World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty looks to reach the final of a grand slam event for the third time in her career when she takes on Madison Keys in the 2022 Australian Open women's singles semifinals on Thursday. The top-ranked Barty made easy work of Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals to advance to the Australian Open semifinals for the second time in three years. Keys, meanwhile, upset No. 4 seed Barbora Krejcikova to also earn her second career trip to the semifinals in Melbourne.
Barty vs. Keys is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. ET on Thursday. The latest Keys vs. Barty odds from Caesars Sportsbook list Barty as the -500 favorite, while Keys is a +350 underdog. There are a variety of other Barty vs. Keys picks on the board such as total match games, with the over-under set at 20.5. Before making any 2022 Australian Open women's semifinals picks, you need to check out the 2022 Australian Open predictions and betting advice from elite tennis handicapper Gavin Mair.
A renowned women's tennis handicapper, Mair has cashed in huge in the past. In the 2020 French Open, Mair picked Iga Swiatek to win (-163) and win in straight sets (+140), and he was right on both counts.
He also called unseeded Jelena Ostapenko (80-1) winning the 2017 French Open, Naomi Osaka (32-1) winning the 2018 U.S. Open and Bianca Andreescu (20-1) winning the 2019 U.S. Open.
Now, Mair has broken down the latest 2022 Australian Open women's semifinals odds and released his coveted best bets for Barty vs. Keys. He's sharing all of his Australian Open picks and expert tennis analysis at SportsLine.
Ashleigh Barty vs. Madison Keys preview
Barty has had little trouble in the tournament thus far, losing a total of 17 games while posting five consecutive straight-set victories. The 25-year-old cruised past Pegula, needing just 63 minutes to post a 6-2, 6-0 triumph. Barty also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2020 but suffered a 6-7 (6-8), 5-7 loss to Sofia Kenin, who went on to defeat Spaniard Garbine Muguruza for the title.
A native of Ipswich, Queensland, Barty is looking to become the first Australian to win the tournament since Chris O'Neil accomplished the feat in 1978. O'Neil's triumph over American Betsy Nagelsen was the last in a string of seven consecutive titles won by Aussies. The last Australian woman to reach the finals was Wendy Turnbull, who lost to Hana Mandlikova in 1980.
Barty, who won the 2019 French Open and Wimbledon last year, is 2-1 lifetime against Keys after defeating the American in the quarterfinals en route to her title win at Roland Garros. The 26-year-old Keys is riding a 10-match winning streak and has captured 11 of 12 this year after totaling 11 in 2021. Her lone appearance in a grand slam final came in 2017, when she lost to Sloane Stevens in the U.S. Open.
How to make Barty vs. Keys picks
Is Barty set to reach the final for the first time in her career, or is Keys positioned to accomplish the feat? Mair has released confident picks on the winner, as well as advice on match betting for the 2022 Australian Open. Make sure you check out Mair's predictions and analysis before making any Australian Open 2022 picks of your own for the women's semifinals.
Who wins Barty vs. Keys in the 2022 Australian Open women's singles semifinal? And what match pick should you be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see Gavin Mair's best bets for Keys vs. Barty, all from the acclaimed expert who has called three long-shot winners of Grand Slam women's titles since 2017, and find out.
