Matteo Berrettini v Andy Murray Betting Tips [17 January 2023]

This is one of the best matches in the first round of the Australian Open. 13th seed Matteo Berrettini takes on the unseeded Andy Murray. The winner of this match will have a second round game against either Fabio Fognini or Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis. Berrettini was ranked 14th at the start of this tournament but needs to do well to keep that position. That's because he reached the last four here in 2022 and has to defend those points so is down to 21st in the live rankings. The Italian has an impressive record in recent Grand Slams. He's reached the last eight at least in each of his last five Grand Slams. This year saw him get to the final of the United Cup team tournament. He won three of his five matches and that included beating Casper Ruud.

Andy Murray hasn't had a good warm-up for this tournament. He played the first Adelaide International and lost in straight sets to eventual runner-up Sebastian Korda. Last year saw him reach a final in January so those points have been lost and he's slipped down from 49th to 66th. Getting back into the top 32 and avoiding tough matches in early rounds still looks a long way off. He last got to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament in 2017 and this is another tough draw for him. He's lost his last three matches to Berrettini, most recently in last year's US Open. Another defeat to the Italian is likely here.