Australian Open 2024: Victoria Azarenka vs Clara Tauson preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (18) Victoria Azarenka vs Clara Tauson

Date: January 18, 2024

Tournament: Australian Open 2024

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Hard (Outdoor)

Prize Money: A$86,500,000

Live telecast: USA - ESPN, Tennis Channel | Australia - Nine Network | UK - Eurosport | Canada - TSN & RDS | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv

Victoria Azarenka vs Clara Tauson preview

Victoria Azarenka during her round one singles match at the 2024 Australian Open - Getty Images

Victoria Azarenka will face off against Danish rising star Clara Tauson in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open on Thursday (January 18).

The two-time Australian Open champion was drawn against Camila Giorgi of Italy in the first round. She got off to a quick start with three consecutive breaks of serve in the first set to take it 6-1. Giorgi fought back in a tight second set, edging it out 6-4.

In the decider, Azarenka gained the upper hand with an early break in the third game. The Belarusian eventually sealed a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win breaking her opponent's serve in the final game of the match.

Danish youngster Clara Tauson began her campaign with a straight-set win over Greet Minnen of Belgium. She won an impressive 86% of points on her first serve and broke her opponent's serve thrice to seal a 7-5, 7-5 win.

Victoria Azarenka vs Clara Tauson head-to-head

Victoria Azarenka and Clara Tauson have faced off once before on tour at the 2021 French Open, with the Belarusian winning it 7-5, 6-4.

Victoria Azarenka vs Clara Tauson odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Victoria Azarenka	- 375
Clara Tauson	+275

Victoria Azarenka vs Clara Tauson prediction

Clara Tauson - Getty Images

While Victoria Azarenka looks the stronger out of the two on paper, there is no discounting a surprise from Clara Tauson who's had a great start this year.

Tauson looked impressive on serve during her first-round encounter. She won 44 points on serve and won 11 out of her 12 service games.

Azarenka also served well in her first-round match against Giorgi, despite being erratic with her groundstrokes. Despite making an unusual amount of errors in the second set, Azarenka closed out the third with a commanding performance from both sides.

Heading into their second-round matchup, Tauson has the upper hand with the fitness considering she's played a shorter match. Azarenka's firepower behind her serve and forehand could put her opponent on the back foot if she begins firing.

Taking their game styles and their previous clash into account, the Belarusian has a better chance of making it through this clash.

Our prediction: Azarenka in three sets.