WTA French Open quarterfinals
Sabalenka – Zheng: Time TBA
H2H: 6-1
Aryna Sabalenka has won four of her last five matches. She has won all four matches this week in Paris without dropping a single set. In the opening round, Sabalenka lost only one game against Rakhimova. She demolished Teichmann and Danilovic in the second and third rounds. Her toughest challenge came in the 1/8-Finals. Anisimova put up a big fight against Sabalenka yesterday. The world number 1 won against Anisimova 7-5 6-3. She has never made it past the semifinals here. Last season at the French Open, Sabalenka lost against Andreeva in the quarterfinals in three tight sets.
Qinwen Zheng has won four of her last five matches. In the opening main draw round, Zheng won against Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets. She also had no problems against Arango and Mboko in the second and third rounds, winning both matches in straight sets. Yesterday, in the 1/8-Finals, the eighth seed struggled against Samsonova. She won the match after spending almost three hours on the court. After losing the second set 1-6, Zheng stepped up her level and won the deciding set 6-3. Last season in Paris, she lost against Avanesyan in the third round in three tight sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Sabalenka is the favourite in this matchup, and we agree. She is the world number 1 and has tons of experience playing at the Grand Slam level, especially at the later stages. On the other hand, Zheng never succeeded at the French Open. We expect Sabalenka to dominate tomorrow.
That being said, Sabalenka covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Aryna Sabalenka -3.5 games handicap @1.73 @bet365
Svitolina – Swiatek: Time TBA
H2H: 1-3
Elina Svitolina has won four of her last five matches. Up until the 1/8-Finals, Svitolina had a favourable draw. En route to the 1/8-Finals, she defeated Sommez, Bondar and Pera all in straight sets. Yesterday, in the 1/8-Finals against Paolini, Svitolina saved three match points in the second set. In the deciding set, the Ukrainian dominated from the start until the end. She has never made it past the quarterfinals at the French Open. Last season, Svitolina lost against Rybakina in the fourth round.
Iga Swiatek has won four of her last five matches. Swiatek had a favourable draw this week in Paris until the fourth round. She won her first, second and third-round matches in straight sets. Yesterday in the 1/8-Finals, the Pole lost the opening set 1-6 and trailed in the second set 0-2. However, she stayed calm and turned the match around, winning three sets. Swiatek has won four titles here in Paris. Even more impressive is that she won the last three French Open titles.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Swiatek is the favourite in this matchup, and we agree. She is by far the biggest favourite to win another French Open title. Svitolina has no weapons for her game, and we expect Swiatek to win easily.
That being said, Swiatek winning in straight sets is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Iga Swiatek winning 2-0 @1.91 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
