This Weekends Best Bets

The first of the Australian Open men’s singles semi-finals takes place later on Friday afternoon New Zealand time. The match will feature world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz against third seed Alexander Zverev at Rod Laver Arena.

This will be the first time these two have clashed at a Grand Slam since 2024, when Alcaraz was victorious on the clay at Roland Garros. However, just prior to that, on this very court, Zverev was victorious, winning in four sets.

This time, I think it will be a little different. Alcaraz has developed into a completely different player since then, with the only person who really seems capable of challenging him being Jannik Sinner. While Zverev does hold the third seed, the gap between the top two players and the rest of the field is massive. I don’t think Zverev will be swept in straight sets on his favoured hard court, but I do believe Alcaraz wins this one in four.

The second match of the Friday evening slate might be the more interesting of the two, with the aforementioned Sinner set to face off against 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

I would say both players could count themselves a little lucky heading into this one, with different circumstances helping them along the way. In Djokovic’s case, he was handed a walkover in a match that he claimed he would have lost without the unfortunate injury to Musetti.

For Sinner, he should be thankful that during the early stages of the tournament he was granted a 10-minute heat break while suffering from cramps, which allowed him to turn the tide of that match.

This evening, though, I think this shapes as more of a one-way street, with Sinner likely to prove too good for Djokovic regardless of his rich history on Australian hard courts. That is not to say I don’t think Novak can make this one difficult, because he probably will cause some issues for the Italian, which is why I am going with the over on the total games line.

Chelsea are starting to pick up some form in recent weeks, with Liam Rosenior winning five of his first six games in charge of the London side. A lot of that form has to do with his lead striker, Joao Pedro, who in his last three games has scored four goals, with a couple of bangers along the way. What this proves about Pedro is that he clearly has the talent to be a true striker, but confidence is key for him, as he saw a dip in form earlier in the season when he may have lacked some.

Right now though, Pedro has it rolling, and taking on a West Ham side that will no doubt provide some chances for Chelsea at the Bridge, I would not be surprised to see him generate some goals or assists.

A couple of supremely skilled flyweights open up the UFC 325 card, with Kiwi Aaron Tau set to face off against Mongolian fighter Namsrai Batbayar. Both fighters have had limited UFC opportunities but will be looking to make their mark this weekend in what could be described as the biggest fight of their careers so far.

Batbayar is a risk-taker, which is shown in his willingness to use spinning techniques to open up fights on a regular basis. The Kiwi, on the other hand, is a compact 5’4″ fighter who looks to throw constant haymakers, with the ability to mix in the odd takedown.

Based on the odds, this is a reasonably well-matched bout, but I think the value lies with Tau, who will be looking to make the most of this opportunity come Sunday.

Arguably the greatest fighter in his weight class of all time, Alexander Volkanovski, is set to step into the octagon against Diego Lopes. The Brazilian was the last opponent Volkanovski faced around nine months ago and has since had just one fight, which earned him this opportunity to challenge for the title again.

The key question here is whether this will simply be a repeat of their last meeting, where Volkanovski retained the belt. For Lopes, his best chance at victory is via knockout, as there is no denying the power he possesses. Nearly a year on from their last bout, there is also the possibility that Volkanovski’s chin could be susceptible to a clean strike.

However, if you follow my work, you will know I don’t like to bet against greatness, which is why I am backing Volkanovski to secure the win in this one.