Tennis

We could not have asked for a better semi final matchup with the world number 1 (Sabalenka) taking on Swiatek – the three-time defending champion and four-time winner of this event. There is more than just victory on the line here. Swiatek has not won a title since lifting the trophy a year ago while Sabalenka is aiming to make her first final in Paris and solidify her position as the best player on the plane. In most of her prior title winning runs here Swiatek has been completely dominant with a streak of bagels and matches where she has…

We are one step away from a Gauff/Andreeva semi final but the two will have to be at their as their respective opponents have been playing incredible tennis. That includes local qualifier Lois Boisson who knocked out Jesicca Pegula. The crowd has been a huge advantage for her and helped her play with an extreme level of confidence. Madison Keys vs Cori Gauff 9:00pm, Wednesday | Philippe-Chatrier Gauff -3.5 ($1.91) Gauff’s ability to break serve was the foundation for another straight sets win and it is an area where she will have an edge against Keys. In contrast, Keys is…

It has taken almost 10 days but we finally get a marquee matchup with Djokovic taking on Zverev. Not that he needs any favours but the path for the world number 1 (Sinner) was made even easier overnight when Alexander Bublik upset Jack Draper to make his first even Grand Slam quarter final. Alexander Zverev vs Novak Djokovic 6:15am, Wednesday | Philippe-Chatrier Djokovic WIN ($1.85) This is the one match on everybody’s lips heading into Day 11. Djokovic is seeking a 25th Grand Slam title while Zverev is still trying to break his maiden. It has been a big 12…

There was always going to be at least one unknown from the bottom half of the draw and that person is Frances Tiafoe. The American now takes on one of the form players on clay this season (Musetti) with the winner almost certain to face the defending champion in the semi finals. Lorenzo Musetti vs Frances Tiafoe 11:20pm*, Tuesday | Philippe-Chatrier Tiafoe To Win A Set – YES The Italian has been in scintillating form on the red dirt this season and his win over Rune further solidified this. He has opened a firm favourite as a result for this…

We are now into the second week of the French Open and that means quarter finals time! Fans could not have asked for more in terms of quality as today we will see the world number 1 (Sabalenka), four-time French Open champion (Swiatek) and the woman who won gold (Zheng) on these courts less than a year ago. Aryna Sabalenka vs Qinwen Zheng 9:00pm, Tuesday | Philippe-Chatrier Over 21.5 games ($1.91) Some big serving in the clutch helped Sabalenka get past Anisimova in straight sets but it was not easy. She had 11 aces and won 58% of 2nd serve…

We are getting into the business end of the tournament and you cannot discount anyone that has made it this far. The fairy tale of Frenchwoman Boisson continued but she will have to play the match of her life to beat Pegula who is one of four American women in action on Day 9. Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Cori Gauff 9:00pm, Monday | Philippe-Chatrier Gauff -4.5 ($1.91) Dominant is the best word to describe Alexandrova’s week in Paris with no more than two games dropped in 5 of the 6 sets played. That is about to change as Gauff has had…

Day 7 was the most unentertaining of the opening week in the men’s draw. Rublev earned a walkover so we lost one of the matches while the other 7 all ended in straight sets. In the past we have witnessed numerous marquee matchups in the 4th Round but that is not the case here which means we could have another day of dominant wins. Jannik Sinner vs Andrey Rublev 6:15am*, Tuesday | Philippe-Chatrier Sinner -8.5 ($2.25) The world number one has been in relentless form. He has dropped a total of only 10 games across the last 6 sets he…

We are not accustomed to seeing many Americans make it into the second week of the French Open but they have three men in action on Sunday night (Shelton, Tiafoe and Paul) with two of them installed as favourites. On paper, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz should stroll into the final but he will have to apply himself mentally to avoid an unexpected loss. Ben Shelton vs Carlos Alcaraz TBD Sets Alcaraz 3-0 The defending champion failed to adjust to the slower conditions of the night session. He was in cruise control after taking the first two sets 6-1 6-3 but…

No upsets to report in this half of the draw with all eight remaining women left in the draw being top 20 seeds. Samsonova is the only woman remaining not to have made it beyond the 4th Round at Grand Slam level with three major champions and an additional two players that have contested at least one major final remaining. The standard of tennis on Sunday night will be of the highest order!. Aryna Sabalenka vs Amanda Anisimova TBD Anisimova +4.5 ($2.05) Sabalenka may be the number one player in the world but Anisimova is one name she will have…

We lost a handful of seeds from the top half in the 2nd round including De Minaur, Mensik and Davidovich Fokina. No need for tournament organisers to hit the panic button just yet as Sinner, Djokovic and Zverev made it through. All three have opened incredibly short in the market for their respective matches with the German having the most difficult opponent today. Jannik Sinner vs Jiri Lehecka 10:10pm*, Saturday | Court Suzanne Lenglen Sinner -7.5 ($1.91) This could be the best bet of the day. Sinner was in cruise control in his straight sets win over Gasquet and is…