Zverev vs Tien Odds, Picks & Predictions (Jan 26)

• No. 3 Alexander Zverev is a -225 favorite vs No. 29 Learner Tien at the AO quarterfinals
• Zverev is looking for a second straight trip to the Australian Open Finals
• See my Zverev vs Tien picks and prediction, plus the latest odds, below

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An Australian Open semifinal berth is up for grabs Monday when third-seeded Alexander Zverev takes on American upstart Learner Tien.

Germany’s Zverev, a -225 favorite over Tien in Monday’s Australian Open odds, is looking for a return trip to this Grand Slam Final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner last year, while Tien is carving his own personal best in Grand Slam play from here on out.

Zverev vs Tien goes Monday night, with a 9:30pm ET estimated start time from Rod Laver Arena, with ESPN2 and ESPN Unlimited providing the broadcast coverage.

Zverev vs Tien Odds

Even after powering through 11th-seed Daniil Medvedev in Round 3, Tien is still the betting underdog, getting +175 odds to win outright.

Zverev is a slight 3.5-game favorite on the spread, while the game-total line is set to 39.5 for this best-of-five match.

Odds as of January 26 at bet365. Get a bet365 bonus code to wager on all tennis matches.

Any questions about Tien’s readiness to hit the big stage were quelled with a sensational performance in Round 3, dismantling Medvedev 6-4, 6-0, 6-3, moving to his first career slam quarterfinal.

The 20-year-old is the youngest AO quarterfinalist since Nick Kyrgios in 2015, and the youngest American to reach his first slam QF since Andy Roddick at the US Open in 2021.

Tien was locked in from the start, and committed just 16 unforced errors. He had 18 more winners than Medvedev and had a 70% success rate in break-point opportunities.

He’ll get his third crack at the German, who handled the American with ease in the last meeting. Zverev bounced Tien in straight sets at the French Open, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Zverev vs Tien H2H Results

But hard courts were a different story, as Tien knocked off Zverev at the Mexican Open in Acapulco in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

You could call that an outlier of a match for Zverev, and the numbers back it up: he rarely ever loses to left-handed players, going a remarkable 37-1 in his last 38.

The style of play for both players should make this an intriguing matchups, even before including the high stakes already being battled for.

Zverev is your textbook power player, with a big serve and deep, heavy groundstrokes, including an A+ backhand to control points off a defensive return of his serve.

Tien is a tactician: his movement allows him to cover the court, and his varied ball striking keeps power players needing to adjust to different speeds, spins and pace. He’s the guy built to counterpunch power players, forcing them into errors. That’s what happened in Mexico, as Zeverv had 15 more errors than Tien in the match.

Zverev vs Tien Picks & Prediction

• Over 39.5 Games (-120 at bet365)

You cannot discount Tien’s ability to grind in matches, and he’s already shown that in this year’s Australian Open. He needed the full five sets — and two tiebreak set wins — to outlast Marcos Giron in Round 1.

After a four-set match over Alexander Shevchenko, it’s quieted down, with straight set wins over Nuno Borges and the win over Medvedev, where at one point, he had won 11 straight games from the end of the first set to 4-0 in the third.

Zverev dropped the opening set of at the Aussie Open, but he’s been in pretty good control as he’s worked his way through the field.

What’s noticeable is he’s gone at least four sets in three of his four matches, including Round 3’s win over no. 26 Cameron Norrie. Only in Round 4 did Zverev look dominant, wiping out 18th-seeded Francisvo Cerundolo in straight sets.

Still, none his matches topped 38 games, still 1.5 games Under the total. But I think that changes Tuesday.

Tien has the advantage of the surface, and should be able to extend sets with more varied shotmaking. The end result should be a match that extends into at least four sets, with the scores pushing this to an Over.