Two ATP World Tour favorites and one underdog are all offering great value heading into their respective first round 2021 French Open matchups. With the second grand slam event of the calendar year set to get underway on Sunday, May 30, it’s time to find out who’s in action. The 2021 ATP French Open odds are up and running in the BetUS online sportsbook right now.
Sun, May 30, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. ET
Jannik Sinner (-550) vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert (+425)
Analysis: 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner is one of the top rising stars on the ATP World Tour. 30-year-old Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert is a journeyman in every sense of the word. Ranked 19th in the ATS rankings, Sinner is 21-10 on the year with one title while Hugues Herbert has gone an uninspiring 8-9 coming into the French Open. More importantly, Sinner blasted the 83rd ranked Hugues Herbert off the court in their only career head-to-head meeting by recording an emphatic 6-3, 6-1 win in 2020 when the pair met in Cologne, Germany.
These two ATP performers might both stand 6’2”, but Sinner, who won Melbourne 1 in January, is by far, the stronger, faster and more complete player in this matchup. This first round match looks like an absolute lock for Sinner and I believe he’ll get it done in straight sets. It’s going to cost you a cool -550, but Sinner is as close to a lock as it gets!
Pick: Jannik Sinner in Three Sets
Jan-Lennard Struff (+700) vs Andrey Rublev (-1000)
Analysis: 31-year-old German Jan-Lennard Struff is 12-12 on the year with no titles. 23-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev is 29-8 on the year with one title at Rotterdam in March. These two have met three times with Struff winning the first meeting in straight sets at St. Petersburg in 2018. The blossoming Rublev got some revenge by recording a three-set win in the ATP Cup Australian event in February before doubling down on Struff by recording another three-set win in Rome earlier this month.
Struff, who stands, 6’4” is a bit bigger than the 6’2” Rublev, but it is the young Russian that has the more dangerous weapons, starting with his absolutely huge forehand. Rublev knows how to dig down deep and has a nearly 10-year age difference on his side. This one won’t end in straight sets, but I’m going with Rublev at -800 to get it done in four sets.
Pick: Andrey Rublev in Four Sets
Jo Wilfried Tsonga (+375) vs Yoshihito Nishioka (-475)
Analysis: The 36-year-old Jo-Willie is no longer a youngster and he’s never faced the 25-year-old Nishioka, but I love the value the Frenchman is offering as the underdog in this first round matchup.
Now, 75th in the world, Tsonga is only 1-5 on the year. The 60th ranked Nishioka is 5-10 on the year. However, Tsonga is as close to fully healthy as he’s been in quite some time and the still-powerful veteran has reached the semifinals in his home tournament twice (2013, 2015) in his stellar career.
Tsonga will have the crowd completely on his side and has an immense edge in experience in this first round affair. I smell an upset brewing here and I love Tsonga as a stunning +375 underdog. Don’t be shocked when the Muhammad Ali look-alike wins. I won’t be. Tsonga gets it done in four sets.
Pick: Jo-Wilfried in Four Sets
Parlay all three picks for +485 odds.
