As the French Open semifinals get underway Thursday, the major storylines at Roland Garros are the depth and youth on the men’s side of the draw and the continued dominance of Iga among the women.
With Novak Djokovic withdrawing prior to his quarterfinal match against Casper Ruud, the page appears to be finally turning on the extended era utterly dominated by Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. This will be the first French Open Final since 2004 without one of the Big 3. This does not mean the world’s top-ranked player will not be a threat at Wimbledon in a few weeks or in another major, but Father Time is undefeated and after sending Federer and Nadal to the showers he appears to have set his sights on the 24-time Grand Slam Champion. Add to it the maturation of so many athletes in the men’s game and there are new faces and even favorites in position to claim glory this weekend and moving forward.
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While Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the Opening Round, his spirit and level of dominance has been assumed by Iga Swiatek. The fact that the #1-ranked player on the women’s side has even lost one set in the tournament is considered shocking to many. Take a bow, Naomi Osaka. Swiatek was a 16-dollar favorite in the quarterfinals…against the 6th-ranked player in the world. A combination of an off-night for Iga and best-ever performance by her opponent is the only path, and it is a narrow one, for someone other than the 23-year-old from Poland to win in Paris.
Let’s do a deeper dive into the men’s and women’s semis. It features odds for each player to win the match, a couple additional betting markets, and a dive into the match from NBC Sports’ Jay Croucher. In addition, we have offered a snapshot of each individual player along with their respective odds to win the French Open, their current world ranking, a handful of career achievements, and a link to highlights.
- Both players advanced with quarterfinal victories in three sets
- Most Double Faults: Paolini (+275) | Andreeva (-225)
- To Win in Straight Sets: Paolini (+175) | Andreeva (+275)
- Either Player to Win a Set 6-0: Yes (+700) | No (-2500)
- This is Paolini’s 1st Grand Slam Semifinal in singles’ play
- Has also reached the Semis in Doubles with Sara Errani
- Currently ranked 12th in the world
- This is the first time an Italian man (Sinner) and woman (Paolini) are in the semis in the same year
- At 17, Andreeva is the youngest semifinalist at a Grand Slam since Martina Hingis (16 years old at the U.S. Open in 1997)
- Turned pro in 2022
- Currently ranked 38th in the world
- The younger sister of fellow professional tennis player Erika.
- NBC Sports’ Lead Betting Analyst Jay Croucher Breakdown
- Total Sets: OVER 2.5 (+210) | UNDER 2.5 (-340)
- Total Games Won: Swiatek O/U 12.5 | Gauff O/U 6.5
- NBC Sports Analyst Jay Croucher’s Favorite Bet for this Match
- World’s #1-ranked player (has spent 106 weeks as #1 in her career)
- French Open champion in 2020, 2021, and 2023
- Won the U.S. Open in 2022
- Owns a record of 21-4 in Singles’ Finals in her career
- Currently ranked #3 in the world
- 2023 U.S. Open Champion
- Has reached at least the semis in the last three majors
- Lost to Swiatek in the French Open Final in 2022
Read More: Coco and Iga - a Rematch of 2022 French Final
- A rematch of last year’s French Open semifinal (Ruud won)
- Ruud advanced to semis with walkover vs. Djokovic
- Zverev advanced to semis with straight set win over De Minaur
- Bet to win the 1st Set: Ruud (-110) | Zverev (-115)
- 4th straight French Open Semifinal (11th man to do so)
- Has now won 11 consecutive matches
- Also reached the semis of the 2024 Australian Open
- Parents were Russian professional tennis players, but Zverev was born in Germany
- 3rd consecutive French Open semifinal
- Looking to reach his 3rd consecutive French Open final
- Son of former professional tennis player Christian Ruud
- Currently ranked 7th in the world
- This is their 9th meeting all-time (4-4)
- Player to Win Most Games: Alcaraz (-160) | Sinner (+150)
- Total Games in the Match: O/U 38.5
- NBC Sports Lead Betting Analyst Jay Croucher’s Approach to Betting the Men’s Draw
- 2024 Australian Open Champion
- Will be World #1 following the French Open
- First Italian to be ranked #1 in Men’s Tennis
- Won a Nat’l Championship in Skiing (Giant Slalom) at age 8
- The #3 seed, but the Betting Favorite to win the French Open
- 2-time Grand Slam winner (2022 U.S. Open, 2023 Wimbledon)
- Currently ranked #3 in the world
- Seeking to become the 8th Spaniard to win the French Open
We will dive into the remaining semifinal matches once quarterfinal play has concluded. Until then, enjoy the action from Paris on Wednesday.
