The French Open continues on Tuesday and have identified three players worth putting on your parlay ticket.
Early rounds often feature short-priced favorites, but the clay courts often throw up surprise results. There are some evenly-matched fixtures at Roland Garros and we have found the best value at the online sportsbook.
Included in our parlay is Brady vs Sevastova, Hsieh vs Wang and Zhang vs Lepchenko.
Jen Brady vs Anastasija Sevastova
We like Jen Brady in this matchup despite clay not being her favorite surface.
The American comes off a 2-0 win on the clay at Rome before pulling out of her second-round matchup. Despite the withdrawal, Brady is in a good position to hold off the feisty Anastasija Sevastova.
Brady had an excellent 2020 which included an Australian Open final loss to Naomi Osaka. She was beaten in the first round of the French Open last year, but her form has improved significantly since.
Sevastova is a talented player, but her mental fortitude lacks at the best of times. She consistently puts herself in a situation to explode mentally, so expect fireworks in this Round one clash.
She is superior on slowing surfaces, but Brady brings the power and should bring the result home.
Pick: Jennifer Brady -125
Su Wei Hsieh vs Qiang Wang
Qiang Wang is the raging-hot favorite to beat Su Wei Hsieh, but the value is with the Taiwanese player.
Hsieh has a unique style and she can be tough to play against. Despite her recent form, which includes four consecutive losses on the clay, she is good enough to stay close to Wang.
The Chinese player comes off a 2-0 loss to Coco Gauff, but Wang made a deep run at Paris. It’s good form to bring to the French Open, but she has struggled to beat Hsieh in the past.
HSIEH SU WEI 🔥
The Taiwanese star ousts 19th-seed Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2 to advance to her first Major quarterfinal.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/pv5oIyHwn1
Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) February 14, 2021
Heish has won the last three matches against Wang, with two of those coming in straight sets. They last played in 2019, so it has been almost two years. However, tennis betting markets have Hsieh paying +210 to win outright.
We’re not brave enough to take the head-to-head odds, but the +4½ games looks like a steal. That’s nearing a full set advantage, so bettors should have Hsieh +4½ on the parlay ticket.
Her style makes it hard for players to play attacking tennis, which has clearly frustrated Wang in the past. She puts no pace on the ball, which forces errors from her opponents.
“She’s so precise the way she plays,” Hsieh’s long-time coach Paul McNamee told WTA Tennis after her Australian Open campaign. “No one can redirect traffic as well as she can on both sides. Doesn’t matter which way it’s coming from, she can redirect it either way.”
We love the way she plays and she will give Qiang Wang a serious run for her money.
Pick: Su Wei Hsieh +4½ (+105)
Varvara Lepchenko vs Shuai Zhang
Despite some moderate recent form, we expected Shuai Zhang to be the overwhelming favorite against Varvara Lepchenko.
Zhang is ranked 45th in the WTA and Lepchenko 170, but it’s the American who is the current favorite at -150.
Lepchenko needed to win three qualifying matches just to make the main draw. She came through two of them in straight sets, so her confidence will be up. However, Zhang has dominated her in the last four outings.
The Chinese player has dropped only one set to Lepchenko in their last four meetings. She won at the 2019 French Open against Lepchenko and her form hasn’t tapered off enough to see that result turn around.
Bettors should jump all over the +130 and we expect plenty of money to come for Zhang on game day. We had the market framed at Zhang -120, so we’re jumping all over the current odds.
Include her in your tennis parlay bets.
