The WTA French Open women’s qualifying tournament begins. These matches won’t receive the same attention that the main draw of the tournament will get, but these are huge moments for tour professionals. Getting into the main draw of a major tournament means a bigger paycheck and an opportunity to make a huge gain in the rankings. A lot of players are pursuing money, points, and the important opportunity to be able to directly qualify for smaller tournaments later this season and in the future. These are season-defining moments for many of the players involved. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA French Open qualifying
Tararudee – Papamichail: Time 12:00 EST
H2H: 0-0
Lanlana Tararudee takes on Despina Papamichail in a very interesting match. There is a lot to consider here. First, Tararudee is ranked 71 spots higher, 99 compared to 170 for Papamichail. However, Tararudee’s top-100 ranking is based on having won 29 hardcourt matches this year. That’s a lot of wins, but those wins are coming on one surface. Papamichail has won only one hardcourt match this year, but she has won eight on clay. Tararudee has been playing challenger tournaments in Asia. Papamichail recently played a challenger tournament in Europe on clay. These players both play the Challenger Tours to gain points, but they have been playing on different surfaces. How will that affect their match here?
Best Bet to Make
Tararudee’s much higher ranking is based on winning a lot of hardcourt matches. Papamichail has won eight matches on clay this year, while Tararude hasn’t won any matches on clay. Tararudee might be the better player overall, but Papamichail has clearly invested in playing on clay and being comfortable on the surface. Tararudee has not done that. Even if Tararudee wins, it will be close, so your bet should be on Papamichail keeping the match close to some degree.
That being said, betting on Papamichail +1.5 sets is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Papamichail +1.5 sets @2.12 @Unibet
Gjorcheska – Lamens: Time 13:30 EST
H2H: 0–0
Linda Gjorcheska takes on Suzan Lamens. Gjorcheska is 2-3 in her last five matches, while Lamens is 1-4. However, Lamens played in both the Madrid and Rome qualifying tournaments against tougher competition, so her 1-4 record is partly a product of the kinds of opponents she has faced in recent weeks. Gjorcheska played a Madrid ITF challenger event a few weeks ago, but that’s different from the Madrid 1,000-point tournament in which Lamens participated. Lamens is ranked 67 spots higher than Gjorcheska, 124 compared to 191.
Best Bet to Make
Lamens is the higher-ranked player who has recently played better opponents as a product of going to the Madrid and Rome qualifying rounds. That kind of recent experience against better players should help Lamens to win this match smoothly. Gjorcheska hasn’t done enough to recommend a bet that favors her in this match. The play should be on Lamens to not only win but win by a decent margin.
That being said, betting on Lamens winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Lamens winning 2:0 @1.95 @Coral
Yaneva – Begu: Time 13:30 EST
H2H: 0–0
Elizara Yaneva and Irina Begu are both ranked outside the top 180. Begu is just outside the top 180 at 184, while Yaneva is 40 spots lower at 224. Yaneva is 4-2 in her last six matches, but it’s worth noting that she has regularly been playing ITF challenger events. Begu’s last two matches came in the Madrid main draw and in Rome qualifying against a higher level of competition. However, the biggest piece of context here is that Begu had not played for several months before Madrid due to a calf injury, which took her off the tour for nine months. Having just two matches since her return makes it hard to determine how well she will play here.
Best Bet to Make
Because of the uncertainty surrounding Irina Begu as she slowly works her way back to the tour after a very long injury layoff, we advise you to not bet a large sum of money on this match. Make it a smaller wager or something conservative. If you do bet on this match, you have to decide for yourself if Begu having two matches the past few weeks is enough to trust her here. She is probably a better player than Yaneva, but being sluggish from her lack of match play is a real possibility. Our lean is still to Begu, though, because having two matches instead of only one or zero probably gives her enough rhythm to play at a reasonably good level. The price for a Begu win is also very good.
That being said, betting on Begu winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Begu winning @1.91 @Bet365
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
