Yulia Putintseva vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Australian Open

Prediction published on 16/01/2026, 06:21  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 16/01/2026 at 06:24 in Tennis Predictions

Beatriz Haddad Maia takes on fellow unseeded player Yulia Putintseva in the first round at the Australian Open. This is their third career meeting and the second time they are facing off at a major. Read on to find our prediction for this match.

Yulia Putintseva has had a strong start to the season, even if she hasn’t had long runs in the main draw of the tournaments she has contested. The Kazakh, who has started in two events in the qualifying rounds, has won five of eight fixtures.

She is coming off a second-round exit in Adelaide. That run in Adelaide has catapulted her 11 places in the live ranking and right back into the WTA’s top 100 at number 94. Putintseva produced a third-round finish in Melbourne last year to equal her best-ever finish at this event.

Beatriz Haddad Maia also made it to the third round at last year’s major. It was the second successive season she had exited in the third round. In her return, she will target moving into the second week for the first time.

The Brazilian, however, will have to be in far better form than she started the season in. Haddad Maia has contested just one fixture so far and lost. This was in Adelaide, where she fell in three sets to eventual finalist Victoria Mboko.

The former world number 10 has dropped to 60th in the live ranking.