Posted on 5/31/2007 2:39:50 PM

Betting Trends – Betting on the French Open

By Nila Amerova

Paris, France – When men’s tennis is the topic of conversation, particularly the French Open, the rivalry between No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal is at the forefront.

There seems to be no amount of hyperbole, in any scripted repertoire, to emphasize Rafael Nadal’s domination on clay. Crowned as the ‘King of Clay,’ he is one of the best clay-court players of our time.

For that matter, there is no amount of hyperbole to describe Federer’s domination of the sport itself. Called the ‘Maestro of Tennis,’ Federer plays a game that is genius, brilliant and dazzling. In a league of his own, he is poised to become the greatest player of our time.

Federer and Nadal’s rivalry has been the foreword to the French Open. Returning to Roland Garros as the two-time defending champion, Nadal is vying to become the first man to win three titles since Bjorn Borg in 1980. Federer is hoping for his first title at Roland Garros and by winning the French Open, he would complete a career Grand Slam and a non-calendar Grand Slam.

With so much at stake for the two co-favorites, it is fitting that all pre-tournament predictions point to a Federer vs. Nadal final; for the coveted French Open title promises to inscribe either in history.

But we should not get carried away with foretelling the story of the French Open. After all the men’s tour is deep with talent, and a Federer vs. Nadal final is not yet a foregone conclusion.

 

With two weeks of tennis betting action in Paris to look forward to, the red dirt of Roland Garros will tell the story.

Bet on an American in Paris?

With the dust settling on the last match in the first round, no American man was left standing as all nine American men lost their opening matches! Voila! For the first time in 40 years, no American man advanced into the second round of the French Open.

Bet on the Young Guns?

With an impressive season, Novak Djokovic is the de facto young gun to bet on in this tournament. Although clay is not his best surface, he did claim the Estoril Open last month. While he is not the favorite to win this tournament, he stands a good chance of making a deep run. In Djokovic’s quarter, his biggest challenge is a potential matchup with David Ferrer in the R16 and possibly a match against Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinal.

Gael Monfils, who advanced into the third round of the French Open today following his victory against Juan Ignacio Chela, is one of France’s best young talents. With an already great start to his French Open campaign, should Monfils advance, he will hold good value to the quarterfinal round, at the very least.

Bet on the French in Paris? 

As the top seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet crashed out of the tournament in the second round, so did France’s hope for a Frenchman to win the title.

Although Gasquet held the best value, in France’s camp, Monfils, Michel Llodra and wild card contender Edouard Roger-Vasselin all advanced into the third round; while Matthieu Montcourt, Florent Serra, Giles Simon, Paul-Henri Matthieu, Olivier Patience and Laurent Recouderc are set to play for a spot in the second round tomorrow. Factoring home soil advantage, the odds are good for the Frenchmen to advance, at the very least to the quarterfinal round.

From the more seasoned players, France’s next best bets are Paul-Henri Matthieu, who claimed the International Series title in Casablanca last month; and Florent Serra, whose best surface is clay.

Bet on the Russians

Igor Andreev and Mikhail Youzhny hold the best value from the Russian squad. Andreev’s dismissal of Andy Roddick in the first round surely will have bolstered the 125th ranked player. Falling into the same quarter as Djokovic, Andreev’s toughest challenge is a potential matchup with Baghdatis! Should he advance past the slumping Baghdatis, Andreev may face a possible quarterfinal with Djokovic.

Youzhny did not fare well in the draw, as he falls in the same quarter as Federer. Should Youzhny survive to meet Federer in the R16, it may very well be his last match of the tournament.

Bet on the French Open

If the Federer and Nadal rivalry is the foreword to the French Open, the depth of men’s tennis today is the back-story of this Grand Slam in Paris. So, may the best man win! Vive le French Open!

Federer might be winning everything these days, but with online sports betting in the BetUS.com Sportsbook, betting on tennis has never been so exciting! Join the BetUS.com online sportsbook today and start using the latest tennis lines, odds and props to earn cold, hard cash!

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.