Simona Halep vs Sloane Stephens
The final two ladies vying for the French Open trophy have been named, and we are now set for a grand finale that hopes to trump amount of excitement the 2017 final delivered in terms of content and action!
The SBOBET tennis page is already chock-full of French Open betting odds, and one of two very dominant ladies would be lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. There are plenty of reasons why fans of the sport should keep a close eye on this year’s French Open final.
Simona Halep is looking to establish her dominance in the women’s game while Sloane Stephens looks to add to her Grand Slam tally with a win here. The Romanian is the heavy favourite to win the tournament, but the American will surely use her underdog status to steal some thunder and come out the victor with a stunning upset.
This is Halep’s chance to finally snag that elusive Grand Slam title by the horns and cement her status as a superb tennis athlete. However, there is always a chance for Stephens to mess things up. Will it end up like last year’s heartbreak for Halep?
Talking Points
Halep is hungry for a Grand Slam victory, and she has had close calls with Roland Garros for the past seven years. She can surely feel that it’s high time for her to win this year’s competition after falling short twice this year.
Her form also gives her plenty of encouragement. While she had a tough start against American Alison Riske in the first round, the World No 1 dominated the following sets in order to put the 27-year-old American in her place.
Her subsequent matches against Taylor Townsend, Andrea Petkovic and Elise Mertens were settled in straight sets as Halep found her groove and didn’t allow her opponents to even hope of stealing a set from her. It seemed that Halep was on her way back to the top, but Angelique Kerber put up a strong challenge.
The former top-ranked female kept close to Halep for most of the first set, stealing it thru a tie-break. However, it was from that moment on that Halep showed her quality. She used a serve-and-net-dash strategy to keep Kerber on her toes for most of the match.
Her stop before the final was against 2016 winner Gabriñe Muguruza. They locked horns and were in a tough battle for an hour and 32 minutes before Halep overcame the Spaniard and won 6-1 6-4. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to claim that she is in the best form to clutch her first-ever Grand Slam without any hitches.
However, it important for us to remember that Stephens isn’t slacking off in her preparations for this tournament, either. She was slotted in an interesting semi-final with good friend and fellow American Madison Keys, which she won in straight sets. There is no doubt that she is more than capable of delivering another painful rejection to Halep, but history paints a different picture.
History
This is the third time the 27-year-old made the French Open final. Maria Sharapova and Ostapenko stole both clay titles from her during her last two appearances, but now’s the golden opportunity for her to snap her winless streak. She’s played well throughout the French Open, and there’s no reason for her to not win the title this time around.
Her participation in prior clay tournaments was less than encouraging if we do put that into consideration. Karolina Pliskova put her away in straight sets in Madrid, and Elina Svitolina put on an incredible performance to steal all of Halep’s games in the Rome Masters final.
While Halep has been inconsistent for much of the clay season, it’s not like we can say that Stephens is doing well herself. Camila Giorgi had her number and had plenty of opportunities to knock her out in the third round. She also saw herself make Round of 16 exits in Spain and Italy.
Moreover, Halep won five of their seven meetings in the pro tour. While most of their battles were held on hard courts, their last clay match was during the 2014 Roland Garros tournament, Halep’s first trip to the final. If she can tap into what happened during that match, there’s a good chance for her getting her first Grand Slam title.
What are the Odds?
The odds heavily favour Halep for good reason. She will likely win this tournament and finally end her long drought. However, I don’t think Stephens will just concede the title on her favourite surface. I’m more than sure that the American will be able to at least steal a set before bowing out of the final.
With that being said, SBOBET tips favour Stephens +3.50 @ 2.00 for the Asian Handicap Market on Game Handicap. Simona Halep’s -1.50 deficit will reward risky punters with 2.11 odds. Meanwhile, Stephens supporters will be thrilled to see Money Line odds of 2.72 going for the 25-year-old.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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