Tennis Betting Tips: Three Bets for Friday at the Australian Open

Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are the headline acts on day six of the Australian Open with the Melbourne heavyweights out to emphasise their title credentials.

Djokovic, seeing a record-extending 11th men's title at Melbourne Park, takes on Andy Murray’s conqueror Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his third-round encounter, while Sabalenka squares-up against Lesia Tsurenko.

Other leading lights in action include Jannik Sinner, who faces Sebastian Baez, and Coco Gauff in her showdown with Alycia Parks.

Ben Shelton -1.5 sets on the handicap v Adrian Mannarino @ 4/6

Ben Shelton continues to impress with the American world number 16 throwing his hat into the ring to be a Grand Slam contender in the years to come.

The 21-year-old may be too early in his development to win this season’s Australian Open but he is moving in the right direction and he should have too many weapons for French veteran Adrian Mannarino.

Shelton reached the quarter-final of last season’s Australian Open, in what was only his second Grand Slam appearance, and he built on that further at the US equivalent with a run to the final four.

Those performances must mark Shelton as one of the hottest prospects on the ATP Tour and he has barely put a foot wrong at Melbourne Park, easing past Roberto Bautista-Agut in straight sets before outclassing home hope Christopher O’Connell in four.

Mannarino, meanwhile, has been put through the wringer, spending over seven hours on court, and five-set marathons with Stan Wawrinka and Jaume Munar must have exerted plenty of energy.

The 35-year-old has gone beyond the third round of the Australian Open only once in 14 attempts and he should be soundly beaten by rising star Shelton, who can prove at least two sets too good for his French opponent.

Fabian Marozsan to beat Taylor Fritz @ 5/2

If there is to be a surprise on day six of the Australian Open then Fabian Marozsan may be the man to spring it against American world number 12 Taylor Fritz, who looks to be operating way below his best.

Marozsan has made huge strides in a short space of time and the Hungarian has the game to rise much further up the rankings.

The 24-year-old has dropped only one set in seeing off Marin Cilic and seeded star Francisco Cerundolo, performances that could stand him in good stead for this match-up.

Fritz was a 3-0 winner over Hugo Gaston last time but he needed five sets to shift clay-court specialist Facundo Diaz Acosta in round one, suggesting that he could be vulnerable against a player of Marozsan’s magnitude.

Under 18.5 games in Alycia Parks v Coco Gauff @ 4/5

Coco Gauff claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in September and the teenage American looks a lively title contender at this year's Australian Open.

The 19-year-old warmed up for the first Grand Slam of the season with a title triumph in Auckland and that has served her well at Melbourne Park so far, where she has recorded straight-set victories over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Caroline Dolehide.

That means Gauff has won all seven of her matches this year, dropping only one set in the process, and she should  make light work of her lesser-ranked compatriot Alycia Parks.

This is the first time in the third round of a Grand Slam for Parks and, although she upset Leylah Fernandez in her previous contest, this represents a big step up in class against an opponent operating at the peak of her powers.

Check out the rest of our Tennis Betting Tips here.