The French Open rolls on, and the action continues to intensify. My last bets largely paid off, though I admit to missing on Vekic. Here are my best bets for today. Let me know in the comments if you agree.
French Open
Vekic – Pera: Time 11:00
H2H: 0-2
Donna Vekic and Bernarda Pera have met twice before, including right here at the French Open back in 2023. After losing the first set, Pera took their matchup in three sets. The two have yet to play a match that doesn’t entertain. Their matches against one another before this year were three-set bangers that went back and forth. Pera is 6-4 in her last ten matches, Vekic is 5-5 in hers.
Best Bet to Make
Despite having beaten Vekic in both of their matches, Pera is an underdog in this match, according to the books. I’m not overly confident in Vekic after she played a three-round slugfest with Blinkova in the first round while Pera sailed in two sets. Vekic had the chance to win in straight sets, but she let Blinkova push her into that third set, even though she could offer no resistance in the third set. If she finds herself in a similar situation against Pera, not only does Pera know she can beat her in that type of match, she knows she can beat her at Roland-Garros during the French Open.
That being said, Pera winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Pera winning @2.31 @Pinnacle
Kartal – Andreeva: Time 14:30
H2H: 1-0
Sonay Kartal and Erika Andreeva will meet for the second time at a Major Event. Kartal beat Andreeva in straight sets during the opening rounds of the 2024 Wimbledon. Andreeva hasn’t been playing well lately, with only two wins in her last ten matches. Kartal isn’t playing much better, but she is 5-5 in her last ten matches. Both ladies are relatively inexperienced on clay, but Kartal has a slightly better winning percentage at 34-14 than Andreeva at 79-49 on clay.
Best Bet to Make
Andreeva is an underdog for a good reason. Not only is she playing really poorly as of late, but Kartal is likely the better player on clay. Given that she’s already beaten her once before, expect Kartal to come out aggressive early so she can put this one away before too long. Though Kartal is the favorite, the odds you can get on her winning straight up are solid, but they’re even better should you decide to go with the correct score. At 1.88, it seems silly to take a chance on a correct score when picking straight will do.
That being said, Kartal winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Kartal winning @1.88 @Betfair
Haddad-Maia – Baptiste: Time 11:00
H2H: 1-0
Beatriz Haddad-Maia and Hailey Baptiste have met only once before, but it was at the Trophee Lagardere in 2022, where Haddad-Maia beat Baptiste en route to being tournament runner-up. Haddad-Maia won that match on clay, and she has an impressive overall record on the surface at 207-105. Baptiste is no slouch, and she has an overall record of 93-57 on clay. Baptiste is in better form right now at 6-4 in her last ten matches. Haddad-Maia is in a bit of a slump, she’s only 4-6 in her last ten matches.
Best Bet to Make
The books have Haddad-Maia as the favorite, and I agree. While I do agree, I still think Baptiste is going to take a set from Maia. At 4.33, Haddad-Maia winning two sets to one would be a pretty significant payout. You can still make decent money picking Haddad-Maia straight up, but the payout is only 1.76, and you have the benefit of knowing they went three sets the last time they met. When I consider how well Baptiste is playing lately, the idea of her taking one set in this match but still losing seems more and more likely.
That being said, Haddad-Maia winning 2:1 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Haddad-Maia winning 2:1 @4.33 @Ladbrokes
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
