Federer, Shapovalov & Dimitrov Top Favorites in Men’s 3rd Quarter at Aussie Open

• The main draw of the 2020 Australian Open will start on Monday, January 20
• Roger Federer is the favorite in the 3rd Quarter of the Australian Open
• 20-year-old Denis Shapovalov is another notable name in the 3rd Quarter

Heading into the Australian Open, all eyes will continue to be on the Big 3, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. But it seems like the 2020 Aussie Open will give them some of their toughest opponents, who aren’t each other, for the first time in a long time. Roger Federer is the favorite in the 3rd Quarter with +125 odds, and Denis Shapovalov is the closest behind him with +500 odds.

3rd Quarter Australian Open Odds

Odds taken Jan 17, 2020

Roger Federer

The six-time Australian Open champion is the favorite to win the 3rd Quarter of the Australian Open, but for the first time in a while, will come into the tournament cold. He’s usually coming off of the Hopman Cup, but this year he skipped what is now called the ATP Cup.

Men's draw – 3rd quarter

Federer has the in form Hurkacz in R3, Shapovalov, Dimitrov (or Sinner) in R4.

Super strong eight but then the easier opponent on paper for the QFs (Berrettini) pic.twitter.com/zjL4pf4BqK

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 16, 2020

The 38-year old Swiss will take Steve Johnson in his first match and that should be a guaranteed win. Things could then get more difficult for the superstar afterward though. He could face the 22-year-old up and coming star, Hubert Hurkacz as early as the second or third round, and possibly see the Canadian young star, Denis Shapovalov.

With +125 odds, Roger Federer is the sole favorite to win the quarter, and move on to the semifinals. Unless something like an injury happens, it just doesn’t seem like anyone else will be able to take down Federer.

Denis Shapovalov

The young Canadian has continued to make a name for himself in the tennis world. Many are looking at him as the dark horse, as all eyes are on Federer in this quarter. The 20-year old will open up against world No. 66 Marton Fucsovic, a strong opponent who will test Shapovalov, but if he gets through him, he might have an easy ride until the fourth round. The fourth round is where he could see Federer, depending on how he does.

Coming into the Australian Open, Shapovalov has had a strong start to his 2020 season. He opened it up with win against Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, both in the top 10 rankings.

Best Bet

Interestingly enough, there’s one other player in the top ten world rankings in the top ten odds above. Matteo Berrettini is currently ranked No. 8 in the world right now. But everyone is talking about Federer and Shapovalov. Berrettini’s odds to win the quarter are not that close to either player, with his odds at +750. He has yet to make it past the first round at the Aussie Open, but in the past year has proven to be one of the up and coming stars in tennis. Having reached the final four of the US Open just this past summer, he has definitely gained more experience.

He is the one that could be a long shot worth betting, but the fact that he’s the second-highest ranked, yet not at the top of the odds, makes it a less appealing bet.

It does seem like this is Federer’s quarter to lose. I don’t know if one of the Big 3 will win the tournament, but this quarter will be Federer’s if he wants it, and as of right now, it seems that all members of the Big 3 will most likely be competing in the semifinals of the Aussie Open, which each of them in a different quarter.

Best Bet: Roger Federer +125