The 2019 WTA Tour continues with the French Open on Wednesday and Thursday the 29th and 30th of May 2019. Check out our full betting preview below.
2019 WTA Tour | French Open
Roland Garros, Paris, France (Outdoor Red Clay)
Selected Round of 64 Matches | 30 May 2019
Naomi Osaka (7/10)
vs Victoria Azarenka (21/20)
World Number One Naomi Osaka has experienced nothing short of a whirlwind 12 months on tour. Winning in Indian Wells last year was the catalyst for a meteoric rise to fame that has seen her win the last two Grand Slams. And all this in the midst of a break with former coach Sasha Bajin. In the hands of a more tempestuous 21-year-old, that split could have devolved into a ‘Days of our Lives’ saga. But she seems to have moved on from that incident, though her form has certainly suffered in recent months. She retired a few times in quarter-final stages, which perhaps indicates some street smarts ahead of the French. The semi-final in Stuttgart was an encouraging sign and Osaka will still believe the dream and think a third major could be at hand. She made slightly heavy work of Schmiedlova in the opening round, which may give some encouragement to her opponent.
Far from ambling to victory in her opening match, Victoria Azarenka obliterated former champion Jelena Ostapenko. Azarenka has well and truly got back on track following her litany of injuries and prolonged custody battles. The 2013 French Open semi-finalist really remerged with a quarter-final run at the Mexico Open. Then she reached her first final in forever as the clay-court season swung into gear. She was forced to retire after trailing handsomely to Garbine Muguruza in Monterrey. A quarter-final in Rome further underlined her return to proper contention. Furthermore, she actually captured the double’s title in Rome, which would have done wonders for a perennial winner trying to recapture her best form. Osaka will no doubt be the favourite for this one, but Azarenka has a dark horse appeal that can’t be dismissed.
The two share the head-to-head spoils 1-1, with Osaka trouncing Azarenka in Rome last season. To be fair to Azarenka, she was barely playing any tennis at that stage. She now seems to be really competitive and should push Osaka hard. It may well be worth it to have a little at the Belarusian.
Danielle Collins (38/10)
vs Ashleigh Barty (2/13)
The renaissance of Ashleigh Barty has been one of the more intriguing subplots on the WTA Tour of late. The former Aussie cricket star really started to get her groove back towards the end of last year, culminating in a US Open Double’s title. She then reached the semi-finals in Wuhan prior to winning the WTA Elite Trophy. She then started 2019 in spectacular fashion, reaching the final in Sydney before reaching the quarter-finals of her home Grand Slam. Barty’s prodigious power came to the fore once again when she claimed the biggest title of her career in Miami. Clearly, clay is her weakest surface and it’s fairly understandable that her results have tailed off a tad. But a quarter-final in Madrid tells me that the 23-year-old is more than ready to compete at this French Open.
Ashleigh Barty will meet yet another American after defeating Pegula in the opening round. Danielle Rose Collins was a highly celebrated college player, twice winning the prestigious NCAA Single’s title. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a fairly middling career up until the beginning of this year, winning a few ITF titles here and there. Few could have possibly envisaged her herculean run at the Australian Open earlier this year. She rose from relative obscurity to reach the semi-final stage, accounting for the likes of Angelique Kerber along the way. She hasn’t been able to recapture anywhere near that sort of form since then. Having said that, a quarter-final at the Charleston Open reflects that she may have what it takes to compete on clay. She trounced Maria in the opening round and may just be the sort of player who performs best on the biggest stage.
This will only be their second meeting, with Barty beating Collins in a highly-competitive three-set match at the Madrid Open. Barty will clearly be the favourite but I just have a slight inkling that Collins may have a surprise in store. Perhaps Barty to win in three would be a more prudent option, but I just think it may be worth it to opt for the Collins surprise.
Written by Damien Kayat for Hollywoodbets
