French Open betting tips: 11/4 Elina Svitolina looks worth rowing in with to stun reigning champ
From its sun-dappled quays along the Seine to its riotous neighbourhoods, Paris has always been a city apart.
PSG are the champions of Europe for the first time but while Les Parisiens are basking in the glory of that thumping 5-0 win over Inter, things are ramping up at Roland Garros.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Bookie Basher shares his predictions and betting tips ahead of the action.
Headline picks safely through to Week 2
Our headline picks Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka are safely into the second week, and both superstars are next on court this Tuesday.
Organisers have caught a bit of heat as none of the night sessions during this year's Roland Garros have featured a women's singles match so far.
There are two crackers to choose from on Tuesday, as Sabalenka takes on No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen of China.
Elsewhere reigning women’s champion Iga Swiatek will play Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
Swiatek vs Svitolina - Live underdog at 11/4
Swiatek looked like she was on her way out of the tournament having won only one of the opening nine games against a dialled-in Elena Rybakina on Sunday, before turning the tide to eventually triumph 1-6 6-3 7-5.
Her tenacity can only be admired, but she is not the tour de force she was 12 months ago, and Svitolina looks like a live underdog at 11/4.
Sunday aside - when she played clutch tennis at just the right moments in a thrilling final set - Swiatek has looked mentally fragile when the pressure has been on in recent tournaments.
The big red flag for Swiatek backers at this tournament is the fact she has not won a title since this event 12 months ago.
Despite this most layers want her onside and she is now a marginal favourite to retain her crown (top price 9/4).
Yes, she has dominated in Paris for a few years now, but Svitolina is a player of real quality and someone who has beaten Swiatek in a Major before (Wimbledon in 2023).
The 13th-seeded is 0-4 so far in the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros but will fancy her chances here against a champion who has shown she is beatable so far in 2025.
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Sabalenka vs Zheng - Can the World No. 1 stay ruthless?
Sabalenka meanwhile has reached 10 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals, and the dominance on Tour in the last couple of years reminds me of peak Serena.
The World No.1 produced another devastating display in the fourth round against American Amanda Anisimova, a player who has given her nightmares in recent seasons.
Sabalenka has been hitting it flat and hard, and these days does not rack up the unforced errors she once did.
Olympic champion Zheng can a bit and although Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 6-1, Zheng claimed her first victory over the top seed in their most recent meeting - on clay - in Rome.
However, one fancies Sabalenka to handle the occasion a little better than the Chinese superstar so even money on the Belarussian to win 2-0 looks worth a go.
Suggested Bet #1: Svitolina to beat Swiatek at 11/4 (betway/bet365/Paddy Power/Skybet)
Suggested Bet #2: Sabalenka to beat Zheng 2-0 at evens (bet365)
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