Australian Open in Melbourne, 1st round, Tuesday, 16.01.2024
The starting gun has sounded Down Under! The best players in the world have gathered at the Australian Open to compete for the title at the first Grand Slam of the year. And of course the Aussie fans are hoping for surprises from their pros.
One of them, known as something of an enfant terrible, starts the tournament against an Austrian and has been given the role of underdog by our bookmakers.
In my Ofner Kokkinakis tip, I want to find out why both players are considered to be on an almost identical level and also reveal why I see one of them ahead!
An Austrian Australian Open winner? Never before! Even Dominic Thiem didn’t manage a triumph in his best career times, and success is also rather unlikely in 2024.
Thiem is not the top-ranked player from his country, that role has been taken by Sebastian Ofner. The 27-year-old is ranked 37th in the rankings thanks to a strong 2023 season.
Just a year ago, he had to play in the qualifying round in Down Under, was eliminated in the third round and therefore missed out on the main draw. Another way to put it: Ofner has NEVER been allowed to present himself properly at the Australian Open!
So everything is new for the 2023 French Open round of 16 finalist on Tuesday, which could make him all the more nervous. He made his debut in Hong Kong after the turn of the year and reached the semi-finals here.
He beat players such as Jan-Lennard Struff, Mackenzie McDonald and Roberto Bautista-Agut, with only Emil Rusuuvuori putting an end to his winning run. So it was all the more unfortunate that the ASB Classics tournament did not go as planned.
After his victory against Denis Shapovalov, he lost to Roberto Carballes Baena in the round of 16, but now everything is at stake. Thanasi Kokkinakis? He may not be an unknown quantity, but there has only been one direct duel
The two met for the first and so far only time five years ago, in Down Under of all places. Ofner lost out in the 2nd round of qualifying, but he has steadily improved since then.
Kokkinakis is number 80 in the world rankings, which puts him well behind the Austrian. And yet: the odds suggest that it will be a damn close affair on Tuesday morning.
On average, our bookmakers are offering odds of 1.80 to 2.00, so Ofner is slightly ahead here. Thanasi Kokkinakis enjoys the home advantage and will of course be hoping for support from the stands
The Adelaide-born right-hander returned to the court in Brisbande at the beginning of the month, but was defeated by compatriot Rinky Hijikata. The competition in the city of his birth did not go according to plan either.
Once again, he was knocked out very quickly, this time with a 6-3, 1-6, 4-6 loss to Dusan Lajovic. It was anything but a perfect start, so a successful match at the Australian Open would be all the more desirable.
A 2nd round at the first Grand Slam of the year is his biggest success so far, which shows that the big tournaments are not necessarily his stage. After all, he got over the first hurdle quite well in 2023
My Ofner Kokkinakis tip
Who will get a ticket to the 2nd round on Tuesday? Sebastian Ofner takes on Thanasi Kokkinakis, the role of favorite is on very shaky ground. And yet: According to my analysis, I see the Austrian ahead!
His start to the new year was a good deal better than that of his rival, and he also played a much better season in 2023. Since Kokkinakis doesn’t perform at his best at the Australian Open anyway, I’m betting on the following tip:
Ofner wins against Kokkinakis!
