Nadal and Zverev Headline Preview, Stream, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Thursday at the Australian Open includes three compelling men’s matches, headlined by Rafael Nadal vs Karen Khachanov.

Featured as well on Melbourne Park’s night session is Adrian Mannarino vs Aslan Karatsev, while Alexander Zverev vs Radu Albot play one another in the afternoon.

Tennis betting odds are available, and it appears to be a good night for the favorites.

Alex Zverev vs Radu Albot

We couldn’t have been more impressed with Alex Zverev Tuesday when he dispatched Australian hopeful John Millman in straight sets.

“My tactic today was to hit the ball as hard as possible,” Zverev told The Guardian. “That was my mindset going into the match, but hopefully I can hit it even harder next match and harder the next match after that.”

He broke Millman in the opening game of each set, putting him away with a 6-0 final set. It was an impressive performance and we don’t think he’ll have much problem dispatching Radu Albot.

The underdog comes off a straight sets victory as well, but the level of opposition increases and that is reflected at the sportsbook

Zverev is giving away a -9 start to Albot, and although it’s a big margin, the German is good enough to cover.

Playing best-of-five tennis helps, and we picture a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 scoreline, which would easily cover the spread.

Pick: Zverev -9 (-120)

Adrian Mannarino vs Aslan Karatsev

For under the radar, we present Aslan Karatsev, who has rattled off six consecutive wins in Australia.

The Russian won all four matches in Sydney, including take-downs of Andy Murray and Daniel Evans.

It hasn’t all gone Karatsev’s way in the Australian Open, as he was pushed to five sets by Spain’s Jaume Munar. He will need to be better against Adrian Mannarino, a consummate professional.

The Italian won his first match in five sets against Australian James Duckworth before dispatching Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. That was a mighty performance and he could test the favorite.

Mannarino is a +345 straight-up underdog with betting online markets, but he’s getting +6 games. That margin will be tough for Karatsev to overcome, so take the underdog at better value.

Pick: Mannerino +6 (-110)

Rafael Nadal vs Karen Khachanov

It’s the marquee Melbourne pairing of Round Three, Thursday evening with 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and a dangerous opponent.

Russia’s Karen Khachanov is ranked inside the top 30 after dropping just one set in his first two matches. He hasn’t faced anyone of note, but he’s a power player who could give Nadal a run for his money.

However, Nadal is one of our Australian Open tournament picks, and he has shown us why. Without losing a set, Nadal-despite his injury problems-appears back at his best.

Nadal is 8-0 against Khachanov, so we’re confident he’ll win, but can he cover the -6 spread? It’s a sizable handicap, but given the way he fights for every point, we’re picking him to cover.