Tennis Betting Advice - May 2024
French Open: Our dog in the dirt at 28/1...
Friday 31st May 2024
French Open – Email #3
It’s been a rough opening week at Roland Garros. I can’t remember the last time that rain delays played such a part in week one of a Grand Slam…
The good news is, conditions are set to improve in week two. In a bid to get the match schedules back on track, the French Open organisers – notoriously stubborn – have had to acknowledge the situation, and taken the rare move to bring forward the start of play on Saturday morning.
On the betting front, we’ve had to take more early body-blows than we would like. But we’re very much still in the game. As I write this Friday afternoon, we have three 100/1+ Ones to Watch picks running for us: Tommy Paul and Hubert Hurkacz in the men’s, and Jasmine Paolini in the women’s.
Over the weekend, as Paris dries out, the draws may start to shake out a few exciting paths through to next weekend’s finals…
Two Top 10 players at big prices…
There are two players I want us to scoop up the best prices for today. In the men’s, our friend Daniil Medvedev at 28/1. And in the women’s, another player who has done so well for us in the past, Marketa Vondrousova at 50/1…
If you’re a long-time Ones to Watch follower, then you’ll know I had Medvedev down as a future star from when he was first breaking onto the tour. He featured in my pre-season reports a couple of times before going on to reach the US Open for the first time – and then eventually winning it.
On clay, I talked up his underdog chances a while back now…
We were on Medvedev at 40/1 in 2021 when Daniil had his (to date) best-ever showing at Roland Garros, reaching the quarter finals. Last spring, we successfully latched onto the determined Russian at 28/1 in Rome, where he won his first (and to date only) ATP title on clay…
The man who once proclaimed he greatly disliked the red stuff, asking why anyone would want to be seen rolling about like a ‘dog in the dirt.’ Is now – whisper it quietly – a decent contender on this playing surface.
Add in the doubts over some of the men’s favourites that we discussed in Email #1 last Friday. And odds in the region of 25/1 make Medvedev a dark horse here.
He's looked a happy figure in the opening two rounds. Doing your on-court interviews in French helps to enamour oneself to the Parisian patrons. As does having recently-retired French player Gilles Simon in your box, cheering you on and offering clay-court expertise. The Roland Garros crowd were chanting Gilles’ name the other night. Adding Simon to his team might just prove a low-key Medvedev masterstroke.
In the women’s, the lady I perennially describe as enigmatic, Vondrousova is through to the 4th round, last 16. We were on the smart & talented Czech left-hander at 40/1 and 33s during Wimbledon last summer. She went on to win the whole thing.
We were also on Marketa at 40/1 Each Way in 2019, the year she made her first big breakthrough at Grand Slam level, reaching the final here at the French Open…
As ever, I wanted to see how she was shaping-up in the early rounds, before getting involved. The signs are pretty good. Pre-tournament news of her divorce was also in my mind. But it doesn’t seem to be affecting her on court. And Vondrousova always has a good poker face, to be fair. We’ll take the best prices going into the weekend…
As with men’s world no.5 Medvedev (actually a former no.1), Vondrousova is a Top 10 player (currently no.6) AND a Grand Slam champion. There aren’t many players around that tick both boxes right now. Especially at attractive prices like these…
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Ones to Watch picks – French Open:
See above for full details
Men’s Outright Winner – Each Way (1/2 odds 1-2 places):
Women’s Outright Winner – Each Way (1/2 odds 1-2 places):
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You watch the French Open live on Eurosport, with court choice via the Eurosport app and Discovery Plus platform. Or on live streaming with bookies including Bet365 and Skybet.
I’ll be back next week with more from Paris…
P.S
Want to get in touch? Email me at:
oliver.upstone@oxonpress.co.uk
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone