Aryna Sabalenka vs Clara Tauson Prediction & Picks - WTA Australian Open

Prediction published on 1/16/25, 12:10 PM  by Lou Aguila | Modified on 1/16/25 at 12:11 PM in Tennis Picks

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus eyes her 8th consecutive win on Thursday when she goes head-to-head with Clara Tauson of Denmark in the third round of the 2025 Australian Open. Sabalenka, the world’s No.1 and top seed of the tournament, hurdled a challenging second-round encounter with Jessica Maneiro 6-3 7-5 to keep her Australian Open three-peat bid alive. Maneiro gave Sabalenka a better competition than Sloane Stephens did in the previous round, converting 3 of 11 breakpoint chances and collecting 29 first serve points. But Sabalenka would not be denied. The No.1 women’s singles player in the world squashed the upset bid from the Spaniard by winning 33 points on her first serves and seizing five breakpoints. Tauson, the 2025 ASB Classic Champion, sustained momentum as she earned a ticket to the third round after carving out a surgical 6-2 6-2 win over Tatjana Maria of Germany. The Dane won 86 percent of her first serves while breaking Maria five times in the match. Tauson now matches her best finish at the Australian Open in 2022, when she also reached the round of 32.