The French Open tennis tournament moves into the second half of its quarterfinals. Looking back to Tuesday, we didn’t have such a hot day with our tennis picks as went 0-2. We were looking at Caroline Wozniacki as a player who could advance and maybe make a push (finally) for a Grand Slam. While show won the first set 6-4, she would go on to win just four games the rest of the way in her lost to Jelena Ostapenko. We also had Kristina Mladenovic to move on but she failed to do so. She lost in straight sets to Timea Bacsinszky. Bacsinszky didn’t really have to sweat too much as she won 6-4, 6-4 to move on.
Of note from Tuesday, Everyone saw that with fierce winds, the weather could be a factor. Before you make you sports betting picks, consult the Wednesday weather forecast to see if conditions might affect the way players play. Moist and cool conditions create a heavy court, which means it will be harder to hit through the court and generate winners. However, heavy courts also mean that slower players have a better chance of getting to balls they wouldn’t track down in faster and more normal conditions. Here are our picks for Wednesday:
Simona Halep vs. Elina Svitolina
For anyone trying to bet on this match, health is a primary consideration. Svitolina played her fourth-round match in pain against Petra Martic. She was up and down in that match, and she trailed 5-2 and 0-30 (on her serve) in the final set before winning 20 of the final 24 points to somehow win. In the Rome final, Halep won the first set decisively before an ankle injury enabled Svitolina to make a strong comeback. Halep came into Paris with grave concerns about that ankle, but after dominating Carla Suarez Navarro in the fourth round, 6-1, 6-1, Halep is playing well, and moreover, she has not been forced to play extended matches. She has been able to win her matches in straight sets through the first four rounds. The ankle doesn’t seem to be much of a problem. Svitolina is the more physically compromised player, so that makes the decision to pick Halep a relatively clear one. If the conditions are wet and heavy, it will be even harder for Svitolina to hit through the court than it will already be on Wednesday. Halep looks like the favorite for this tournament right now, and although she has failed to make good on her promise in previous years, her opponent is not in the best shape to stand in her way.
It’s a little bit surprising to see Halep as such a big favorite but she’s laying -275 in this spot. Svitolina comes in at +200. Lay the juice with Halep in this case, though.
Pick: Halep in straight sets
Caroline Garcia vs. Karolina Pliskova
Caroline Garcia is not an old player, but she has struggled to play well consistently, and many people in tennis have lamented her difficulties on the tour. Yet, in a wide-open tournament such as this one, Garcia – like others – had a huge opportunity to make something happen. She has taken advantage to a certain point, and now she will try to take another really big step. She will be riding a wave of support from the French crowd in her home-nation tournament. That could be a source of help, but it could also apply a lot of extra pressure. It will be hard to gauge how well this helps her.
The bigger question is how Pliskova handles the crowd in an oppositional situation. When Kristina Mladenovic beat Garbine Muguruza on Sunday, the crowd got to the defending champion from Spain. Pliskova has to handle the crowd well. If she does, she can get through it. Given how well Pliskova has battled to get to this point, that is a reasonable bet to make.
Taking a look at the betting odds, Pliskova comes in at -170 and Garcia is priced at +130. We’d love to lay a little bit less juice with Pliskova just in case she loses. It wouldn’t hurt as much. But at any rate, she’s worth the price tag here and we’ll back her to move on.
Pick: Pliskova in three sets
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