Quality tennis action continues at the French Open and our two selected players each have a chance of pulling off an upset.
Headlining the French Open Tuesday parlay is Daniil Medvedev, who wasn’t fancied to win on the clay. However, he is ripping through the opposition to set up a mouth-watering match against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
We also have Alex Zverev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, which is another quality match.
Bet on tennis at our online sportsbook, which allows bettors to parlay our French Open selections for bigger returns.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev’s tournament odds skyrocketed when he said he hates playing on clay. However, bettors wish they had taken the value now after he destroyed Cristian Garin in straight sets.
For a player who hates the surface to beat one of the more promising clay court players, it was a fine performance. The Russian won 6-2, 6-1, 7-5, so the first two sets weren’t even a contest.
His powerful ground shots were in fine display and it was his second consecutive straight-sets victory after dispatching Riley Opelka in the third round.
Daniil Medvedev wraps up a 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Christian Garin is into the QFs for the loss of just one set.
He’ll face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has also lost one set.
Medvedev leads the H2H 6-1 … but this is clay … but he likes clay now … pic.twitter.com/SsRywuKijn
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) June 6, 2021
Medvedev is happy about being on the other side of the draw from Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He still has to get past Tsitsipas, but he’s easier than the best two players in the world.
“Novak and Rafa, they proved so many times that they are such great champions, especially in Grand Slams, that of course the further you encounter them, the better,” Medvedev told the ATP Tour. “Having them on the other part of the draw, I think me, Tsitsipas, Zverev, we are all happy in a way because we know we can make (the) final without seeing them. Then (we can) get the chance to beat them in the final, which is the best chance possible.
“Especially talking about Rafa, he (has) won 13 times here. He barely loses a set. The further you meet him, the better. Maybe somebody can try to beat him before.”
Tennis betting markets have Tsitsipas as the favorite, which is understandable. He is the better clay court player and he has won three of his four games in straight sets.
The Greek defeated Pablo Carreno-Busta 3-0 in the third round and it was a fine performance. However, his record against Medvedev is one worth noting.
Medvedev is 6-1 lifetime against Tsitsipas, including a win on the clay in 2019. The most recent meeting was a one-sided 3-0 victory at the Australian Open for the Russian, so Tsitsipas must beat a player he has only one win against.
We’re sticking to our guns and going with Medvedev to win. He hasn’t shown signs of not liking the clay and the warm conditions have helped the ball bounce better.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev +175
Alex Zverev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Most of the money has come for Zverev. The German is the better player, but we’re making a case for Davidovich Fokina.
His name might be hard to say, but he does his talking on the court. The Spaniard has been around clay courts throughout his career and although he has yet to win a set against Zverev, the past two matches haven’t come on clay.
He made the round of 16 at Rome before losing to Djokovic and his confidence levels have risen. His effort to beat Federico Delbonis 3-1 in the third round is a step in the right direction.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina holds from 0-40 when serving for the match beats Federico Delbonis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
The man they call Foki is into the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time – odd socks, underarm serves and all. pic.twitter.com/gjabd0ZKLi
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) June 6, 2021
Zverev didn’t have a fantastic start to the tournament after coming back from 0-2 against Oscar Otte. He managed to escape with the win before not dropping a set in his three subsequent games.
He put Kei Nishikori to the sword 6-4, 6-1, 6-1, which was a fine effort. However, he doesn’t always live up to expectations in the finals. Bettors have often been burnt by Zverev when the pressure goes up.
Bettors get lovely odds for an upset and we think Tuesday morning at the French Open could cause havoc.
Getting +650 in what should be a close match is good shopping and it pays to overlook their respective world rankings for this one.
