Tennis Betting Advice - May 2025
French Open: A complete outsider at 100/1...
Monday 19th May 2025
Five of the last 10 women’s French Open finalists have gone off at 100/1 or bigger…
Let’s get one in the book for Roland Garros 2025 today…
There’s no doubting the quality of the three big names at the top of this year’s women’s French Open betting. But there are certainly chinks in the armour…
Between them, four-time Paris champion Iga Swiatek, current world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka, and world no.2 & former French Open runner-up Coco Gauff, have won just one clay-court title in the current season. With reigning Roland Garros champ Swiatek yet to reach a final anywhere since lifting this trophy last June.
Since we first latched on to a teenage Swiatek at 100/1 as an ‘unknown’ newcomer back in 2020. Other triple-figure odds female finalists on the famous Paris clay courts include our 150/1 Each Way runner-up from last season, Jasmine Paolini. This time, having just won the Rome Masters at 22/1 last week, Jasmine is just 16/1 in general for next week’s French Open.
In this February’s ‘28 Club’ article - “28 is a pretty good age to be good”-we discussed Paolini’s big year in 2024. And looking ahead to this season’s Majors, I named BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA as one to look out for on the ‘late bloomers’ list in 2025…
A complete outsider at 100/1 and bigger…
I’ve just watched 28-year-old Beatriz beat Ones to Watch youngster Clara Tauson in Strasbourg. The Brazilian was up to her old tricks: fist-pumping and yelling, digging in for gruelling rallies, finding forehand winners from lung-busting positions - and saving two match points en-route to a come-from-behind, three-set victory. That’s the kind of battling win that she’s known for…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Haddad Maia loves a scrap. Some say she doesn’t come alive in a tennis match until it’s deep and tight in a third & final set…
This afternoon’s win in Strasbourg will do the power of good to the current world no.23’s confidence. After the match, former no.10 Beatriz said that she was the first player to arrive at the venue. A level of dedication that suggests to me that Bea and her team mean business in France over the next couple of weeks…
Haddad Maia’s form has been poor so far this season. She’s had injury issues in the past, too. But in the women’s game in particular, as that five 100/1+ finalists in five years stat indicates - it seems anything is possible at the French Open…
This physical left-hander has shown Grand Slam underdog promise before…
We can counter those Major runs with the knowledge that Beatriz also lost in the 1st round at last year’s French Open. And only made it as far as the 3rd round in the first ‘Slam of 2025, at the Australian Open.
You could also point to the fact that Haddad Maia has yet to win a full-level WTA title on clay. But then again, sceptics could have said the same about Jasmine Paolini this time last spring - and the diminutive Italian went on to reach the Roland Garros final at triple-figure odds…
In short, I like Haddad Maia for the French Open at outsider prices. And odds of 100/1+ are certainly that…
While the likes of Ladbrokes & Coral are 33/1, with Willam Hill at 50/1. We can get 150/1, 125/1, and 100/1 with some of the big firms as I write - and even 300/1 with Unibet & co, if you can get it…
If any of the favourites do tumble in Paris over the next couple of weeks, and some of them certainly will (only one player can win it…). Haddad Maia is the kind of fighter who could wrestle her way into a first Grand Slam final - at giant odds…
When Beatriz made the French Open semis a couple of years back, four of her six matches in Paris went all the way to a final set. We have to ride the rollercoaster with this one. But Each Way odds of 100/1+ allow us to do that…
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Ones to Watch picks:
See above for full details
Outright Winner – Each Way (1/2 odds 1-2 places)
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I’ll be back later in the week with more big-odds info ahead of the French Open, which starts this Sunday, 25th May.
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone