The Rouen tournament is the smaller WTA tournament this week. The main event is in Stuttgart, where there are more points and larger payouts. Rouen is an event where struggling or lower-ranked players try to build form and win matches against second-tier competition, with Madrid’s two-week tournament not far away. Let’s look at some of the first-round matches as Rouen rolls into action on Monday:
WTA Rouen
Rakhimova– Kalieva: Time 15:00
H2H: 0-0
Kamilla Rakhimova faces Elvina Kalieva. Rakhimova is ranked roughly 70 spots higher than Kalieva, and that creates different choices for the players in those situations. Rakhimova, ranked near 70, knows she will make the main draws at major tournaments, while Kalieva knows she will have to go through qualifying. Kalieva has to pick up points to move up the rankings list and had to go through the Rouen qualifying rounds to make the main draw. Rakhimova hasn’t played since Miami in late March, resting up for the start of her clay season.
Best Bet to Make
There’s a clear favorite in this match, and it’s Rakhimova. The books think so, too. Does she carry enough value to bet on her to win straight up? Most prices are around 1.60, one as low as 1.58, but there’s a 1.70 price in there, and so while this is not an incredible value, it’s a good mixture of value and likelihood of winning the bet. There’s nothing wrong with taking a flier on one of those bets every now and then.
That being said, Rakhimova winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Rakhimova winning @1.70 @10pinnacle
Stephens–Podrez: Time 17:30
H2H: 0-0
Sloane Stephens faces Veronika Podrez. Stephens’ ranking is almost 200 spots lower than Podrez’s ranking, but Stephens used to be an elite player. Her ceiling is still noticeably higher than Podrez’s if we are going to compare the two. Stephens lost to Mirra Andreeva last week in Linz. That’s a loss to a top-10 player. Stephens did not get blown out in the match. She lost comfortably but did not get embarrassed. That’s something for her to build on.
Best Bet to Make
Stephens is simply a better tennis player than Podrez. Crucially, she played solid tennis last week and ran into the No. 1 seed at the tournament in which she was playing. A straight moneyline bet for Stephens won’t get you a great return on a wager, but a straight-set win certainly will. If you think Stephens is ready to win this match straightforwardly, you will get tremendous value. You can grab her winning 2:0 at 2.5 on bet365.
That being said, Stephens winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Stephens 2:0 @2.5 @bet365
Paquet–Wang:01:00
H2H: 1-0
Chloe Paquet faces Xinyu Wang. Paquet has a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head rivalry, but that one match was back in 2020. A lot has changed since then. Paquet is ranked nearly 200 spots lower than Wang. The match is in France, so Paquet will be playing in front of a supportive crowd, but can that offset the apparent gap in quality with Wang, a solid top-40 pro?
Best Bet to Make
This is a bet where you don’t need to make things complicated. Wang is a better player than Paquet. She is several years younger (24 to Paquet’s 31) and is closer to her physical prime. They both came into the main draw through the qualifying rounds, but Wang played in Indian Wells and Miami while Paquet did not. Wang has been getting tested by better competition. She should be able to win rather cleanly, and the books feel that way, too.
That being said, Wang winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Wang 2:0 @1.81 @1xbet
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
