World number 24 and Belarus number two Victoria Azarenka will be up against the 87th-ranked Lin Zhu of China in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open on Sunday, January 22. Get the latest predictions and betting tips of this Victoria Azarenka v Lin Zhu match along with its preview and odds.
Looking to watch the 2023 Australian Open live streaming online?
- For tennis fans in the Europe & elsewhere go to bet365 > Tennis > Live Streaming here* to watch & bet on the ATP & WTA tennis live.
- Get all your other Australian Open 2023 live streaming & TV options here
- Also get all your latest Australian Open 2023 predictions here
*Live streaming T&Cs:
You can watch live sport on your mobile, tablet or desktop including Soccer, Tennis and Basketball. All you need is a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to qualify.
[the_ad id=”43630″]
Victoria Azarenka v Lin Zhu Head to Head
Azarenka and Zhu have never faced off in a competitive match before this.
Also Read:
Azarenka Advances after Comeback Win over Keys
She is a former Australian Open winner, having won this title twice in 2012 and 2013 but her more recent performances at this competition haven’t been much to remember.
In fact since her 2016 appearance here, Azarenka has made it past the first round just once and that was last season when she entered round four.
This time around, Azarenka had bit of a mixed fortunes coming into the Australian Open. A quarterfinal appearance at the Adelaide International 1 was followed by a first round exit at the second tournament in that same city.
And when she was pitted to take on former winner Sofia Kenin in the first round here, it looked like another struggle for the Belarusian number two.
Instead, Azarenka carved out a 6-4, 7-6 (3) win against Kenin, routed Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 6-0 in the second and then overcame a first set deficit against Madison Keys to win it in three.
Azarenka was on court for an hour and 40 minutes as she rushed to a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over her American opponent, despite losing her serve four times in the encounter. It was a defensive display from Azarenka too, as she hit just 10 winners to her opponent’s 27 but Keys also made 39 unforced errors that allowed the Belarusian to creep right back into the contest.
Can she be more aggressive against Lin Zhu?
Looking to bet on tennis around the world?
[the_ad id=”71947″]
Zhu Shocks Sakkari in Three
28-year-old Lin was once ranked 58th in the world but has fallen to 87th at the moment.
Also before this edition of the tournament, Lin had won just two main draw matches spread across eight seasons of the Australian Open.
Now, suddenly, she is in the fourth round on the back of three successive wins all of which came against players who had started off as a favourite before the start of the match.
In the first round she sent Rebecca Marino packing but it was her win over Jil Teichmann that would have given her a lot of hope. Still, not too many would have given her a chance against the sixth seeded Maria Sakkari, who was 5-1 on win-loss this season.
Lin was on court for two hours and 36 minutes, carving out a 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-4 win over Sakkari, despite losing her serve a whopping seven times in the match. In turn, Sakkari was broken just five times but it was at the important points where Lin inched past her opponent.
For instance, while Sakkari’s overall winners/unforced errors differential was almost the same as her opponent – minus 10 to Lin’s minus nine – in both, the first and third set, Lin had way better figures.
Lin will hope to do a lot better come the fourth round against a player who has been a winner here though.
Azarenka v Zhu Prediction and Tips
Azarenka is a heavy favourite here at 1/4 and it’s no surprise because while Zhu does have the momentum, a lot of her game has been patchy and relied on her opponent’s mistakes. Backing Azarenka to steamroll her opponent here.
Match Tips & Picks*
- Low Risk Tip: Azarenka to win in straight sets: 3/5 (Click Here to Bet with bet365)
- Moderate Risk Tip: Under 20.5 games in the match: 5/6 (Click Here to Bet with 888Sport)
[the_ad id=”30513″]
Latest Australian Open 2023 Outright Odds*
- Azarenka to win the title: 18/1 (Click Here to Bet with bet365)
- Lin to win the title: 150/1 (Click Here to Bet with 888Sport)
The 2023 Australian Open will be played from January 16 to January 29. You can get all the tennis betting news with our tennis betting blog here. Also get rest of the tennis match previews here. *Please note, the odds are correct at the time of writing and might be different from what you get.
Be the first to comment