The second day of the Australian Open gives us some decent clashes of the 1st round, let’s look at our betting picks for Alexei Popyrin vs Alexandre Muller and Mattia Bellucci vs Casper Ruud.
Popyrin vs Muller
For Popyrin, this first-round encounter at the 2026 Australian Open is a vital opportunity to snap a challenging losing streak and feed off the energy of the home crowd. Separated by just two spots in the ATP rankings, Popyrin at No. 50 and Müller at No. 52, this matchup is actually one of the most evenly balanced on the opening-round schedule. They are following very different paths over the last twelve months though.
Popyrin has endured a difficult stretch, entering the tournament on a seven-match losing streak. After early exits in Brisbane and Adelaide this month, the Australian is desperate for a spark. However, history has shown that Popyrin is a different player in Melbourne and he is usually strong against good opponents. On the fast Melbourne surfaces, his ability to dictate play from the baseline will be his greatest weapon.
Alexandre Müller is a competitor who thrives on consistency and movement. The Frenchman will look to extend rallies, using his solid backhand and counter-punching skills to test Popyrin’s patience. He will try to make the match as physical as possible.
More on Popyrin’s racquet.
Predictions and best bets
Muller will like his chances here as Popyrin is on a bad run but has the home advantage and usually rises when needed, we know his qualities are better than the current ranking is showing.
Prediction: Popyrin to win in a hard fought 4 or 5 set battle. My bet is on Total Games Over 38.5 at odds 1.75 or -133.
Bellucci vs Ruud
Casper Ruud enters the tournament with a complex narrative. On one hand, he is remarkably reliable in Grand Slam openers, carrying a 15-match winning streak in first-round matches. On the other, Melbourne has historically been his most difficult major; the Norwegian has only reached the fourth round here once in eight attempts.
Mattia Bellucci, currently ranked No. 76, is still searching for his first-ever main-draw win at the Australian Open. The left-handed Italian has shown flashes of brilliance on the Challenger circuit and in smaller ATP events, but he has struggled to translate that into wins against the world’s elite, holding a losing record against top-20 opposition.
Ruud prefers to dictate play from deep in the court and grinding down his opponents. To stand a chance here, the lefty Italian must be aggressive and take risks, as otherwise he is unlikely to outlast Ruud.
Predictions and best bets
Ruud’s recent form has been patchy (but so has Bellucci’s), including straight-set losses in his warm-up events, but his experience in the best-of-five format is a big advantage here.
Prediction: Ruud in straight sets, though we might see a tiebreak.
