Three bold predictions for the final week of the 2025 Australian Open

We are a week into the 2025 Australian Open, and there, of course, have been a number of upsets. Perhaps only Daniil Medvedev losing to 19-year-old Learner Tien is truly shocking, though. Most of the favorites prior to the tournament remain in play.

This includes the 10-time winner in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic. He does not have an easy draw the rest of the way, though. He will play Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round, and should he win that one, will likely face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. Still, Djokovic winning his 11th title at the Australian Open while being coached by Andy Murray would be quite the story.

But what might happen in the final week of the tournament? Will someone such as Ben Shelton make their first huge impact on the sport? Here are some guesses.

Bold predictions for how the rest of the 2025 Australian Open will go

Gael Monfils reaches the semifinals

At 38 years old, Monfils is playing some of the best tennis of his career. He began the season with a title at the ASB Classic, and he took out fourth-seeded Taylor Fritz in the third round. Next up for the Frenchman is American Ben Shelton. Shelton's serve allows him the ability to defeat anyone on the ATP tour, but Monfils still moves well enough to stay in points others would not.

After getting past Shelton, Monfils has a favorable matchup against either Learner Tien or Lorenzo Sonego. In the semifinals, Monfils will face Jannik Sinner and the Italian will get the victory in four sets. Reaching the semis, though, will be Monfils best showing ever in Melbourne and his first major semifinal since the 2016 US Open.

Paula Badosa defeats Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals

Badosa playing at a high level, which she has been for about five months, is nearly miraculous. A chronic back problem forced her out of many tournaments, and she seemed possibly closer to retirement than getting back to being ranked in the top ten. In the live WTA rankings, she is currently No. 11, though, and has a real chance to climb even higher.

Gauff has not truly been challenged yet. Her game works well on a hard court, and she should be considered one of the favorites at the Australian Open. This is why it will be a shock when the Spaniard beats her in three sets in the quarterfinals.

And the winners will be...

OK, these might not be very bold. But why be bold for bold's sake? Otherwise, one is just making a wild guess without any kind of clear logic to back it up.

The guess here is that Aryna Sabalenka will win on the women's side and Jannik Sinner will win on the men's. Sabalenka has been almost unbeatable on Australian soil for the last few years, and there is no reason to think she will lose in Melbourne in 2025.

Sinner is the clear No. 1 on the ATP side, and yet, he could be facing a suspension for last year's failed drug tests. He is going to want to take care of business while he can. He is also a better player on hard courts than Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner will win the Australian Open for the second straight year.

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