Two quarterfinals are played, Alcaraz and Zverev are now watching on to see who will join them in the semi-finals of the AO 2026 in the coming days. Below we give our betting predictions for the remaining QF’s, Musetti vs. Djokovic and Shelton vs Sinner.
Here is your preview of the matches at Rod Laver Arena.
Lorenzo Musetti vs. Novak Djokovic
Time: Not before 2:30 PM local time (AEDT)
This match is a classic clash of generations and styles. Djokovic, the 10-time champion, is chasing his 11th Australian Open title and looking to surpass Roger Federer for the most match wins in the tournament’s history.
Djokovic has been clinical so far, having not dropped a single set. He also enters this match exceptionally fresh after receiving a walkover in the previous round from Jakub Mensik.
Lorenzo Musetti is enjoying a career-best run in Melbourne. The Italian world No. 5 looked in superb form when he defeated Tomas Machac in five sets and Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. His variety and elegant one-handed backhand are a joy to watch, but they will be tested by the best returner in history.
Head-to-Head: Djokovic leads the series 9–1. Their most recent meeting in the Athens final last year was a thriller, with Djokovic narrowly winning 7-5 in the third.
Interesting Stat: Novak Djokovic has won over 100 matches at the Australian Open and hasn’t lost a quarter-final here in over a decade.
Predictions and best bets for Musetti vs Djokovic
Bookmakers see Novak as the big favorite here and honestly I think the odds are a bit too much. The Serb looks in great shape though and the walk-over in the last round obviously helped a lot. I predict this to be a hard-fought battle and think Musetti in his current form can at least cover the +4.5 game hcp at odds 1.93 / -110.
Ben Shelton vs. Jannik Sinner
Time: Not before 7:00 PM local time (AEDT)
The night session features a rematch of last year’s semi-final. Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion, is currently on a 20-match winning streak in Melbourne and looks nearly untouchable at times, but his he in his greatest form right now?
Sinner has been the gold standard of consistency, dismantling opponents with his heavy baseline hitting. However, he did face a minor scare in the third round against Eliot Spizzirri, where heat-related cramping tested his physical limits.
Ben Shelton is the “dark horse” who has become a staple in the second week of Slams. The American No. 7 has one of the biggest serves on tour and a fearless attitude. He fought back from a set down to beat Casper Ruud in the fourth round, proving his game has matured beyond just raw power.
Head-to-Head: Sinner leads 8–1. While the record seems lopsided, many of their sets go to tiebreaks. Shelton’s lone win came in Shanghai in 2023, and he will need a high first-serve percentage (likely above 70%) to keep Sinner from dictating play like we’re used to see.
Predictions and best bets
Looking at the H2H it’s a massive advantage for the Italian, in fact he won the last 19 sets against the American. However, it has been many tight matches and I think this time Shelton feels he has a decent chance for an upset against the world no 2, that has looked a little vulnerable at times.
I’m gonna go for a similar bet on this match as the odds are so extreme. I think Sinner will progress from this round but Shelton (+6.5) game hcp at 1.87 (-115) looks fine and I think we’ll see at least one tie-break.
Bet on the match at these sportsbooks below:
