Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Simona Halep – Round 2, 2021 Australian Open

One of the Australian Open 2021 favorites Simona Halep had a strong start in the tournament and is now facing Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round.

The Australian could be a tricky hurdle if we judge by her opening victory, but the bookies seem to have written her off.

I share my expectations about this match in my Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Simona Halep betting preview. The post includes the latest odds, my prediction, and a free betting pick for the encounter.

The top-rated sportsbooks online obviously believe that Halep should win without too much hassle against Tomljanovic, based on the odds they offer. You can find out if I agree with them in my analysis of both players below.

In her entire career so far, Ajla Tomljanovic has been remarkably consistent, both in a good and in a bad way. She was part of most Grand Slam tournaments since 2013, but was never able to have a proper run and looked out of depth against top-level opponents.

Tomljanovic has only three victories in six Australian Open editions before 2021 and has never managed to go further than round two. On top of that, she lost all three matches against Halep so far in her career.

On the surface, Tomljanovic should be doomed against her famous opponent, but a closer look at the details shows that might not be the case.

The H2H record features three close matches between the players. The underdog was able to push Halep to the limit on pretty much every occasion.

If you add Tomljanovic’s dominant win in the first round, this one might be closer than it looks. The Australian lost only three games against Misaki Doi, so her confidence should be sky-high.

There’s little doubt that Simona Halep is one of the favorites in Australian Open 2021. The Romanian reached the last four in Melbourne last year and played in the final in 2018.

She started the competition with a devastating victory over Lizette Cabrera, leaving the local favorite no chance as the highlights prove.

And yet, we’ve often seen the favorites destroy the opposition early on and struggle in the next round. That’s exactly what happened to Halep at the end of January.

She lost badly against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Gippsland Trophy after winning the first two rounds with ease, so judging too much by her Australian Open 2021 opener could be a mistake.

I’m sure that Halep would’ve preferred another opponent for her second round clash in the Australian Open 2021. Tomljanovic has given a good fight every single time so far and they have gone over 18.5 in all three previous meetings.

If you add the Australian’s performance in the opening round, I see enough of a reason to expect another relatively tight encounter. Halep should be able to win, but the match could easily go over 18.5 games and that’s my final pick.