are offering a brand new £50 free bet for new customers
Open Account - Free £50 Bet at Ladbrokes
The UK based bookmaker Betfred is now offering a £50 free bet for new clients.
Open Account - Free £50 Bet With Betfred
Up to £200 worth of free bets with Bet365.
Open Account - Claim £200 Free With Bet365
Victor Chandler's new site, BetVictor, offers a massive £100 in free bets to new clients via our exclusive signup offer:
Open Account - Claim £100 in free bets with BetVictor
Online bookmaker Stan James offer up to £150 in free bets per new account.
Open Account - Free £150 Bets With Stan James
Those looking for some online casino entertainment ought to check out all the latest UK Casino Sign Up offers from the top operators including 32Red and many of the sports betting casinos.
There is excellent information, should you be interested in playing online blackjack, roulette, the best progressives or slots - Online Casino Betting with the best introductory offers
Bookmark This Page