posted May 23, 2008 at 14:03 EST in Tennis Betting Trends

Paris, France – During the weekend, leading up to the French Open, I will be counting down the top 25 sports betting contenders – starting from No.25 and going to No.1 – in Roland Garros for the online tennis betting hamlet at BetUS 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.

#19 Mikhail Youzhny (+6500)

Mikhail Youzhny is a streaky player. At the start of his 2008 campaign, he blew Rafael Nadal in the Chennai final to lift the title and followed that up with a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open. However, the Russian is dealing with a neck injury that saw him retire in his opening match at the ATP Masters Series in Monte Carlo against compatriot Igor Andreev. In Hamburg, Youzhny suffered another first round loss to Fernando Verdasco. In French Open outings, Youzhny is 8-7 lifetime; his best performance coming last year – a fourth round appearance. Youzhny is a versatile player, but while he is capable on most surfaces, on clay he has done little of significance. He does not play with topspin and cannot do much when it comes at him – hence, his lack of success against the real clay-courters of the game. Should he come up against one such clay-courter in the early rounds, his French Open campaign will come to a timely end. Betting on Youzhny to advance past the third/fourth round is a long shot.

# 18 Lleyton Hewitt (+12500)

Injuries have sidelined Hewitt for much of the season; however, in spite of his questionable form, Hewitt, against the advice of doctors has opted to contest the 2008 French Open campaign. At +125000 long shot odds, he is not a bet worth making to win the title outright. He may string together a short winning streak at best, but to expect him to reach the second week at Roland Garros.

#17 Gael Monfils (+10000)

The Frenchman Gael Monfils has enjoyed a dreadful 2008 campaign, but in fairness, he is coming off knee surgery. The talented youngster has been mired with injury problems through his short career and as such, he is another long shot bet for the French Open. Of course, French fans will be vying for one of their own to reach the second week at Roland Garros, but of the French contingent heading to Paris, Monfils is hardly expected to accomplish the feat.

# 16 Tomas Berdych (+6500)

Czech hopeful Tomas Berdych is synonymous with inconsistency and mental fragility. No player has more going for him and against him at the same time than the 22-year-old Berdych. Loads of talent, power and game, Berdych who has been coasting under the radar for two years in the Top 20 has yet to truly break out. Falling short of expectations consistently, I do not expect him to all of a sudden turnaround and make a significant dent in the draw, especially now after an ankle injury during Davis Cup action has had him sidelined through much of the European clay-court swing. In Hamburg, his lone tournament on clay this season, Berdych crashed out of the opening round to hard-up Safin.

# 15 Juan Carlos Ferrero +8000

Five years after Juan Carlos Ferrero won his lone Grand Slam title at the French Open, he figures, once again, prominently in the discussion at this years French Open. Largely due to a sensational performance at the ATP Masters Series in Rome, where he stunned Rafael Nadal – albeit a banged up and blistered Nadal – in the second round, thereby denying his compatriot a four-peat in Rome. Although the next day he fell to Stanislas Wawrinka, Ferrero’s resurgence at 28-years-old has caused a bit of stir. Should Ferrero luck out in the draw, falling into a section that is void of the top three players in the world – Federer, Nadal and Djokovic – it is not unrealistic to expect him to emerge into the quarterfinals. A semi would perhaps be a stretch, but should some shockers occur in Paris, there is no telling how far Ferrero could go, especially if he can keep up the level he demonstrated against Nadal in Rome. Simply put, Ferrero is a dangerous threat – one players would hope to avoid at all costs in Paris.

#14 Fernando Gonzalez +6500

Fernando Gonzalez is another unbelievable clay-court player, but his inconsistency sis equally unbelieveable – downright frustrating actually. Gonzalez has had a relatively modest 2008 campaign, winning the Vina del Mar title (on a walkover by Monaco) and the title in Munich (d. Simone Boleilli). In Rome, Gonzalez suffered a right leg injury that prevented him from contesting his third round match against Nicolas Almagro. Sidelined since his withdrawal in Rome, Gonzalez enters the French Open draw with a question mark. With all the talent he has on the red stuff, Gonzalez reached the quarterfinal in Paris only once – way, way back in 2003. If Gonzalez is in form, his talent alone merits a quarterfinal slot, but his inconsistency makes him a risk. It is a toss up whether he will feature in the second week or he will become an early casualty.

# 13 Igor Andreev +6500

Igor Andreev is a streaky player one that seesaws between remarkable to average performances in tournament play. Andreev has all the makings of spectacular clay-court player – a guru if you will, but while he knows it and others know it as well, the results do not point to it. Consistency has long been an issue with the Russian, hence falling short of expectations countless times. In three trips to the French Open, Andreev has never been eliminated before the third round. Last year, Andreev made it to the quarterfinals in French Open (l. to Novak Djokovic). What can he do this year? He is a player that should make it into the second week of Roland Garros, but whether he will is entirely up to him. Only he knows the answer to that mystery.

With very little in the way of preparation for the French Open, Berdych has but a glimmer of hope in reaching the second week in Paris.

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

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