Ash Barty headlines the Saturday night finals alongside Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the men’s doubles.
The BetDeluxe Australian Open Finals preview then takes its attention to the Sunday night men’s final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev.
Ashleigh Barty vs. Danielle Collins
Scheduled for 7:30pm
A maiden Australian Open grand-slam victory is on offer for both Ashleigh Barty and Danielle Collins when the two big-hitting women take to centre court at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night.
Barty has carried the hopes of Australia on her shoulders throughout the tournament and has, to this point, done so with consummate ease.
Her run to the final has been nothing short of spectacular and has put aside any detractors to her crown as the number one lady in women’s tennis.
Collins, meanwhile, might very well be one of the comeback stories of the last decade having dealt wth endometriosis last season.
The world number 30 now faces the toughest challenge of her career with a clash against Barty in front of the endearing Australian faithful at Melbourne Park.
The 28-year-old American has always had the talent to make it to the big stage, but how it sizes up against a player like Barty is yet to be proven.
Collins crushed Iga Swiatek in the semi final with a brutal 6-4, 6-1 victory and Barty recorded a very similar win against Madison Keys as she strolled to a 6-1, 6-3 triumph.
Barty has the edge of having been there and done it before with regards to winning grand slams, but she has failed to do so in Australia, which will surely be playing on her mind.
The form of Collins against Swiatek was some of the best tennis we have seen in 2022 and could very well become a huge problem for Barty.
Our queen of tennis is hard to ignore at the moment, but she is going to need to be at her best and some more to make sure she holds up the trophy at the end of this match.
Suggested Bet: Ash Barty 2-1 at $3.80
Kokkinakis, T/ Kyrgios, N vs. Ebden, M/ Purcell, M
scheduled for 9:30pm
The masterful and chaotic duo that is Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios find their way onto Rod Laver Arena against fellow Australian pair Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in what is an all-Australian men’s doubles final.
Kokkinakis and Kyrgios have been dubbed ‘The Special Ks’ by the masses and have brought a completely new flavour to the tennis court with their on-court and off-court antics.
Incredibly, it has led to the two reaching their first ever grand-slam final and they prepare to do battle against an Aussie pair who have been in sparkling form despite not drawing any headlines.
Ebden and Purcell might not be the household names Kyrgios and Kokkinakis have turned into, but make no mistake, they are no slouches when it comes to doubles.
They are definitely the more experienced when it comes to playing this format of the sport and the put-away volleys they possess will give them a competitive advantage over Kyrgios and Kokkinakis.
The Special Ks have been sent into this fixture as the favourites, which is understandable given the hype.
But Ebden and Purcell have arguably been playing just as good if not better than the flamboyant duo of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis.
Suggested Bet: Ebden/Purcell head to head at $2.81
Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil medvedev
scheduled for Sunday 7:35pm
Second seed and sixth seed go head to head in the Australian Open Men’s Final when Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal light up Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night.
The King of Clay leads the head to head between the two with a 3-1 record.
All of Nadal’s wins against this Russian opponent came in 2019, when the Spaniard beat Medvedev in the finals of the Canadian Open and the U.S. Open and in the round robin phase of the ATP Finals.
But, since then, Medvedev toppled Nadal in 2020 and has become one of the best players on the tour, improving year on year.
Medvedev kept up his strong record against rival Stefanos Tsitsipas with a big four-set win in the semi-final even though he blew up at the referee after copping a violation for being coached.
Nadal, meanwhile, also took four sets to knock off Italian number seven seed Matteo Berrettini.
The forehand-whipping Spaniard has shown no signs of the foot injury that put his career in limbo late last year and has been playing some vintage tennis at Melbourne Park.
However, Medvedev is going to be a different class to Berrettini.
The 25-year-old 2021 US Open winner has a robotic-like steely resolve about him and can smash winners on either wing.
Think Medvedev has the title in his hands.
If an enormous outburst at the referee cannot stop him from winning, then it looks like nothing will.
Suggested Bet: Daniil Medvedev 3-1 at $3.70
