French Open Tennis Day 9 Picks 2025 (Monday 2nd June)

The second Grand Slam of the season is pushing on towards crowning another Champion and the Quarter Final lineup is set to be confirmed at the end of Day 9.

There is every chance that the end of this tournament is going to be a lot of fun for the fans with some top names still chugging along nicely and some of the quality of the matches being seen has already begun to pick up.

It is another busy day in Paris, but the four women's Fourth Round matches look tough to call.

Alexander Zverev may be given a significant test by Tallon Griekspoor and Andrey Rublev is underrated by the layers- he is being given plenty of games and could cover in a losing effort against Jannik Sinner.

But the main leans that I would potentially target may feature the matches involving the last British interest in Paris and you can read my thoughts below.

Novak Djokovic - 7.5 games v Cameron Norrie: You have to say that very little form had been shown by Cameron Norrie and Novak Djokovic before both decided to head to Geneva for the final clay preparation ahead of the French Open. It was Novak Djokovic who won the title in Geneva, but Cameron Norrie also enjoyed a strong run and the confidence has seen both ease their way through to the second week in Paris.

This time a Quarter Final place at the French Open is on the line following the Semi Final match played between these players in Geneva.

On that occasion Novak Djokovic came through with a three set win and he went on to lift the title and the World Number 6 has backed that up with three wins at the French Open without dropping a set. Before the title win in Geneva, Novak Djokovic had been really struggling for his best level on the clay, but he has looked pretty comfortable back in Paris where the Serb won the Olympic Gold Medal last summer.

The draw has been a kind one to allow Novak Djokovic to ease his way into the tournament and the veteran will know that his own level will need to be raised if he is going to win another French Open title.

Credit has to be given to Cameron Norrie after coming through a tough opening match in five sets having looked like he was heading out of the tournament when down a break to Daniil Medvedev in the deciding set. He has not dropped a set in the last two Rounds and Norrie is playing with real confidence, although he will have to do the same as the First Round and beat this opponent for the first time.

At least he has won sets from Novak Djokovic previously, unlike against Daniil Medvedev, and that includes Cameron Norrie winning the first set in the 2022 Wimbledon Semi Final before losing in four.

However, Novak Djokovic has dominated the numbers in the previous meetings and that includes in both previous wins on the clay.

Last week he was able to break the Cameron Norrie serve four times and the former World Number 1 was under little pressure when it came to protecting his own serve. This will likely be competitive at times, but Djokovic can exert his qualities over the Fourth Round match and he may eventually pull clear of the British player as he progresses with a cover of the line set.

Jack Draper - 6.5 games v Alexander Bublik: The build up towards Wimbledon will begin this month and there are going to be plenty of expectations shouldered by Jack Draper when playing at his home Grand Slam.

Players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may be leading the headlines on the ATP Tour, but World Number 5 Jack Draper is certainly capable of pushing those two and he has certainly developed well enough to look like a real contender here in Paris. Clay court tennis results over the last several weeks can only have given Jack Draper confidence and he should have enough to move past Alexander Bublik in this Fourth Round match.

Take nothing away from Alexander Bublik having already beaten a top player in Alex De Minaur and from 2-0 down in sets too. That will have given him plenty of confidence and it has only been twelve months since Bublik was right in amongst the top names on the Tour.

He used the momentum to cruise past Henrique Rocha in the Third Round and Alexander Bublik has a dangerous game when at his very best.

In reality that game is much more suited to other surfaces rather than the clay and so this has already been a very positive tournament for a player that had been sliding down the World Rankings. This is a step up compared with some of the players Alexander Bublik has beaten on the clay this year, Alex De Minaur aside, and even that Second Round match looked to have gotten away from him before the Australian's capitulation.

The last two matches between the players have been dominated by Jack Draper, although the Alexander Bublik serve has kept him in the match. However, they were also matches on grass courts and hard courts and those are much more likely to be aid the serve compared with the clay, which likely means Jack Draper can put Bublik under even more pressure.

This is a big line, but Jack Draper's Third Round win was impressive and he can back that up in his bid to reach the French Open Quarter Final for the first time.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 7.5 Games

Jack Draper - 6.5 Games

French Open Tennis Day 8 Picks 2024 (Sunday 2nd June)

The French Open has been hurt by the rain in the first week, but we should have better weather now we move into the business end of the tournament.

Fourth Round action gets underway on the second Sunday at the tournament.

Coco Gauff - 5.5 games v Elisabetta Cocciaretto: It has been a relatively comfortable week for Coco Gauff who has previously played well on the clay courts. The big test for the American will still likely come from Iga Swiatek in the same half of the draw, but Coco Gauff cannot afford to look too far ahead.

She has twice been a Quarter Finalist in Paris and also reached the Final here so there is no doubt that Coco Gauff is going to be confident.

Things are a lot different for Elisabetta Cocciaretto who has never been beyond the Third Round at any Grand Slam before winning three matches here. She did reach the Third Round at Roland Garros twelve months ago and, like many of her compatriots, Elisabetta Cocciaretto is very comfortable on the clay courts.

Two losses to Coco Gauff might give the higher Seed a mental edge, but Cocciaretto will point out that both of those were on the hard courts which would favour the American.

Results on the clay courts prior to the French Open had been pretty mixed for Elisabetta Cocciaretto and so it will be interesting to see how she deals with this kind of occasion. You should not dismiss the form shown to win three matches at a Grand Slam and winning six straight sets, including beating two Seeds, but this is another level of opponent.

One set is expected to be competitive, but Coco Gauff may be able to roll through the gears in another and that should set her up for a relatively comfortable win. Serving well will be key for Gauff, but she has played well enough through the first week to believe in her tennis as she pushes towards another match up with Iga Swiatek on the red dirt.

MY PICKS: Coco Gauff - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

French Open Update: 11-4, + 9.34 Units (30 Units Staked, + 31.13% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 6 Picks 2023 (June 2nd)

For the second day in a row, the early Tennis Picks could not return a winner, but the later selections turned the day around.

I was a little disappointed with the Casper Ruud failure to cover considering his domination of the first two sets, while Lauren Davis withdraw when it looked like Lesia Tsurenko was going to return a winner.

Frustrations with Borna Coric's performance meant I was settling in for a losing day, but a few things began to go the way of the selections including Iga Swiatek sweeping through the second set when saving a number of Break Points on her way to beating Claire Liu.

There is still room for improvement for the tournament returns, and hopefully that begins with a more positive start to Day 6 when the Third Round begins.

That Round begins on Friday and we have had more upsets with Jannik Sinner, a genuine contender, exiting the men's tournament and really opening up the bottom half of the draw. I have to say I was very impressed by Alexander Zverev on Thursday and through the first couple of Rounds and we may see him exorcise the mental demons of the bad injury suffered in Paris twelve months ago to go at least one step further and make the Final.

Plenty of work has to be done before the Finalists are confirmed in both Singles events being played in Paris as the players continue to deal with warm, but windy conditions.

Carlos Alcaraz - 8.5 games v Denis Shapovalov: At first glance this looks like a really big spread for the World Number 1 and top Seed at the French Open to cover.

That is not a negative reflection on Carlos Alcaraz, but more to point out the talent that Denis Shapovalov has, even if the Canadian has had a tough couple of years which have seen him slip down the World Rankings. Two wins in the main draw at Roland Garros will make sure that Denis Shapovalov is Seeded at Wimbledon, where his game could be very dangerous, but the lack of time spent on the clay courts makes it hard to believe he can compete with the Spaniard in this Third Round match up.

Much will depend on how well Denis Shapovalov serves.

Despite his relatively poor record on the clay courts since the beginning of the 2022, Denis Shapovalov has managed to hold over 80% of his service games played. Right away that will make it very difficult to beat him by a big margin, but the return part of his tennis has not been up to the level that a top player would expect and that has built pressure on him.

Like many, the first serve is most effective, but the Shapovalov second serve can begin to crack under pressure and I do think a player like Carlos Alcaraz who has broken in 38% of return games on the clay courts prior to the French Open will be able to take advantage.

Over the last twelve months, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas have both beaten Denis Shapovalov on this surface very comfortably and found the breaks needed, but this time the lefty is facing an even better player in Carlos Alcaraz.

A surprising dropped set in the Second Round will have just refocused Carlos Alcaraz who has won five of the seven sets played at the French Open by 6-0, 6-1 or 6-2 scores. The serve is perhaps an under-rated part of the Carlos Alcaraz game on the clay courts and I do think he is going to be able put a statement win together by dismissing a tough challenger on his way into the second week.

A left handed player gave Carlos Alcaraz all sorts of problems at the French Open in 2022 and that was Albert Ramos rather than Rafael Nadal. However, Alcaraz has won twelve of his last thirteen matches against southpaws on the clay courts and has broken in 38% of return games played in those matches.

The expectation is that the Number 1 Seed can find the breaks in this one and he can pull away for a strong win over Denis Shapovalov who lost by a nine game margin to Holger Rune twelve months ago.

Lorenzo Musetti - 3.5 games v Cameron Norrie: Wins over a couple of struggling Frenchmen has allowed Cameron Norrie to ease his way into the French Open, but the British Number 1 will know that there is a much tougher test in front of him in the Third Round. A place in the second week of the French Open for the first time is up for grabs for Cameron Norrie, who is looking to push into the top ten of the World Rankings, but his opponent has previous experience of doing that and is very, very comfortable on the clay courts.

While Cameron Norrie dropped a couple of sets in the First Round, Lorenzo Musetti has barely broken a sweat in winning both of his matches in straight sets.

His Second Round win over Alexander Shevchenko was incredibly one-sided and the young Italian is set for another move upwards in the World Ranking from his current career best Number 18. At 21 years old there is still some real room for improvement for Lorenzo Musetti and the most obvious place is with the serve, but he has shown he can compete with the best players on the Tour on the red dirt and we have yet to see the same from Cameron Norrie on any regularity.

Over the course of his career, Cameron Norrie only holds a 19-18 record against top 50 Ranked opponents on the clay courts. He is 2-5 in that situation this season, although Norrie is a tough competitor and does hold one of those wins over Carlos Alcaraz, which always deserves respect.

Lorenzo Musetti has a 19-12 record against top 50 Ranked opponents on the clay and I think that is a real credit to him as someone who is still building and improving on the Tour. He has a 4-3 mark against those opponents in 2023, including a win over Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo, and Musetti has an edge when it comes to the returning numbers compared with Cameron Norrie.

That was the case when these two met in Barcelona in April and it was Lorenzo Musetti's return game that came to the fore in the three set win over this opponent. It was a close match and Cameron Norrie will believe that it won't take a lot for things to turn his way, but I do think Musetti has the slight edge, which can pay dividends at the big moments.

Beating Cameron Norrie is never easy because he will not go away without putting in a full shift, but I do think his opponent will just find enough from his return game to ultimately win this one in four sets.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 6.5 games v Diego Schwartzman: He is in danger of dropping out of the top 100 of the World Rankings after an incredibly difficult twelve months on the Tour, but Diego Schwartzman should always be respected on the clay courts.

Playing on the red dirt in 2023 has not been as positive an experience for Diego Schwartzman as he would have hoped and he came into the French Open with a really poor 2-11 record on the surface. Falling two sets down in the First Round looked to spell an early end to his time in Paris, but Diego Schwartzman bounced back to win in five sets and has won six sets in a row to reach the Third Round.

He is a three time former Quarter Finalist at the French Open, but Diego Schwartzman is defending a Fourth Round run from last year as he remains in danger of slipping out of the top 100. A tough career has put a lot of miles in the legs and that may be the reason for what has looked to be a rapid decline over the last year and Schwartzman is going to be a significant underdog in this Third Round match.

Prior to the French Open, Diego Schwartzman was only holding 59% of his service games played, which is a big drop from the 68% mark from last season. Making life even more difficult is the fact that the return game has dropped a few percentage points too and I do think Diego Schwartzman is going to find it tough to stay with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is trying to fly under the radar.

The former Finalist in Paris, Stefanos Tsitsipas is in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz and those two are clearly going to be making the headlines.

That won't be a big problem for Stefanos Tsitsipas who has dropped a single set in the tournament and who impressed in beating a clay court specialist like Roberto Carballas Baena in the last Round. The serve continues to be a big weapon for Tsitsipas and he has long enjoyed returning on the clay courts much more than he has on the other surfaces and that should show up in this match.

It has been a favourable match up for Stefanos Tsitsipas, although the Diego Schwartzman return in previous years has caused one or two problems for the Greek player. That has not been as clear on the clay courts where Stefanos Tsitsipas holds a 2-0 record over Diego Schwartzman having held 82% of his service games compared with 50% for the Argentinian player.

This gap could be there on Friday considering the form of the two players going into the French Open and I do think the 2021 French Open Runner Up will be able to move into the second week with a strong win under his belt.

Other Selections: This has been a tournament filled with upsets, but I largely think the higher Ranked men's players can get through their Third Round matches on Friday.

That includes Karen Khachanov, Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz who are all relatively small favourites compared with the three already mentioned in this thread.

I do think all three are more than capable of seeing off Thanasi Kokkinakis, Lorenzo Sonego and Juan Pablo Varillas in three or four sets.

Novak Djokovic is another who should win, but I do think Alejandro Davidovich Fokina can make a decent fist of things and that is firmly one to watch.

We have seen some upsets in the men's French Open, but the women's tournament has seen the Seeded players tumbling out of the second Slam of the season.

I am expecting Elina Svitolina and Daria Kasatkina to avoid joining the upset list, but Irina-Camelia Begu looks like a live underdog to me.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 8.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Lorenzo Musetti - 3.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Coral (2 Units)

Karen Khachanov - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Hubert Hurkacz - 1.5 Sets @ 1.75 Coral (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Daria Kasatkina - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Irina-Camelia Begu @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

French Open Update: 19-15, + 2.36 Units (68 Units Staked, + 3.47% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 12 Picks 2022 (June 2nd)

It has been a very difficult few days for the Tennis Picks, but it was pleasing to put a sweep together on Wednesday as the Quarter Finals were completed.

On Thursday we are down to the Women's Semi Finals before the Men take centre stage on Friday.

Hopefully the momentum of Wednesday can carry forward through to the Semi Final Picks, which can be read below.

Martina Trevisan + 4.5 games v Cori Gauff: It isn't often that a player will have the opportunity to reach a Grand Slam Final and I think both of these players involved in the final four at Roland Garros will be looking at the other as a really good draw.

When I say that, I mean no disrespect to Cori Gauff or Martina Trevisan who have both had strong clay court seasons in the build to the French Open and who have looked sharp in the tournament. Both will feel they have performed at a strong level to deserve their spot in the last four in the second Grand Slam of the season and I can't really argue with that at all.

Between the two players, they have only dropped a single set.

That came in Martina Trevisan's Quarter Final against Leylah Fernandez having served for the match before going down in the tie-breaker, but the Italian showed character and composure to eventually break through in the final set decider.

Cori Gauff has had it easier with a single set won on a tie-breaker, while a couple of other sets have been won 7-5, while the numbers have been slightly stronger than Martina Trevisan in the French Open and I do think the young American is the more likely to make the breakthrough and reach a maiden Grand Slam Final.

The younger player has been a little stronger when it comes to the return of serve in the last two weeks and she has a big hitting game that will put Martina Trevisan under pressure.

It sounds like the weather is heating up considerably over the next two days in Paris and that may suit the aggressive game of Cori Gauff with a little more chance to hit through the court. The serve can also be an important weapon for her and I do think Cori Gauff is going to have more faith in that shot picking up cheaper points than Martina Trevisan, whose serve is all about placement.

Under pressure that could potentially go awry, as it did when serving for the match in the Quarter Final, and Martina Trevisan is going to have to find a way to drag Cori Gauff into longer rallies and see if her clay court nous can pay off.

In this French Open, both have been explosive return players and I do think this is going to make this a tight and competitive Semi Final.

They have met once before here at the French Open in 2020 and it was Martina Trevisan who edged past Cori Gauff in three sets having created more break points in the match. It was played in the Autumn and the conditions are going to be vastly different on Thursday, while both players are going to have to deal with different nerves in a Semi Final compared with the Second Round meeting a little over eighteen months ago.

Nerves make it a little harder to predict, but I do think Martina Trevisan is being underestimated with the amount of games she is being given. The time spent on the court in the last two Rounds may also go against the Italian, but she is given every chance to recover with this being the second Semi Final on Thursday and I think there are enough games here to see Martina Trevisan keep this one competitive, even in a losing effort.

Iga Swiatek - 6.5 games v Daria Kasatkina: This has to be one of the biggest spreads we have seen in a Women's Grand Slam Semi Final for a long time, but you can't really argue against it.

After a stellar clay court season leading into the French Open, Iga Swiatek has looked the best player in the draw even though there has been a few more mistakes coming out of the racquet than we have become used to seeing. The problem with setting such strong standards is that any slight drop looks surprising, but Iga Swiatek is still playing at a really strong level.

While the serve has been working well for the most part on the clay, the World Number 1 has continued to dominate the return numbers and I expect she is going to be able to put a lot of pressure on Daria Kasatkina's vulnerable serve.

The lower Ranked player had a decent clay court season herself, while Daria Kasatkina has been competitive even in the three losses she has suffered on the surface. It was important for her to get through her Quarter Final in straight sets to make sure she is ready to compete with this being a rare moment in the Grand Slam when two players have to go out on court without any rest days.

Daria Kasatkina's serve did show vulnerability against Veronika Kudermetova, but like Iga Swiatek, the Russian has been returning very effectively and that will give her confidence in her maiden Grand Slam Semi Final. She has been Ranked in the top ten on the WTA Tour in her career and that is going to be important for Daria Kasatkina to have the confidence to try and compete, but this has been a terrible match up for her in 2022.

Last season Daria Kasatkina came from behind to crush Iga Swiatek on the grass courts in Eastbourne and she had lost just a single game in the final two sets on that day, but it has been much different in 2022.

These two have met three times this season and Iga Swiatek seems to have taken offence to the way she was beaten in Eastbourne having won all three matches and lost a total of eleven games in those wins. The win at the Australian Open was the toughest of the three wins with five games given up that day, but Swiatek has clearly gotten well on top of this opponent.

The clay courts could give Daria Kasatkina more of a chance, but she has seen her serve crushed by the World Number 1 and I think we are going to see more of the same on Thursday.

I do think Daria Kasatkina can have more success on the return of serve than she has had in their three matches in 2022 with all of those being on the hard courts, but even then it will be hard to stay with someone playing at the level that Iga Swiatek has produced.

A big number like this can be difficult to overcome with one or two mistakes or missed game points/break points likely to prove costly, but I do think Iga Swiatek will be tough to contain for an opponent like Daria Kasatkina. As well as the latter has played in this tournament, it feels like she will struggle to look after her serve and I think Swiatek wins widely as long as she can stay in the moment and not think too far ahead of herself.

MY PICKS: Martina Trevisan + 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Iga Swiatek - 6.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

French Open Update: 51-53, - 12.77 Units (206 Units Staked, - 6.20% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 4 Picks 2021 (June 2nd)

The First Round has been completed at the French Open over three days and the weather has been pretty glorious in Paris, although perhaps a little windy at times for the players.

Things don't look very favourable in the days ahead, although the roof on the main show court at Roland Garros will mean the Tennis is not going to be completely erased by the weather. On Wednesday there does look like being plenty of wet weather in the Roland Garros area and that may mean delays and possibly some of the Second Round matches scheduled being pushed until Day 5.

At this stage of the tournament you would like to see the tournament stay on schedule with the bottom halves of both draws ready to take centre stage, but it looks like being a stop-start kind of day in the French capital.

Alexander Zverev - 8.5 games v Roman Safiullin: While it can't be seen as a steadfast rule for Grand Slam Tennis success in the Men's side of the tournament, I think it is telling that so many of the multiple Champions of years gone by have spoken of the need to get through the first week with as little fuss as possible. For me it is especially the case at the French Open where matches can become very long and sap all energy before the second week arrives for players.

The second week is when the competitive ramps up considerably and you want to be able to perform at your very best when those matches come around and that means not wasting unnecessary energy early in the event. Alexander Zverev may be one of the top Seeds here, but he is going to want to make lighter work of this Second Round match after needing to fight back from 0-2 down in sets to win his first match in Paris.

To be fair to Zverev, he did waltz through the last three sets and actually spent a little under three hours on the court which should not really affect a 24 year old player. And it has been a very good clay court season to this point for Alexander Zverev which will make him believe there is plenty more to come as he gets set to take on a Qualifier in the Second Round.

Roman Safiullin is just four months younger than his opponent, but he has yet to crack the top 150 in the World Rankings and bridging the gap to someone like Alexander Zverev will be a difficult challenge for the Russian player. The four wins in Paris will have given Safiullin a lot of confidence in his game, but it is a surprising run considering he had lost all four clay court matches played in 2021 and all of those to players Ranked outside the top 100.

In saying that, the highest Ranked player Roman Safiullin has played at Roland Garros is Number 126 and Alexander Zverev sits 120 places further up the World Rankings. The Russian player has struggled to look after his serve before this week and that has put a lot of pressure on what has been a pretty average return game on the clay courts and I expect Alexander Zverev to win this match in much more routine fashion than his First Round win over compatriot Oscar Otte.

Last year Roman Safiullin did take a set from Stan Wawrinka on the clay courts, but he won just two games in the other two sets competed that day and I think there will be a couple of strong run of games in favour of Alexander Zverev in this match. The First Round should just have been an eye-opening experience for the top ten Ranked player and I expect him to look to make life as easy as possible in this one with a much more focused display.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 8.5 games v Pedro Martinez: The moment the draw was made for the French Open you had to feel that Stefanos Tsitsipas was going to be in a strong position to make the Final of a Grand Slam for the first time. He has been a Semi Finalist at both the Australian Open and here at the French Open, but the draw looked like being a kind one for him.

While the Greek player was getting through his First Round match relatively comfortably, the likes of Alexander Zverev had to fight back from 0-2 down to earn his place in the Second Round while Dominic Thiem blew a 2-0 lead against Pablo Andujar and exited. That defeat in particular will have strengthened the belief of the fans behind Stefanos Tsitsipas that he is ready to produce a run through to the Final in Paris as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer sit on the other side of the bracket.

Stefanos Tsitsipas cannot afford to get too far ahead of himself and the performance against Jeremy Chardy in the First Round will be really encouraging. He has had another strong clay court season and the improvement in his return numbers have paid off for Tsitsipas, although he will know this is a tougher test than the layers may believe in the Second Round.

He will be taking on 24 year old Pedro Martinez who is very comfortable on the clay courts and fresh off a revenge win over Sebastian Korda who upset the Spaniard in Paris last season. Like many from his nation, Martinez is very happy playing on the red dirt but it has been a slightly mixed season for him on the clay courts and he has dropped out of the top 100 in the World Rankings.

The serve is going to be the key weapon for Pedro Martinez and he has been holding 80% of service games played on the clay in main ATP matches in 2021. That is an improvement on the 2020 numbers, although it should also be pointed out that Martinez has only played three players Ranked in the top 50 and the highest of those was Alexander Bublik at Number 43.

This is a completely different level though and Pedro Martinez will know that- he is not only playing a top ten Ranked player for only the second time in his career, but one that is very comfortable on the clay courts. Stefanos Tsitsipas is capable of building some real pressure with his strong serve, one that is about as good as any player's on the clay courts, and that has led to him breaking in 31% of return games played on this surface in 2021.

Stefanos Tsitsipas still has work to do with his return on the faster surfaces, but over the last couple of years he has definitely showed it is an aspect of his game which is working pretty well on the clay courts. It has led to plenty of pretty comfortable wins on the clay in 2021 too and I think he will find the breaks of serve to wear down Pedro Martinez in this Second Round match on what could be a wetter day in Paris than we have seen so far.

Daniil Medvedev - 5.5 games v Tommy Paul: The dislike for playing on any clay court has been made clear by Daniil Medvedev, but his strong performance in the First Round at Roland Garros has to be encouraging. No one should be rushing out to back Medvedev to win the title here after seeing him beat Alexander Bublik, but it was a good solid win for a player that has a disdain for this surface.

Mentally it was a big win for Daniil Medvedev who had suffered First Round defeats in all four previous visits to Roland Garros and he certainly has the game to back it up. There is a learning curve to producing on the clay courts, but much is about the movement and I do think this is a surface that will be one in which the Russian does enjoy successes going forward.

The conditions in Paris look to be suiting Daniil Medvedev too and he was certainly more positive about his chances in the pre-tournament press conferences than may have been expected of someone holding a 0-4 record at the French Open. The bounce seems to be quite considerable and that should allow Medvedev to really get on top of the groundstrokes, while you would recommend him using his big first serve to set up points like he might try on a hard court rather than overcomplicating things in his mind.

He will be facing a decent clay courter in Tommy Paul, but not one that should intimidate Daniil Medvedev all things considered. Tommy Paul has a 9-6 record on the clay courts in 2021 and his numbers are decent enough, although there is nothing overwhelming about them.

The American has the added issue of being forced to not only play five sets in the First Round, but needing to put in a lot of emotional and physical effort in winning the final set 10-8 on his way through to this match. Tommy Paul blew a 2-0 lead in sets in that match against Christopher O'Connell and needed over three and a half hours on the court to finally get the victory pushed over the line.

Add in the fact that Tommy Paul has struggled when facing top 50 Ranked players on the clay courts this season and his numbers have taken a considerable hit in those matches and I do think Daniil Medvedev can double his win total in this part of Paris. The draw doesn't look the worst for Medvedev to earn his place in the second week of this Grand Slam for the first time either, but he has to stay focused one match at a time and I think the win in the First Round will certainly spark some confidence in his level.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 8.5 Games @ 1.75 Coral (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 8.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Roberto Bautista Agut - 8.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Kei Nishikori @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Guido Pella - 1.5 Sets @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

John Isner @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Pablo Carreno Busta - 8.5 Games @ 1.85 Coral (2 Units)

Marketa Vondrousova - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Caroline Garcia - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Victoria Azarenka - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

French Open Update: 11-10, - 0.38 Units (42 Units Staked, - 1% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 8 Picks 2019 (June 2nd)

This has not been as strong a tournament as I would have liked, but the better results on Day 7 have kept the total for the French Open in a positive position. I am looking to kick on from here now we have entered the second week of the second Grand Slam of the season and the Fourth Round gets going on Sunday.

Most of the big names have made it through in the men's draw, but the women's draw looks wide open. Some talented teenagers have broken through to the second week of the French Open and there is every chance that a surprise name can still win the title here, although Simona Halep is rightly favoured.


Petra Martic - 3.5 games v Kaia Kanepi: Every player in the bottom half of the women's draw at Roland Garros is going to be full of belief that they can reach the Final of the second Grand Slam of the season. One who may be feeling about as confident as any in that half of the draw has to be Petra Martic who has played some strong tennis on the clay courts in each of the last three seasons.

The Croatian has yet to get past the Fourth Round of any Grand Slam so I do think Martic will be dealing with some pressure in this one, especially as she is going in as the favourite. That has not been the case in either the Second or Third Round as Martic has upset Kristina Mladenovic and Karolina Pliskova in fine style.

She has yet to drop a set at the French Open and Martic has not extended herself by being out on court for too long. It is important at the Slams to try and get through the first week without having to play too much tennis and the fact that Martic has been able to beat players so convincingly as the underdog does hold her in good shape.

Of course you do have to deal with a different pressure when the expectation is on you and that is something Martic has to show she can handle. If she plays her best tennis I would expect she has too much for Kaia Kanepi who has tended to play her best tennis on the faster surfaces on the Tour.

I am not saying that Kanepi is not capable on the clay courts, but she has struggled in recent years with injury and her performances against top 50 Ranked opponents on the surface don't offer a lot of confidence. The Estonian has also had to spend a lot longer on the court than Martic so fitness could become an issue in this one and Martic returns at a high level to keep pressure on Kanepi behind one of her stronger shots.

There will be times when Kanepi strings some strong returns together too as you tend to find in a WTA match, but I do think Martic is the superior player and should be able to take control of the match. As long as she can handle the pressure of playing for a place in her first Grand Slam Quarter Final, Petra Martic should have enough to cover this spread in a victory.


Donna Vekic v Johanna Konta: There are only two places between these two players in the World Rankings and the layers are also finding it difficult to separate Donna Vekic and Johanna Konta in a big Fourth Round match for both players.

I still can't quite believe how young Donna Vekic is having spent a long time on the professional circuit and she is still aiming for her maiden Quarter Final in a Grand Slam. The run in Paris has surpassed her previous best here and Vekic has matched the Fourth Round run at Wimbledon last year, but that also means she is dealing with a different pressure now she has entered the second week of a Slam for only the second time in her career.

Johanna Konta has more experience in general with a Semi Final at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon under her belt, while she has another Quarter Final run Down Under to add to that. However her previous efforts on a clay court have not really been good enough and this year is the first time she has won a match in Paris after what has been a strong showing on the surface.

Reaching the Final in Rabat and Rome has given Konta confidence and she was a dominant winner in the Third Round. Like Vekic she has only dropped one set on her way through to the Fourth Round, although the most impressive win may have been the Vekic crushing of Belinda Bencic in the Third Round.

The more consistent clay court performances over a three year window have come from Vekic too, while she has won the last two matches against Konta in what has become a real rivalry. They have split six previous matches, but none of them have been played on the clay courts where I would give Vekic a slight edge overall.

Her level of performance in 2019 has not been too far behind Konta's and I am anticipating a close match. However I think the wrong player is being favoured and this is a match that is going to be decided on one or two points here and there. My feeling is that Vekic has been the better clay courter and Konta may struggle to keep her level where it is right now, especially against a player who has gotten the better of her the last two times they have played.

Serving is going to be important on the day, but I will back the underdog to move through to her maiden Grand Slam Quarter Final.


Marketa Vondrousova - 3.5 games v Anastasija Sevastova: At the time of writing there are still three talented teenagers in the women's French Open draw, but the only one that has currently guaranteed of a place in the Fourth Round is Marketa Vondrousova. Confidence has to be flowing through the Czech player as she heads into her second Fourth Round of a Grand Slam after doing the same when reaching the stage at the US Open last year.

At the moment the favoured surface for Vondrousova is the clay courts and she has backed up a strong build up to the French Open by coming through three Rounds without too many concerns. Her win over veteran Carla Suarez Navarro in the Third Round is a strong one considering some of the early dents Vondrousova had to deal with.

She has maintained her composure and being level headed is a good sign heading into this big Fourth Round match. Marketa Vondrousova faces Anastasija Sevastova in the Fourth Round who came through an epic Third Round match against Elise Mertens that ended 11-9 in the third set.

I do wonder if that is going to have a lingering affect on Sevastova having spent well over three hours on court to eventually prevail and move through. She had been in good form through the first couple of Rounds against overmatched opponents, but the Latvian has not been at her best on the clay and this is a seriously tough match in front of her.

Before this tournament, Sevastova had not been beyond the Third Round in Paris and her numbers in the lead up to the event were not the best. The second serve could be in trouble if there is any fatigue in the body and Sevastova could be asked to continuously fight back from breaks of serve behind.

It makes life very difficult if that is the case, but Sevastova should have some successes considering the Vondrousova serve is yet to be a potent weapon for her. However Vondrousova has been very strong on the return of serve both here in Paris and in the lead up tournaments to the French Open and I think that is going to be putting a lot of pressure on the World Number 12.

With the long match in mind I think Sevastova may fall away in this one the longer it goes on and I like Marketa Vondrousova to come through and cover the number too.


Roger Federer - 7.5 games v Leonardo Mayer: You know you've been on the Tour a very long time when you say you know more about someone's father than the player you are playing in the next Round. That was the case for Roger Federer when taking on Casper Ruud in the Third Round and the former World Number 1 was in impressive form to move through to another Grand Slam Fourth Round.

Roger Federer will go into this match as a big favourite against veteran Leonardo Mayer and understandably so. The Argentinian may consider the clay courts his favoured surface, but he has reached the Fourth Round for the first time in Paris and this is only the second time Mayer is playing in a Fourth Round of any Grand Slam having reached that Round once at Wimbledon.

During 2019 Mayer has taken a set off of Rafael Nadal on the clay, which is always a real achievement, but he was just 4-7 prior to the French Open. The serve is a decent weapon for him as Mayer has held 82% of service games played on the surface in 2019, while he has only been broken seven times in three matches at the French Open.

If Mayer serves at his very best level he can certainly give Federer one or two things to think about, but the weakness on the return of serve means the pressure builds. Prior to this tournament he had only broken in 14% of return games played on the clay courts and won just 34% of return points and I don't anticipate Mayer getting a lot of change out of Federer.

One of the declining factors in the Federer game has been the return of serve, but he has been doing well enough on that side of his game in Paris. These two players haven't met since 2016, but Federer has had success against the Mayer serve in the past and even the ever hotter conditions in Paris may not be enough for the Argentinian to stay with Federer over the course of a couple of hours on the court.

This is a big number of games for anyone to receive once we reach the Fourth Round when players have their eye in. The court could play a bit quicker with the heat around Paris, but even then I think Federer is going to be moving through the gears and being able to eventually pull clear. Leonardo Mayer deserves to be respected, but I like Federer to come away with a win and a cover as he moves into the Quarter Final.


Kei Nishikori - 3.5 games v Benoit Paire: In any Grand Slam the big names try and get through the draw in the first week as serenely as possible to make sure there isn't any lingering fatigue affecting their performance at the business end. Both Kei Nishikori and Benoit Paire may have missed the memo having played sloppy sets to fall into deep five setters and now they play each other for a place in the Quarter Final of the French Open.

This is already the best run Benoit Paire has had in his home Grand Slam and he came through the Third Round in three sets after Pablo Carreno Busta had to retire with an injury. That could be a huge benefit for the Frenchman considering he needed to come through the Second Round with an 11-9 final set win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and following a week in which he won the title in Lyon.

Instead the question about fatigue could be asked of Kei Nishikori a little more considering he had to fight back from a double break down to beat Laslo Djere in the final set in the Third Round. Spending almost four and a half hours on the court is not ideal, especially not when Nishikori had chances to win the match in four sets and his fitness has long been a question mark against him.

Spending more than double the time on the court than Paire had to has to play a part in this one, but I think both men have spent too long out there already. Kei Nishikori at least has the experience of reaching Quarter Finals in a multiple of Grand Slams and including twice before in Paris, while he has generally been a strong clay courter than Paire.

The Japanese star also holds the mental edge of having a pretty strong record against Paire and beat him here in five sets last year. In their previous matches Nishikori has broken in 31% of return games played compared to Paire's 16%.

On the clay those numbers are even more leaned towards Nishikori in that he has broken in 41% of return games played compared with Benoit Paire's 20%. Last year it was a close match to be fair to Paire and this time Nishikori could be feeling the amount of tennis he needed to play in the Third Round, but Paire has been the midst of a long two weeks too and it may equal things out anyway.

Benoit Paire may be playing his best tennis on the clay courts at the moment, but I think Kei Nishikori matches up with him pretty well. Even if this match goes long, Paire is never that far away from a meltdown within a set and that may be enough to help Nishikori cover the spread.

MY PICKS: Petra Martic - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Donna Vekic @ 2.00 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Marketa Vondrousova - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Roger Federer - 7.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kei Nishikori - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Stefanos Tsitsipas @ 1.80 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)

French Open Update: 45-38, + 5.59 Units (167 Units Staked, + 3.35% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 7 Picks 2018 (June 2nd)

After a week of predicting rain, the weather forecasters at Roland Garros finally got things right on Friday although thankfully the majority of the Third Round matches scheduled managed to be completed.

The forecast looks much better for Saturday and the lucky patrons visiting the French Open are going to have a loaded day of tennis with some huge names on the courts as the Fourth Round draw is completed. With four matches held over from Friday it means there is more Singles tennis than expected and I would recommend anyone in Paris to get to the grounds bright and early and enjoy the whole day which is supposed to be bathed in sunshine.


Friday was not nearly as good as Thursday, but it could have been a lot worse after opening the day 0-3 when all three picks made strong starts before playing some key points poorly which turned things against them. A couple of winners later in the day got things turned back around and so I will take the day as it came.

I have a number of Picks from the Saturday matches which I have liked and that came as something of a surprise to me. I really thought the selections would be much harder to find once we got to this stage, but a number of them have fitted into my research and I have to go where that takes me after a strong first week has been put in the books.

Alexander Zverev surviving being 2-1 down in sets for the second time in succession means all three outright picks are also still alive, although my confidence in Zverev has been shaken because of how much tennis he has put into the legs.


Serena Williams - 1.5 games v Julia Goerges: With Singles and Doubles action going into the legs to shake out the match rustiness you have to feel the rest of the women's draw are beginning to worry about Serena Williams. While it is conceivable that she could have lost both Singles matches played so far this week, the improving form she showed in the win over Ashleigh Barty has to be intimidating to the rest of the field especially when you think how well Barty had been playing on the clay courts.

Williams is paired up with sister Venus this week in the Doubles and they both made it through to the Third Round of the Doubles tournament with a win on Thursday. The time spent on court could be a factor for Serena Williams, although the story goes she didn't take part in any of the clay court events this season as she was focused on building her fitness.

That is going to be tested in this tournament and next up to take their shot at the Champion is Julia Goerges who won a tough Second Round match over Alison Van Uytvank.

Goerges has had some strong results on the clay courts in her career, but she has been a little inconsistent on the surface in recent times. The two wins this week will have given Goerges confidence and she has a serve that will cause Serena problems if she is not timing the return well.

The return game has not been quite at full tilt for Serena Williams this week, but her own serve should put Goerges under immense pressure with the struggles on return that the German goes through. And at that point it will feel like this match could come down to the two personalities of the players on the court which is not a good position for many players when they come up against Serena Williams.

She willed her way back into the Second Round win over Barty and the improving play at the end of that match has to be scary to those who think she is not capable of winning the title with the little tennis she has played. I think Serena Williams is going to use that strength of character to work her way into this match and I expect her to break down the Goerges return which can be poor and that should see the former World Number 1 move into the Fourth Round with a good win and a cover of this number.


Kiki Bertens - 2.5 games v Angelique Kerber: One player that was clearly being circled as a genuine dark horse to win the title in Paris has been quietly moving under the radar into the Third Round of the draw. Now the light will shine on Kiki Bertens in a big match against Angelique Kerber who is a two time former Grand Slam Champion although perhaps at her weakest on the clay courts.

Both players have not been tested in the draw so far, but Bertens and Kerber will completely understand that their level has to go up when facing the other on Saturday.

Much is going to depend on which of the players is able to impose their game on the other in this Third Round match- Kiki Bertens has a big serve and powerful groundstrokes as she will look to take control of rallies, but Angelique Kerber is a fine mover and defender around the court and will believe she can extract errors from the Bertens game.

When they met two years ago they needed three sets to find a winner, but it was Bertens who came through and I think the Dutchwoman can do the same this year.

I give Bertens the edge because she has looked the superior clay court player over the last three seasons and the numbers have backed that up. The serve has proved a big weapon and it has to be noted that Kerber's return game is not quite as effective on the clay as it is on the other surfaces where she can use the power coming towards her and direct it much better and with more authority.

The Kerber serve is not the biggest weapon on the Tour, but it is especially vulnerable to an aggressive player like Bertens on the clay courts and these factors seem to add up to go against the German.

There is no doubting that Kerber is a top player on her day, but perhaps it is fair to say she doesn't have as many of those days on the clay courts. While Kerber will be a threat in the remaining Slams to be played in 2018, I think Bertens will be the one imposing her game on this match and she can back up her strong data to win and cover this number.


Kyle Edmund v Fabio Fognini: Any time you play someone as enigmatic as Fabio Fognini it can be tough to know what to expect from the Italian when you head onto the court. This is a player who can take the game to the very best players on the Tour yet cruise to a straight sets defeat against an opponent only the strongest tennis fan could pick out in a line up.

So far this week in Paris Fognini has brought out the competitive player who is focused and looking to play tennis the right way to get through matches. That has seen Fognini ease to back to back wins, but the challenge in front of him is by far the toughest he has had in the French Open when facing Kyle Edmund.

In previous years you would favour an Italian over a British player on the clay courts out of principle, but Kyle Edmund may be the most comfortable clay courter coming out of Great Britain. While Andy Murray learned to love the red dirt, Edmund's strengths have been clear on the clay for the last few years and he has begun to improve on other surfaces which has helped him move into the British Number 1 spot.

The numbers on the clay court have been as good as any he has produced in his career and any player who has a combined hold/break percentage of just under 109% is clearly a very competent on the surface. That is slightly better than Fognini's numbers on the clay courts and better than any the Italian has ever produced on the clay which just underlines how well Edmund can play on the surface.

It will be a close match, but I do think Edmund is an improving player and Fognini has not made it beyond the Third Round at the French Open since 2011. It will likely need four or possibly five sets to decide it, while the Edmund issue with his finger in the Second Round also is a slight concern.

However I think Edmund has looked very good in the tournament as he has maintained his form and I am going to look for him to get past Fognini in what could be a classic match.


Borna Coric - 1.5 sets v Diego Sebastian Schwartzman: It is Diego Sebastian Schwartzman who is Ranked higher than Borna Coric and he has come through his two matches in Paris without dropping a set compared with Coric who has needed four sets to win his two matches.

So I am guessing some will be surprised to see Coric as the favourite to win this match.

Not me though.

Borna Coric is one of the most improving players on the Tour and he has clearly gotten over the wall he hit after making his initial breakthrough on the Tour. He may 'only' be 7-4 on the clay courts in 2018 including his two wins in Paris, but Coric has been unfortunate in losing tough matches to the likes of Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem while one of the losses was an early retirement.

The Croatian has always been competent on the clay courts, but his numbers have taken a significant step up this season and the combined hold/break percentage is at almost 114% which is a superb number. He has continued to serve very well in Paris and that is putting opponents under immense pressure, while Coric returns well enough to make sure those opponents are not able to get comfortable at any point in a match.

No one will dispute Schwartzman's credentials on the clay, but his two wins this week have come against opponents Ranked outside the top 100 compared with Coric beating Philipp Kohlschreiber and Thomas Fabbiano. The Schwartzman numbers are impressive thanks to a strong return game, but his serve can be vulnerable and his head to head with Coric doesn't inspire much confidence.

Schwartzman is also just 6-5 on the clay courts in the European swing when you include the two wins in Paris so far. He has not been at his best in recent weeks and is facing an opponent in Coric who is far better than what he has been opposed by in the French Open.

I do think Schwartzman could have his moments in the match, but Coric can win this one and I think he does it in three or four sets.


Rafael Nadal - 9.5 games v Richard Gasquet: The French public will be completely behind Richard Gasquet in their home Grand Slam even when he is facing the King of the French Open in Rafael Nadal. Unsurprisingly they meet on the main court at the French Open going on fourth on Phillipe Chatrier Court, but it is going to take some huge effort for Gasquet to be competitive in this one.

They have met a number of times on the clay courts and Nadal's numbers are actually frightening which makes me wonder what Gasquet can do to change things. These two met at the French Open in 2005 and it was Nadal who won while giving up just nine games, while a Davis Cup tie in Spain in 2011 ended with Nadal crushing Gasquet for the loss of just four games.

Nadal has won almost 50% of the points against the Gasquet serve in their head to head on the clay courts and he is matching that number overall in 2018 on the surface. The Spaniard's hold/break percentage is downright mind boggling on the clay courts in 2018 and Nadal crushed Guido Pella in the Second Round after being pushed by an ultra aggressive Simone Bolelli in the First Round.

By all accounts that is the approach Gasquet is going to try and use to put Nadal under pressure, but it is asking a lot for him to change his approach completely. While he can do that for a set or a set and a half, at some point Gasquet will go back to type and that is going to see Nadal control the rallies and break down his game over the course of a couple of hours.

Gasquet is a very good clay court player and he would be a match for most, but his serve has not quite been up to scratch in 2018 as he has perhaps been dealing with some injury issues that have not been made public. He has only been winning 60% of points behind serve in 2018 and that has led to a 73% hold number, but that is not going to cut the mustard against Nadal in the form he has been displaying.

Of course this looks a very big number, but Gasquet does tend to exit Roland Garros with something of a whimper despite the positive numbers he can produce in the clay courts. Last year it was an injury which ended Gasquet's tournament here, but previously he had been beaten by Andy Murray (9 game margin), Novak Djokovic (12 game margin), Fernando Verdasco (10 game margin) and Nadal is closer to Djokovic than the other two players.

I think something similar is going to happen when these players meet in the Third Round and I think Nadal is going to win a close set as he deals with Gasquet's aggressiveness before the match settles into a more familiar feel and the Spaniard wins by another comfortable margin against the home hope.

MY PICKS: Serena Williams - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Kyle Edmund @ 1.95 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Borna Coric - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Rafael Nadal - 9.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Mischa Zverev-Kevin Anderson Play a Tie-Breaker @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
John Isner-Pierre-Hugues Herbert Over 41.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Maximilian Marterer Win 3-1 @ 3.75 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Marin Cilic Win 3.1 @ 3.75 William Hill (1 Unit)
Magdalena Rybarikova @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Karolina Pliskova @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Caroline Garcia - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Daria Gavrilova + 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Simona Halep-Andrea Petkovic Over 17.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

French Open Update: 32-25, + 12.70 Units (110 Units Staked, + 11.55% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 6 Picks 2017 (June 2nd)

The first five days at the French Open have produced great conditions for tennis, but it looks like the weather is going to take a turn for the worse on Friday. There are expected to be delays through the course of the day and I won't be surprised at all if there are matches that have to be held over until Saturday as we are left at the only Grand Slam that doesn't have at least one roof to use.

The French Open are falling behind in that regards with Australia moving onto three courts with a roof and Wimbledon going to have two roofs very soon. The US Open will also be debuting their roof on Arthur Ashe this season and the organisers here have to speed up the expected roof for 2020.

It looks like it could be the big discussion over the next few days with a poor weather front expected to this part of Western Europe and there will be plenty of time to talk about it to fill in the gaps between the tennis being played.


I will admit that I am not really someone who likes to show their emotions all the time, but I couldn't help but be moved when seeing Nicolas Almagro sobbing uncontrollably when succumbing to an injury in his Second Round match against Juan Martin Del Potro.

It was the raw passion of what it means to be a professional tennis player, but the reaction of Del Potro just raised the moment even more and will become one of the strongest images we will see on a tennis court this season, and arguably for many years to come.

I have always said what a pleasant guy Del Potro seems to be having met him previously, but the manner in which he was trying to console someone who was heartbroken was just a huge sporting moment. The big man has plenty of supporters already, but his fan base will only increase when these images are beamed around the world by the various media outlets, as well as the videos which showed how concerned Del Potro was for Almagro's well-being.

I love Del Potro and I hope Almagro's reaction does not mean the Spaniard's career has come to an end with another bad injury.


Day 5 proved to be a mixed bag with a couple of late picks missing a couple of break points which would have meant a fifth straight winning day. It's still been a very good tournament so far and I want to move back in a positive direction on Friday as the Third Round commences.


Grigor Dimitrov - 2.5 games v Pablo Carreno Busta: I had tabbed Pablo Carreno Busta for some big things during the clay court season, but he has perhaps underachieved despite winning a title in Estoril. The losses to Yuichi Sugita and Benoit Paire over the last couple of months have been really disappointing ones for the Spaniard, although I do think he will give Grigor Dimitrov something to think about here.

The clay court specialist is Carreno Busta and Dimitrov has hardly been producing a lot of wins on the clay over the last few weeks. However Dimitrov has produced some solid tennis in the first couple of Rounds here and has been serving well which can give him a chance to win this match.

He has certainly been serving better than Carreno Busta who was a break down in each of the first three sets but used his superior return game to beat Taro Daniel in the Second Round. Giving Dimitrov easy breaks of serve is going to be a tough challenge to overcome for Carreno Busta.

If this match was played at the beginning of the clay court swing, I would have been leaning towards Carreno Busta but he has been inconsistent at best over the last few weeks. Another inconsistent performance is not going to be good enough for Carreno Busta with Dimitrov producing some solid tennis in the last two Rounds.

I think this match is one that will go fairly long with both players capable of producing some solid tennis and putting the pressure on the other. However I think Dimitrov may just show why he is the favourite in the match by working his way to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.


David Goffin - 7.5 games v Horacio Zeballos: This might initially look like a big number for David Goffin to cover against someone who is very comfortable on the clay courts like Horacio Zeballos. I do have a couple of question marks around Goffin when it comes to covering big spreads too, but this one looks like a number he can overcome.

The concerns have to be gotten out of the way- Goffin's serve can be a vulnerability and that can mean he is dropping sets or winning them much tighter than he should. Even when Goffin is dominating the majority of points behind serve, he will offer Zeballos some chances and I also have to respect the latter being a lefty.

Zeballos doesn't have a bad serve when he is feeling his game and his best surface is the clay which will give him the belief to challenge Goffin. However he can get frustrated and produce a lot of errors unexpectedly and that is where he will be punished by an opponent like Goffin who will battle for every point.

There has been some solid wins for Zeballos over the last couple of months that will boost his belief having already won a couple of matches here. I think he will challenge Goffin through the first two sets here, but Zeballos may lose some belief at that moment if the Belgian, who will receive huge crowd support, gets the upper hand in those sets.

Goffin has beaten Zeballos four times in a row and he has won all nine sets competed by these players in that time. I am looking for Goffin to come through with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 win in this one to move into the Fourth Round and the second half of the week.


Dominic Thiem win 3-1 v Steve Johnson: You could see the emotion in the face of Steve Johnson when he beat Borna Coric in the Second Round as the American continues to deal with losing his father a couple of weeks ago. He has admitted that it has been difficult emotionally and it is only going to be tougher dealing with the quality that Dominic Thiem will bring to the court.

I am not sure I have enough to convince me Johnson can challenge Thiem for long enough to win the match, but he has been producing some decent tennis as he bids to fight for his father's memory. Johnson has a decent serve and heavy forehand that can cause problems for Thiem who has been comfortable so far in this tournament.

However this is easily the biggest challenge he has faced and Thiem is likely to still throw in a sloppy service game or two which Johnson can capitalise on. Energy levels might have sapped for the American so the first two sets are going to be important and Johnson will need a split of those to have a chance to earn the upset.

I think Johnson can do that with Thiem perhaps gifting away a set or maybe Johnson will be able to produce a set of lights out serving to give himself a chance. Ultimately I think it will be difficult for Johnson to take more than a set as fatigue and emotions wear him down, but I do think he can take a set.

That might be surprising when you think Thiem has only lost fifteen games in six sets at Roland Garros so far. However he did offer a couple of half chances to Simone Bolelli in the Second Round and I think Johnson can go a bit further by capitalising on one of those, although I will have a small interest in the Austrian moving on in four sets.


Albert Ramos-Vinolas v Lucas Pouille: This is a virtual pick 'em in the Third Round and it is a match that is likely to go deep into a fourth or potentially fifth set before we get a chance to see who is moving through to the Fourth Round. Both Lucas Pouille and Albert Ramos-Vinolas will have a lot of belief in their own game and both made big breakthroughs at the Grand Slam level in 2016 which will aid their confidence.

They met at the Monte Carlo Masters in the Semi Final and it was Ramos-Vinolas who got the better of Pouille, but since then the Spaniard has underachieved on the clay courts. He had lost three straight matches on the clay courts before the French Open, although Ramos-Vinolas is clearly in good nick having won six straight sets here since dropping the first one.

All of those sets have been won in dominant form and Ramos-Vinolas was a Quarter Finalist at this Slam in 2016 so is clearly well accustomed to the conditions. Dealing with the crowd won't be easy, but Ramos-Vinolas clearly has the game to win this kind of match.

Lucas Pouille came from 2-1 down in sets in the First Round to overcome veteran Julien Benneteau before a more routine win in the Second Round. He won the title in Budapest and was a Wimbledon Quarter Finalist last season, but like Ramos-Vinolas, Pouille had lost a couple of matches in a row on the clay courts prior to the French Open.

Both players should have some problems holding onto serve and I think that will make it a fascinating match. However I think Ramos-Vinolas has the slightly stronger clay court pedigree and he can overcome Pouille in a tough and tight battle as the slight underdog.


Novak Djokovic - 8.5 games v Diego Sebastian Schwartzman: There are still some vulnerabilities around the Novak Djokovic game which have yet to be fully exposed after two relatively comfortable wins in the defence of his French Open crown. Bigger obstacles than Marcel Granollers and Joao Sousa are still to come for Djokovic, but I am not sure that will be faced in the Third Round.

Novak Djokovic goes up against Diego Sebastian Schwartzman who is very comfortable on the clay courts but will play with a rhythm similar to Sousa. While the Argentinian can produce some special shots around the court, his serve is going to be vulnerable to a returner as good as Djokovic, while there are also concerns about some sort of injury that he is carrying.

He has already had to dig deep to come through the First Round and Schwartzman is likely to be playing from tough spots off the serve. The Djokovic serve may have some vulnerabilities that Schwartzman is able to exploit, and the latter has also given some top names a challenge during the clay court season.

It may mean that Djokovic has to overcome the frustration of dropping serve a couple of times, but I think he is going to bring up a host of break points during the course of this match. Like the Sousa match, I think Djokovic is going to feel very much in control of the match and he should prove to be too strong over the course of a couple of hours against an opponent who may not feel at 100% and will have some fatigue in the legs.

Like in the Sousa match, I expect Djokovic to win a set with a couple of breaks of serve and he can come through this Third Round match with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win in his pocket and cover this number.


Garbine Muguruza - 4.5 games v Yulia Putintseva: If there was any loss of belief or confidence in the Garbine Muguruza mind, we would have seen that a couple of days ago. After what has been a miserable 2017 so far, and arguably a miserable time since winning the French Open, Muguruza could easily have folded under the heavy hitting and constant pressure Anett Kontaveit provided on Wednesday.

Instead Muguruza weathered the storm and finished very strongly which will give her the confidence to think she can defend the title she won in 2016. To be perfectly honest, Muguruza has played as well as anyone out there in the women's draw, although this is going to be a different kind of match than she has faced so far.

After facing the power hitting of Kontaveit, Muguruza is now going to play a solid defender in Yulia Putintseva that looks to wear down opponents by making plenty of balls. There is more to Putintseva's game than simply that as she has the aggressive counter punching skills which will put Muguruza in awkward positions at times, although I do think the vulnerable serve may be attacked.

It is a key area for Muguruza who has to make sure she gets on the front foot in rallies as soon as possible. That means serving well and making sure the first strike on the return of serve is hitting the marks and doing that should put the Spaniard in a very strong position to win this match and cover this number.

Putintseva can get frustrated when things are not going her way and I think Muguruza is going to have too much for her in a 7-5, 6-2 win.


Jelena Ostapenko - 3.5 games v Lesia Tsurenko: The first quarter of the women's draw has seen a number of the big names exit which could leave the way open for a more unfamiliar name to reach the Quarter Finals. One name that will become much more familiar in the future is Jelena Ostapenko and I am going to back her to get the better of Lesia Tsurenko in the Third Round match on Friday.

There is a lot to like about the Ostapenko game on the court and she has had some impressive showings on the clay court over the last couple of months. Her win over Monica Puig in the Second Round was very impressive and she has already got the better of Tsurenko once on this surface already in 2017.

On that day it was Ostapenko's serve which was working slightly better than Tsurenko's which proved to be the difference maker. She also has the confidence of a number of wins on the clay courts over the last few weeks compared with Tsurenko who was just 1-6 prior to the French Open.

The two wins for Tsurenko here in Paris have been very impressive as she has dropped just eight games to get through to the Third Round. That means she is going to be playing with confidence in her own game, which can be very big when Tsurenko is at her best.

However I think Ostapenko is the better clay court player and she is a player improving all the time. It feels like we may see a similar kind of result as when they played in Prague and I will look for the young Latvian to cover this number in a winning effort.


Sam Stosur - 4.5 games v Bethanie Mattek-Sands: It was a big upset from Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the Second Round as she beat Petra Kvitova but the lack of match play affected the latter at critical moments in the match. There were some impressive moments for Mattek-Sands too, but the Qualifier was boosted by the mistakes made by Kvitova.

She is unlikely to receive as much help from the steady Australian Sam Stosur who has won seven matches in a row and won't be feeling rusty like Kvitova was. The title success in Strasbourg and an open top half of the draw might see Stosur have another strong run here in Paris where she clearly enjoys playing.

The Stosur serve is a big weapon for her and she has to use that to full effect to try and put Mattek-Sands on the back foot and not allow the latter to make her way forward to the net. On the other hand, Mattek-Sands will likely try and approach to the weaker Stosur backhand and see if there is enough composure to make enough passes.

Mattek-Sands also has a decent serve of her own, but she has played a lot of tennis here already and is carrying a couple of injuries which may just have loosened her resolve. Backing up a big win like she had will also be tough for the American and I think it is going to be Sam Stosur who will have a little too much all around game for Mattek-Sands.

The first set could be very tight before Stosur is able to pull away for a 7-6, 6-2 win against a player who may just hit the wall with all the tennis she has played to get into the Third Round.


Timea Bacsinszky - 5.5 games v Ons Jabeur: I backed Timea Bacsinszky in the Second Round to cover this same number of games and I will look for the Swiss player to do that again in the Third Round. Her return game is very strong on the clay courts, although the key for Bacsinszky covering this number is making sure she serves just well enough at key moments.

You don't want to run a line through Ons Jabeur who has won two matches in the main draw as a Lucky Loser entry into the tournament. The win over Dominika Cibulkova is very impressive on paper, although Jabeur hadn't really shown a lot in 2017 to suggest this type of run was in her.

She has been competitive during the clay court swing, but the events she has entered have not been the most taxing, although Jabeur's narrow loss to Anastasija Sevastova looks better and better in each passing week. There just hasn't been a lot of success at the main Tour level for Jabeur to think she can back up what was an impressive win over Cibulkova.

Bacsinszky is going to test Jabeur by giving nothing away and making sure she gets plenty of balls back in play throughout this one. Some of the variation from Bacsinszky can bamboozle opponents and she has been covering this big number in her wins.

The Swiss player has now got six clay court wins under her belt in 2017 and she would have covered this number of games each time. Bacsinszky has dropped just five games here and a deeper look at her wins on clay shows she has won fourteen of her last sixteen matches on clay by a margin of six or more games. I am expecting Bacsinszky to win and will look for her to cover here too.


Venus Williams - 4.5 games v Elise Mertens: Not many would have tipped up Venus Williams as a potential winner here at the French Open despite the open nature of the draw. She has never really had a lot of success on the clay courts and her style of play doesn't transfer onto the surface as effectively as the hard and grass courts, but Venus Williams will be looking to fly under the radar into the second week of the tournament.

This is a difficult match for Venus Williams when she takes on the youngster Elise Mertens who is comfortable on the clay and has won two solid matches here already. However it is a different feel for opponents to face one of the Williams sisters in a Grand Slam and I do wonder how Mertens will cope with that.

Mertens has played well over the last couple of months and reached the Final in Istanbul before finding Elina Svitolina too good on the day. However none of her wins have really come against someone that would have you stop in your tracks and it might be a step too far to beat Williams at this moment in her career.

It won't be an easy match for Williams who will likely have to ride out some tough moments, but I do think she can earn at least a break more in each set. I thought Mertens struggled at times with the aggressive play of Daria Gavrilova in the First Round and someone like Venus Williams is going to be able to do much more you would think.

I can see this leading to a fairly routine 6-4, 6-3 win for Venus Williams and quietly see her move into the Fourth Round.

MY PICKS: Grigor Dimitrov - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
David Goffin - 7.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Dominic Thiem Win 3-1 in Sets @ 3.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Albert Ramos-Vinolas @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Novak Djokovic - 8.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Garbine Muguruza - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Jelena Ostapenko - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Sam Stosur - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Timea Bacsinszky - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Venus Williams - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

French Open Update: 33-18, + 22.18 Units (100 Units Staked, + 22.18% Yield)