The second Grand Slam of the season is going to come to a close this weekend and the two Finals have been set.
Two favourites are facing a couple of outsiders over the weekend, but I think there is potential in the matches before the short run towards Wimbledon begins.
Iga Swiatek - 5.5 games v Cori Gauff: The two most deserving players have reached the French Open Final in the Women's tournament in Paris and I do think it has real potential of being one of the more competitive Finals of recent seasons.
Much is going to depend on how Cori Gauff handles her first Grand Slam Final.
The young American is still only 18 years old even though it feels like Cori Gauff has been around for a long time already. She has not really had the impact at the Grand Slam level that she would have liked after breaking onto the scene with a run to the Fourth Round at Wimbledon in 2019, but the former Junior Champion at Roland Garros has had her best two runs here.
Before this run to the Final, Cori Gauff had reached the Quarter Final in Paris in 2020 and I do think the experiences are going to make her dangerous at Wimbledon and the US Open. However, Cori Gauff will be fully focused on trying to win a maiden Grand Slam and may feel she has nothing to lose after overachieving this fortnight.
Now the biggest challenge awaits Gauff as she prepares to take on Iga Swiatek- the World Number 1 has continued to dominate all that have been put in front of her and players are struggling to win sets against her, let alone matches.
There has been a consistency to her tennis since winning the French Open in 2020 with Iga Swiatek reaching the Fourth Round or better in each of her last six Grand Slam appearances. In saying that, the Polish player will be the first to admit that she needs to start adding Slam titles to her resume to really underline her place as the top female player in the world.
Iga Swiatek has really served well in the tournament, although I do think Cori Gauff has the return to really test her here. In their head to heads, Cori Gauff has not really been able to get into the return as well as she would have liked though and I do think it puts pressure on the American's serve against one of the stronger return players on the Tour.
The breaks earned by Cori Gauff in this tournament certainly makes this number of games appealing on the handicap, but Iga Swiatek has been dominant. Even one competitive set may not be enough for the younger player to keep this one close if Iga Swiatek is able to return as well as she has at Roland Garros and I do think Gauff will be tested on the return more than she has.
The World Number 1 crushed Cori Gauff in straight sets when these two met in Miami earlier this season, while the likes of Daria Kasatkina, Simona Halep and Maria Sakkari were pretty clear winners over Gauff in tournaments played on the clay this season.
It certainly has me leaning towards Iga Swiatek who has the vastly superior clay court numbers of the two players overall in 2022 and also here at the French Open.
Cori Gauff will have to deal with the nerves of a maiden Grand Slam Final and I think it could be a real learning experience for a player that is likely going to win multiple Slams in the years ahead. The first may have to wait a little longer though and I can see Iga Swiatek pulling clear as the pressure is ramped up on Gauff.
MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 5 5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
French Open Update: 53-54, - 11.17 Units (212 Units Staked, - 5.27% Yield)
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