French Open Betting Tips & Predictions
The second Grand Slam of the season is upon us, as tennis’s elite head to Paris for the French Open. The unique clay surface means that slow-court specialists tend to come to the fore.
Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion in the men’s draw and, having warmed up for his repeat title bid with victory at the Italian Open in Rome last time out, the Spanish superstar could take some stopping.
The women’s event has been dominated in recent years by Iga Swiatek, with the prolific Pole crowned champion in four of the last five seasons, but recent form suggests that there could be a changing of the guard.
Tip 1 - Carlos Alcaraz to win the men’s French Open @ 11/10
It is hard to look beyond the obvious in the men’s French Open draw, with Alcaraz taken to justify favouritism and make a successful title defence of his Roland Garros crown.
The Spaniard was forced to withdraw from competition in Madrid due to injury, but he returned with a vengeance in Rome, taking the title with an authoritative 7-6, 6-1 win over home favourite Jannik Sinner in the final.
That means he has won four of his last five meetings with world number one Sinner, and this is only the Italian’s second tournament appearance since he won the Australian Open in January.
The physical and mental demands of a Grand Slam will ask a lot of Sinner’s match sharpness and he also has the tougher draw, with Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper all in his path before the final.
Alcaraz may have things easier and ten of his 19 ATP Tour titles have arrived on this slower surface, including four Masters Series events, so he is very much a clay-court specialist.
The 22-year-old has lost only two of his last 29 matches on clay, and Sinner’s return to the ATP Tour appears to have refocused his mind as he targets a fifth Grand Slam title.
Tip 2 - Francisco Cerundolo to win the second quarter @ 6/1
Francisco Cerundolo could upstage both Zverev and Djokovic in the second quarter and appeal as a value alternative to make his first Grand Slam semi-final, where Sinner could await.
The Argentinian simply loves this slower terrain, having made five clay-court finals on the ATP Tour, and he showcased his talents with semi-final runs in Munich and Madrid in April and May.
Cerundolo has won all three meetings with Zverev, all of which have come on clay, while Djokovic suffered shock first-round exits in both Monte Carlo and Madrid to support the feeling that the 24-time Grand Slam champion is a declining force.
Tip 3 - Coco Gauff to win the women’s French Open @ 5/1
The French Open has been a Swiatek dynasty in recent years, but the Pole is going to have to do things the hard way if she is to make it four victories in a row.
Swiatek is housed in an extremely tough top half of the draw featuring world number one Aryna Sabalenka, recent Rome champion Jasmine Paolini, former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and 2017 Paris winner Jelena Ostapenko, and her recent form is uninspiring.
Therefore, the bottom half of the draw is the place to exploit and 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff looks well-placed in her bid to claim a second Grand Slam title.
The American has made the final of her last two tournaments in Madrid and Rome and, seeded second, doesn’t appear to have too many dangers before a potential semi-final showdown with rising star Mirra Andreeva.
Andreeva, aged just 18, was a semi-finalist in Paris last season, but Gauff has won all four meetings between the pair, including two straight-set victories on clay within the last month.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation