French Open Men’s Singles QF
The exciting clay season is nearing its bombastic finale as this year’s French Open approaches the quarter-final stage.
Familiar sports betting names filled up many of the Last Eight slots, so we can expect nothing but explosive action from this point onwards of the competition.
There are two questions lingering in the heads of every tennis fan: Can Novak Djokovic manage to defend his title this year? Is there anyone who will bet online against the King of Clay’s rampage?
Rafael Nadal vs Pablo Carreno Busta
You can be sure that betting odds are stacked against Pablo Carreno Busta when he squares off against fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal later.
Carreno pulled off an impressive five-set thriller against Milos Raonic, with the final set ending in a tense 8-6 victory in his favour. He needs to double his heroics if he has any hope of beating the nine-time French Open winner.
Nadal has been nothing short of mesmerising in the clay this season, and I don’t think he’ll falter here of all places. It will be a giant (albeit improbable) upset if he exits in the quarterfinal, so punters should not fear Nadal’s Asian Handicap odds of -2.50 @ 1.35.
Andy Murray vs Kei Nishikori
Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori are familiar with each other’s games and should present an interesting match to spectators.
The Scot is still the World No1 but his clay season has been nothing short of disappointing. He hopes to end this season on a high by one-upping his second-place finish last year. He stumbled out of the gates but seemingly found his form just in time.
Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori had to battle his way to face Murray. Among all of his games in this Major, only his second-round duel against Jeremy Chardy ended in straight sets. He will likely pull Murray to a drawn-out battle that will test both of their limits under the French sun. Don’t hesitate to put your eggs in Nishikori’s basket: odds of 2.40 with a +1.50 handicap are hard to ignore.
Novak Djokovic vs Dominic Thiem
Andre Agassi’s arrival to Djokovic’s camp did a lot to improve his bid in defending his title. He shut out Dominic Thiem in straight sets at the Rome Masters and he will be looking to replicate his feats in France.
However, his last two matches saw the former No1 stumble a bit. His third-round bout with Diego Sebastian Schwartzman notably saw him at the brink of elimination before managing to seal the game with two consecutive 6-1 sets.
Thiem won all of his matches in straight sets and will be hoping to rattle the disgruntled Serb even further. I believe this game should also run the full nine yards, so punters should look at Thiem’s +1.50 @ 1.98.
Stan Wawrinka vs Marin Cilic
This Last Eight match may not draw the same press as the others, but fans could be in for an instant classic.
The Swiss tennis star has won all of their six clay-court matches ever since they first played each other in 2006, but the Croat is having the better run. Save his fourth-round match against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, Cilic won his matches in straight sets. His opponents also didn’t win any more than three games per set.
Meanwhile, Wawrinka has been climbing up the ladder knackered: every single match he’s had saw a set that went to tie-breaks. If he doesn’t tweak his clay game, Cilic may rudely sweep the rug under his feet. I’m gunning for the underdog this time: choose Cilic +1.50 @ 2.09.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
