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Iga Swiatek once again goes into a Grand Slam event as favorite, but her main rival Aryna Sabalenka poses a significant threat in France.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Looking at the best-rated online sportsbooks we can see that bettors favor Iga Swiatek to win the French Open. The reigning champion is considered a -135 chance with some bookmakers. Her big rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are the next highest rated in the betting, and there are six contenders between +1400 and +2000, including Ons Jabeur and Paula Badosa.
| Women's Singles Winner |  |  |  |
| Swiatek | -135 | -157 | -140 |
| Sabalenka | +550 | +370 | +325 |
| Rybakina | +750 | +630 | +725 |
| Badosa | +1800 | +1475 | +1600 |
| Krejcikova | +2000 | +1275 | +1400 |
| Jabeur | +2200 | +1900 | +2000 |
| Ostapenko | +2200 | +1825 | +2000 |
| Gauff | +2500 | +1900 | +2000 |
| Sakkari | +2800 | +2800 | +2000 |
2023 WTA French Open Betting Briefing
The French Open at Roland Garros is the year’s second Grand Slam tournament and one of the most recognizable. This event, which is played on conventional red clay, is the culmination of the European clay-court season, which has been playing out over the last few weeks.
Clay-court tennis lends itself more to specialists than grass-court tennis. Although there are ‘fast’ clay-courts, such as Stuttgart’s indoor court and, to a lesser extent, Charleston’s green clay, clay is generally a slower surface than either grass or hard-court. On this surface, players who rely on a potent serve and brief rallies tend to struggle, whereas those who can endure lengthy rallies and utilize heavy topspin will thrive. Additionally, the ability to slide effectively on the surface is a necessary skill.
2023 WTA French Open Favorites
Iga Swiatek has already won three Grand Slams and at the age of 22, has the ability to dominate the women’s game for many years to come. Not surprisingly, she is rated as the overwhelming favorite in Roland Garros, where she triumphed twelve months ago. Although she is adept on hard-courts, and her grass-court game is likely to improve, clay is her best surface. Her speed of stroke, ability to slide and the heavy topspin that she generates all make her a formidable opponent.
Yet she is not unbeatable. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has beaten her three times this year, and perhaps more significantly, Aryna Sabalenka, who has not previously shown herself to be among the very best on clay-courts, beat Swiatek in the final at Madrid. Given that the world number one had to retire injured against Rybakina in Rome, her short odds here offer little value and of her two main rivals, Sabalenka now looks the likeliest to beat her to the French Open crown.
2023 WTA French Open Contenders
Outside the top three, there are plenty of interesting contenders for glory in Paris. Ons Jabeur has the game to worry the best, and would certainly be a popular winner, but she has had very little tennis since withdrawing from the final in Stuttgart. Barbora Krejcikova won this title in 2021, but her current form is poor and she was taken apart by Jelena Ostapenko in Rome.
Ostapenko herself is another former French Open winner, and like Jabeur, would be a crowd favorite to lift the title again. Her form has been patchy this year, but at her best, she is hard to stop, and she may have found peak clay-court form at the right time in Rome, beating Krejcikova and Paula Badosa on her way to the semi-finals, and if she gets some momentum, she has a great chance.
Badosa is the other main contender worth considering in France. She achieved her best Grand Slam performance here, reaching the quarter-finals, and has also made the last eight in three of her four clay-court tournaments this year. She offers a touch of value in the futures market here.
2023 WTA French Open Underdogs
If you’re going to take a chance on an apparent underdog at the French Open, there are plenty of possible candidates lower down the betting list, including Caroline Garcia.
The 2017 French Open quarter-finalist is actually a two-time Grand Slam winner here in the doubles tournament and while her aggressive and versatile game can come unstuck, like Ostapenko she can be tough to beat when on song. Her form going into this tournament is poor, but she will draw motivation from her home crowd and is the type of player to hit form suddenly.
The other interesting underdog contender is Veronika Kudermetova. The Russian star is a rising force on the WTA Tour and still has plenty of potential, having achieved her highest world ranking so far at the end of last season. Her aggressive baseline-dominated game can sometimes lead to errors and she has not been known as clay-court player, but she is still improving and her run to the semi-finals in Rome showed that she is adept at replicating her powerful game on the red clay.
Best Online Sportsbooks to Bet on the French Open
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