As the WTA Australian Open heads to the third round, the quality of the matches has been increasing. As of now, eight third-round matches are scheduled for tomorrow. LWOS will provide the best bets for all these matches, with four in each article. Please share yours in the comments section.     

WTA Australian Open
Sonmez – Putintseva: Time 16:00

H2H: 0-0

Zeynep Sonmez will play Yulia Putintseva for the first time in her career. The Turk is the younger player in the match by about seven years. While Sonmez may be the more vibrant player, Putintseva has played at the Australian Open every year since 2013. That’s a hefty amount of experience that Putintseva can draw upon. Both ladies are off to a decent start this year. Sonmez is 6-1 on the year. Putintseva is 7-3 so far.           

Best Bet to Make

The line on this match is fascinating. I don’t mean that negatively, I mean it literally. You could honestly make a case for either woman and support that case with stats and past performances. Sonmez is 8-2 in her last ten matches, but one of the losses was to a 31-year-old journeywoman ranked No. 156 in the World. I think that Putintseva has the better experience, but Sonmez has the youth and energy on her side. I think Sonmez takes this straight up.

That being said, Sonmez winning is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/the best odds: Sonmez winning @2.17 @Betsson

Svitolina – Shnaider: Time 16:00

H2H: 0-0

Elina Svitolina and Diana Shnaider will meet for the first time. Svitolina is unbeaten in the new year. Shnaider is 6-2, but her losses were to Mirra Andreeva and Madison Keys. These aren’t exactly awful losses, but it’s another example of Shnaider playing at a level clearly lower than those surrounding her in the World rankings. Shnaider is still young, but she’s getting further and further away from her 2024 season, and mediocre results are becoming the norm.

Best Bet to Make

Putintseva is the favorite in this match by 1.25 points, and I couldn’t agree more if I wanted to do so. Shnaider seems to have issues when it comes to higher-ranked talent. Svitolina is also light-years better on a hardcourt surface. She’s 305-141 overall for her career, while Shnaider (78-50) doesn’t even have 100 wins. Take Svitolina straight at 1.53 or Svitolina 2:0 at 2.38, both available on Bet365.

That being said, Svitolina winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/the best odds: Svitolina winning 2:0 @2.38 @Bet365

Jovic – Paolini: Time 16:00

H2H: 0-2

Iva Jovic takes on Jasmine Paolini in our co-featured match. Paolini played Jovic twice in 2025, including in the second-round of the US Open, and won both matches. Paolini is 3-1 so far in 2026, but Jovic is 9-2, with a final and a semifinal to her credit. Paolini seems to be fine except when she faces the top players in the world, but that doesn’t make her unbeatable. I think the American is poised for an upset.

Best Bet to Make

I like Jovic in this match. She’s currently playing with more fire and intensity than Paolini. I’m honestly not sure why the Spaniard was struggling so much toward the end of the year, but the dip in play has been noticeable, and is something that a young and hungry competitor like Jovic can exploit on her way to a win. I’ll take Jovic at 2.25 on Unibet.

That being said, Jovic winning is a value bet for sure

Value bet/best odds: Jovic winning @2.25 @UniBet

Gauff – Baptiste: Time 16:00

H2H: 1-0

Coco Gauff vs Hailey Baptiste rounds out our coverage for this column. Gauff and Baptiste only have one previous match, which was a round-of-16 match at WTA Washington in 2023. Much is expected of Gauff this year, and she’s a favorite to win this tournament along with a few others. Hailey Baptiste has been slowly climbing the rankings, but this might be a bit too much for her to do. Gauff was a semifinalist here in 2024 and a quarterfinalist last year.

Best Bet to Make

It shouldn’t come as any shock that Gauff is the favorite in this match and in my book, as well. Considering Gauff is nearly a 10-point favorite, that’s probably an understatement. The smart move here is to bet on Gauff keeping the game total under 17.5, as that’s where the value can be found. I like Gauff under 18 games for 1.96 on 1xBet or Gauff under 17 games at 2.55, also on 1xBet.

That being said, Under 18 games is a value bet for sure

Value bet/best odds: Under 18 games @1.96 @1xBet

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane–USA TODAY Sports