posted May 23, 2008 at 13:59 in Tennis Betting Trends

Paris, France – During the weekend, leading up to the sports betting friendly French Open, I will be counting down the top 25 contenders – starting from No.25 and going to No.1 – in Roland Garros for the online tennis betting hamlet at BetUS online sportsbook. What lies ahead for sports bettors looking to bet on the second Grand Slam event of the year is a fast preview of the playing field, complete with BetUS French Open Futures. So let us get started.

#25 Stanislas Wawrinka (+12500)

When the French Open Futures were released, Stanislas Wawrinka was an afterthought, but in 2008 he came storming out of the gates and particularly amidst the European clay court swing he improved markedly, reaching the final of the ATP Masters Series in Rome. Overshadowed by his compatriot Roger Federer, the young Swiss opened his campaign this year with a runner-up finish in Doha (l. to Murray). A step-back followed, where he delivered lacklustre performances in the ensuing hard court tournaments, before a decent run in Indian Wells saw him reach the quarterinal. The clay court season got off to a dubious start with a first round loss to Tommy Robredo at the AMS Monte Carlo. But after that slight hiccup, Wawrinka went on to reach the semifinal in Barcelona, the final in Rome and the second round in Hamburg. Wawrinka is set to begin his French Open campaign with a 23-11 mark for the season and an all-time career-high ranking of No.10. This is his fourth trip to Roland Garros, his best result was a third round appearance. However, with a top 10 ranking, Wawrinka will be seeded in the top 10, therefore, barring a bad draw, he should avoid any stumbling blocks – the dogged clay-courters that can frustrate players – in the early rounds. After his standout performances in Barcelona and Rome, Wawrinka became a dark horse contender for the French Open. Taking Wawrinka to win the French Open outright is still a long shot bet though, but a quarterfinal finish at best should be expected.

# 24 Juan-Ignacio Chela (+12500)

Since we are speculating on tennis odds for a clay surface tournament, Chela is a player worth mentioning – otherwise I would not. The 28-year-old Argentinean is a veteran player on the circuit; most successes in tournament play have come on the red stuff. As a dirt-baller he poses a threat to players falling in his section of the draw. In terms of winnng the French Open outright, Chela is a long shot, but perhaps shaking up the draw through the early rounds is to be expected. Recent form though has made him extremely questionable even in that respect. Nevertheless, Chela is not a player a seed would want to face in the early rounds.

#23 Marat Safin (+12500)

Two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin has been hard-up of late in tournament play, so much so that I would recommend passing on his French Open Futures. Although he may frustrate a player or two in the early rounds, Safin is completely at the mercy of the draw. Should he luck out in the draw, the tournament may receive him in the third round – at best.

# 22 Paul-Henri Mathieu (+10000)

French hopeful Paul-Henri Mathieu is nothing but that – a distant hope for the French Open crown. But with the French contingent all but toast, as Richard Gasquet is a complete disappointment this year, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a bit banged up and Gael Monfils is on a comeback trail since undergoing knee surgery last year, the partisan crowd in Paris will be firmly behind Mathieu in the hopes of having one of their own shake up the draw in Roland Garros. In 2008, Mathieu started the year with a quarterfinal appearance in Adelaide, a fourth round run at the Australian Open and a semifinal run in Marseille. Synonymous with inconsistency, true to his label a string of disappointing runs ensued and the trend spilled over into the clay-court season. At the AMS Monte Carlo he lost in the opening round to Janko Tipsarevic, reached the semifinal in Munich and suffered back-to-back first round exits in Rome and Munich. Although the French Open seems to bring out the best in Mathieu, since his debut here in 2002 when he made it to the fourth round, losing to Andre Agassi in an instant-classic, his performances leading up to this years French Open does not inspire much confidence in the Frenchman. Frankly, I do not expect Mathieu to improve on his debut performance of 2002 – if that this year.

#21. Juan Monaco (+6500)

On the heels of a breakthrough season in 2007, when he picked up his maiden ATP title and two more (all on clay) and on a solid start to his 2008 campaign, Monaco reached a career high ranking of No.14 in the world. The Argentinean had a solid hard court turnout reaching the semifinals in Auckland to begin the year and after reaching the third round at the Australian Open, Monaco went on to the final at Vina Del Mar. Unfortunately an ankle injury forced him to withdraw from the final and since then Monaco has not regained his form. This week, Monaco is in the midst of a title defence campaign in Portschach. As a semifinalist, his encouraging run could not have come at a more appropriate time. I still think he is a long shot bet to emerge out of the quarterfinal round at Roland Garros, but as a solid clay-courter, he could do some damage as he is not someone a player would wish to face early on – or at any point really. His high ranking should give him a relatively good draw and a third/fourth round appearance is not unlikely.

# 20. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (+6500)

As with the other French contenders on the Top 25 list, Tsonga is one of several French hopefuls, but injury news (knee), which sidelined him since Miami, does not bode well from Tsonga’s French Open campaign this year. In Rome, his first clay-court tournament of the season, Tsonga crashed out of the opening round to countryman Gilles Simon. In Hamburg, Tsonga went one better, reaching the second round. This week in Casablanca, his final chance to prepare for the French Open,Tsonga seems to have at last found his footing on clay as he emerged into the final four at the Grand Prix Hassan II yesterday. Had he not posted an encouraging run this week, a terror on the red-dirt Tsonga would not be – although he never was to begin with. Tsonga played the French Open just once; in his debut way back in 2005, he got blown out by the least threatening player on the red dirt – Andy Roddick – in the opening round. Ranked 17th in the world, largely due to a Cinderella run at the 2008 Australian Open, wherein he steamrolled his way through to the final (l. to Djokovic), Tsonga is an unproven player on clay. Talent undeniable, a fan favourite in Paris undoubtedly, there is no reason why he cannot post a decent run in Paris. Then again, neither would an early exit be a shocker.

Click Here For A Look At Part II Of The Top 25 Players Partcipating In The 2008 French Open!

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