Italian No. 1 opens her account on Rod Laver Arena.
No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini is due to kick off proceedings on Rod Laver Arena with a Round of 128 battle against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the Australian Open 2026 on Sunday. Despite her incredible record in team competitions, Paolini failed to take Italy into the United Cup knockouts earlier this month. Subsequently, Sasnovich powered through qualifying to enter the main draw. Can the 31-year-old veteran halt the charge of the two-time Grand Slam finalist?
Paolini had a win ratio of 67% last year, including a hugely impressive championship run at her home event in Rome. The 30-year-old is currently ranked No. 7 in the world. Yet, Sasnovich remains one of the few players to have an advantageous record against the Italian without being beaten. Having reached the Round of 16 at the majors on two occasions, the Belarusian has to hope for a miracle to advance in the draw. Considering Paolini’s third round exit here in 2025, the momentum could shift in anybody’s favor.
According to the tennis betting odds on BetMGM, Jasmine Paolini (-278) has superior odds over Aliaksandra Sasnovich (+215) in the Australian Open 2026 opener. Here’s how we are betting on the Paolini v Sasnovich duel, including our best bets, supporting odds and a set-score prop for bigger prices.
Tournament & Round: Australian Open 2026, Round of 128
Surface: Outdoor Hard Court
Format: Women’s Singles, Best of Three Sets
Date & Start Time: January 18, 11:30 AM Local
Court: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Best Bet: Jasmine Paolini to Win 2-0 @ -105 as per BetMGM
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Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich Betting Odds
Given below are the latest odds for Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich from the top sportsbooks. We are looking at the match money line, game handicap and total games, plus some set betting markets where available.
Market
BetMGM
FanDuel
Moneyline
Paolini (-278), Sasnovich (+215)
Paolini (-285), Sasnovich (+230)
Game Handicap
Paolini -4.5 (-113), Sasnovich +4.5 (-115)
Paolini -4.5 (-112), Sasnovich +4.5 (-118)
Total Games
>20.5 (-113), <20.5 (-115)
>20.5 (-110), <20.5 (-122)
Set Betting
Paolini 2-0 (-105), Paolini 2-1 (+295)
Paolini 2-0 (-115), Paolini 2-1 (+300)
Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich Predictions & Picks
Our Pick: Jasmine Paolini 2-0 at -105
An Olympic gold medalist in women’s doubles, Jasmine Paolini has a phenomenal record in Grand Slam opening rounds. While she was tested in all her Round-1 encounters last year, the pocket rocket emerged on the right side. Coming into this match-up, Paolini has a 1-1 record in 2026. She has won 61% service games and saved 68% break point opportunities.
On the other hand, Sasnovich is in fine touch at the moment. Despite her ranking of World No. 102, the Belarusian has a success rate of 80% in her five matches. However, Paolini is a quick learner. She is likely to analyze her previous face-off vs Sasnovich and open up the court to find cheap points on Sunday. We are predicting a straight sets win for Jasmine Paolini, making the -105 a low risk bet.
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Aliaksandra Sasnovich Recent Form
Brisbane International 2026: Round of 16
Hong Kong Tennis Open 2025: Round of 32
Pan Pacific Open 2025: Qualifying
Ningbo Open 2025: Round of 32
China Open 2025: Round of 32
Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich Head to Head Record
Aliaksandra Sasnovich has a lead of 1-0 in the head-to-head against Jasmine Paolini. Coming up against the Top-10 superstar on the clay courts of Palermo in 2020, the senior starlet delivered a thumping of epic proportions.
Event
Round
Winner
Score
2020 Palermo
Round of 16
Aliaksandra Sasnovich
6-0 6-2
How to Watch Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the Australian Open 2026?
Jasmine Paolini 🇮🇹 making fun of Maria Sakkari 🇬🇷…
The Australian Open 2026 can be viewed live on a variety of streaming platforms and TV channels across the world. This includes Tennis Channel, Stan Sport, ESPN International, TSN, beIN Sports, SuperSport, Canal+, Sony Sports, Eurosport and TNT Sports – depending on where you are watching from.
Date
January 18, 2026
Time
11:30 AM Local
Tournament
Australian Open 2026, Round of 128
Surface
Outdoor Hard Court
Court
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
TV/Streaming
Tennis Channel, Stan Sport, ESPN International, TSN, beIN Sports, SuperSport, Canal+, Sony Sports, Eurosport, TNT Sports
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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