posted June 4, 2008 at 19:02 in Tennis Free Picks

Paris, France – On the women’s front at the French Open the sports betting faithful have a novel online betting opportunity in the closing days of French Open tennis betting; that is betting on a semi-final line-up minus several of the pre-tournament favourites. Maria Sharapova who attained the World No.1 ranking on the heels of Justine Henin’s retirement was expected to feature at the very least in the final four this year. After all, the Russian powerhouse made it to the semi-finals last year when she was in questionable form with a shoulder injury and this year, after her imperious start to the season – winning the Australian Open, Doha and Amelia Island, racking up an impressive 27-2 mark for the year at the start of the French Open – she was at the very least expected to go one better in Paris with a premiere position in the tournaments last curtain call. But a quarterfinal loss to Dinara Safina was all it took to end Sharapova’s hopes in Paris and for the tournament to lose its short-odds-on sportsbook favourite for the title. So as the BetUS tennis betting market heats up with the final two rounds of French Open betting, who will be the new queen in Paris?

The soaring Serbian sensation, Ana Ivanovic (2007 French Open runner-up) is the least surprising of the final four. Since the start of the season, following a runner-up finish at the 2008 Australian Open, experts had her pegged as the newcomer most likely to win a her career first Grand Slam title and the most likely player to finish the year with the World No.1 ranking locked up and. In securing a berth in the semi-final Ivanovic has not only taken one step closer to achieving the former, with Sharapova’s loss and in turn a match-win away from a berth in the final she is poised to achieve both feats.

Similarly, compatriot Jelena Jankovic who led the tour last season in match wins (over 70 – the highest in both the men’s and women’s game of that year) has posted another solid year thus far. Highlighted by winning the title in Rome for a second consecutive year, Jankovic who next faces compatriot Ivanovic has an equal chance of achieving both scores as well.

Former Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova is the least surprising semi-finalist of all as aside from winning the 2004 US Open , the marvellously consistent and consistently marvellous Kuznetsova has been a top elite player for some time. Now poised to vie for her second career Grand Slam, Kuznetsova’s experience at this level gives her an added edge. A semi-final victory will earn her the World No.1 ranking on Monday and a chance to be crowned the Queen in Paris.

Finally, while the afore-mentioned three were expected to do factor deep in Paris, perhaps the most surprising semi-finalist is Russian Dinara Safina, who has found formidable form in the latter half of the European clay court swing. Most encouraging was her victory in Berlin, defeating Serena Williams and Justine Henin en route to the title. In fact, her victory against Henin was the last match the former World No.1 player played before announcing her retirement to an astonished world.

Although Safina is not a contender for the World No.1 ranking, she is no less of a threat for it in the French Open semi-final round. Originally dubbed as one of the tournament’s dark horses, she is sure to put on quite a derby of a match for a berth in the final. In the end she may even be the most fortunate of the four, as she is the player with the least pressure entering the semis, free of the added burden of becoming the World No.1 player she has a decided edge over the trio of No.1 contenders who are weighed down with vying for the French Open title as well. She need only focus on the only result that matters – winning.

So for tennis bettors betting on the French Open, the women’s semifinal billing finally is fitting of a Grand Slam event this season as the women’s circuit is poised for the changing of guards in three competitors or on the verge of crowning a player few would have picked at the start of the tournament.

BetUS Sportsbook is taking action on the French Open with the men’s French Open Futures. Check out the futures odds and start betting on the second Grand Slam of the year now!

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