Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton clear favourites – T365 Week 2 champion predictions

Tennis365
L-R: Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul
Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul.

The Australian Open is a week away – but there is still plenty of tennis to play before then.

Here, our writers Oli Dickson Jefford, Kevin Palmer, Ewan West, and Shahida Jacobs predict their champions for Adelaide, Hobart, and Auckland.

(WTA 500) Adelaide International – Women’s singles

ODJ: Tournaments held the week before majors are always riddled with withdrawals, but WTA 500 stalwart Daria Kasatkina has made the Adelaide final the past two years – this year she could go one better.

KP:  Paula Badosa is back in form and could be in line for a big 2025.

EW: After a surprise early loss in Brisbane, Emma Navarro has a good opportunity in Adelaide to bounce back by winning what would be her biggest title.

SJ: Initially, I went with Jasmine Paolini, but there is always a risk that the big names will withdraw. Here’s to Diana Shnaider playing the event and continuing her fine form from last year.

(ATP 250) Adelaide International – Men’s singles

ODJ: Tommy Paul had a career-best season in 2024, and I think the top seed starts 2025 by winning his fifth ATP title.

KP: Seb Korda will be a real threat on the fast Australian courts if he can steer clear of injuries and the No 2 seed is a player to watch in Adelaide.

EW: A winner of three ATP 250 events on hard courts and the only top 20 player in the draw, Tommy Paul could be the player to beat here as he starts his season.

SJ: Tommy Paul had a brilliant 2024 season, but was overshadowed by Taylor Fritz. Paul has a decent draw as the top seed and could pick up his fifth career title.

Tennis News

WTA Rankings: Aryna Sabalenka builds healthy lead over Iga Swiatek; Naomi Osaka +7, Emma Raducanu -4

ATP Rankings: Jannik Sinner edges closer to Carlos Alcaraz as Kei Nishikori returns to top 100, Reilly Opelka +122

(WTA 250) Hobart International – Women’s singles

ODJ: A two-time champion and a beaten Hobart finalist in 2024, Elise Mertens is a reliable pick to go deep here.

KP: Amanda Anisimova has a big game that is hard to handle when she is at her best and if he finds her best form, she will be a player to watch in Hobart.

EW: Elina Avanesyan has an amazing 7-0 record against top 12 players, and after upsetting Paula Badosa and impressing in Brisbane last week, the 22-year-old Armenian could be ready to win her first title.

SJ: Hobart has had some surprise winners in the past with the stars often taking a break before the first major. Magda Linette wouldn’t quite count as a surprise winner as she has three titles to her name and she could make it title No 4 in Hobart.

(ATP 250) Auckland Open – Men’s singles

ODJ: Big-serving Ben Shelton had an up-and-down 2024, but I think he starts 2025 in style with victory in Auckland.

KP: Ben Shelton is the best player in the Auckland draw and he should power his way to a first title of 2025.

EW: Barring a potentially tricky opener against Jakub Mensik or Alexandre Muller, top seed Ben Shelton looks to have a manageable path to a third career title.

SJ: Had Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard down as my winner, but his withdrawal means it is difficult to look past Ben Shelton.

Predictions Game

This season, our writers are competing against each other in a fantasy-scoring game to see who can predict the most successful players in each tournament.

Our team members receive five points for a correct champion pick, three points if our pick is the runner-up, and one if they reach the semi-final.

This changes to seven, five, three, and one point from champion to quarter-finalist at the Grand Slams.

It has been a solid start for the team in Week 1, with all our writers correctly predicting Aryna Sabalenka to win in Brisbane, and all bar Ewan backing USA in the United Cup.

Unfortunately, there were no correct champion picks for the Brisbane men’s or Auckland women’s titles.

However, Ewan and Kevin both received three points for selecting Naomi Osaka in Auckland, while Shahida received one point for Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane.

Standings after Week 1

=1) Ewan West – 11 points
=1) Shahida Jacobs – 11 points
=1) Kevin Palmer – 11 points
4) Oli Dickson Jefford – 10 points

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