French Open Tennis Day 11 Picks 2016 (June 1st)

I can't say I have been impressed with the rain over the last couple of days in Paris as I seriously believe it has contributed to a couple of my picks going down the pan.

Both Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep felt the same thing as they blew leads of 6-2, 3-0 and 5-3 respectively when their matches were resumed on Tuesday. The fact is that both players lost 21 of 28 games played on Tuesday after winning 14 of 19 on Sunday and that was partly down to the changed conditions thanks to the heavy rain and partly on the courts not being as playable as those two players would have liked.

There have been a lot of complaints at how the organisers handled Tuesday as they looked to avoid a second straight day of zero tennis at Roland Garros but both Halep and Radwanska were highly critical of the decisions made. Some may think that is the expected response of two players who have fallen in a tournament they might have expected to win, but I can feel sympathy with them, while others like Ernests Gulbis almost decided on his own that he would not play in the conditions present.

When you put it all together, it is a difficult spot for the organisers who are now the only Grand Slam without a roof to keep matches going. The Australian Open has more than one roof and I can see Wimbledon and the US Open moving in that direction in the coming years while the French Open tries to fight through all of the legal issues to get even one roof on the Philippe-Chatrier Court.

Something has to be done at Roland Garros because the last two days is the kind of unacceptable situation that a modern world is not prepared to see, whether that is the players or the fans. The last two days won't have had television companies falling over themselves to broadcast this tournament either when the last two days are put into perspective and all of this puts more pressure on Guy Forget to make sure the French Open is not left too far behind the other Grand Slams.


There are still plenty of tennis matches to get through for this tournament to get back on schedule, but the weather in Paris looks like it may be improving with a few showers in the area. You can be sure that the organisers would love to see some straight-forward matches on Wednesday to ensure all of the Fourth Round matches remaining and the Quarter Finals can be put through.

The pressure is on those players in the halves of the draw that still need to get through the Fourth Round as those players will be having to play a lot of tennis in a short space of time to get to the Final.

Players like Garbine Muguruza, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray might be the big beneficiaries of the weather over the first couple of days this week, although all three have to avoid looking too far ahead and make sure they are booking their places in the Semi Finals on Wednesday.


I have a bunch of picks that have yet to be completed thanks to the weather and those can be found at the link here.


Sam Stosur - 3.5 games v Tsvetana Pironkova: Both Sam Stosur and Tsvetana Pironkova can thank the poor weather on Sunday as a reason they have made it through to the Quarter Finals. Neither player looked in good shape on Sunday, but came out as different players on Tuesday as two of the matches that could have been completed on that day.

There are a couple of issues that need to be cleared up- can Stosur continue to get away with the wrist issue that has been affecting her backhand through this tournament and is Pironkova's left leg issue from last Sunday fully over?

We should still some heavy conditions in Paris thanks to the cool weather and the rain that is still in the Roland Garros area. That might suit Stosur who can find the time to run around the backhand and use her heavy forehand to strong effect, although Pironkova showed off her own power from the back of the court in coming back to beat Agnieszka Radwanska on Tuesday.

The clay courts should definitely be a surface that Stosur enjoys more than Pironkova and I do think the Australian's serve could prove to be the difference. Despite her one handed backhand, Stosur has played very well this week and I think she will have enough strength to hit through the court in this one to give Pironkova something different to see.

Both had emotional wins on Tuesday, but I think it will be Stosur who can find her way to a 64, 64 win in this one and once again reach the Semi Final here in Paris.


Garbine Muguruza - 5.5 games v Shelby Rogers: In Grand Slam events, you always get one or two surprise names who put things together and make their way through to the second week of the tournament. On the Women's side of the draw, there is no doubting that Shelby Rogers is the player raising most eyebrows in what has been a special tournament for the young American.

It is a real surprising run with little sign that Rogers was going to have the kind of tournament she has had. Some of her losses prior to Roland Garros didn't show a player that would beat three players Ranked inside the top 30 in four matches and I have to say I have been impressed with the way she has put things together.

There have still been moments where Rogers has allowed some of her unforced errors to get away from her, but there has been something in her game that has seen her opponents make a whole host of those unforced errors. That will be the case with Garbine Muguruza because of her style of play with plenty of winners likely to come from the racquet of the powerful Spaniard.

She is yet to get past the Quarter Final in Paris having reached this Stage for the third straight year, but Muguruza has been in very strong form the last three Rounds. That comes off the back of a solid run in Rome and a strong serving display will give Muguruza the edge in this one and a chance to show the difference in quality between the players.

I can see a confident Rogers being a real threat for a while, but Muguruza should take control and eventually break down her opponent in a 75, 62 win.

MY PICKS: Sam Stosur - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 William Hill (2 Units)
Garbine Muguruza - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)