This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
The first round of the French Open begins Sunday from the clay courts of Paris. A few Grand Slam champions in the women's draw could be headed for early exits at the second Grand Slam of 2024, including a former French Open champion. On the men's side, some players who have delivered strong results playing best of three sets in recent Masters 1000 events will look to replicate those efforts in the best of five Grand Slam format.
All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
All men's singles matches at Grand Slams such as the French Open are best of five sets, while women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous clay court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be viewed as overwhelming favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
French Open Picks: Upset Alert
Viktorija Golubic (+500) vs. Barbora Krejcikova
Krejcikova has looked like a shell of her former self over the past year while being besieged by injuries. She has just one match win since the Australian Open, and that came via retirement, so the 2021 French Open champion is heavily favorite in this match based on reputation rather than recent form. Golubic is just 1-6 in her French Open career, but her lone career WTA title came on clay. She defeated two top-50 players en route to the third round of the Australian Open this year and has a 6-6 record in 2024, which is right in line with Krejcikova's 5-5 record.
Lucia Bronzetti (+310) vs. Naomi Osaka
Osaka's tremendous serve and power off the ground help paper over her poor movement on hard courts, but that weakness has always been exposed on the slower clay, which is why the four-time Grand Slam champion is just 7-5 at the French Open in her career. Osaka's subpar court coverage has been an even more glaring issue in her return from pregnancy, as she's just 4-3 on clay in 2024. Bronzetti has struggled to an 8-15 record this year, but the 48th-ranked Italian won a clay-court title in Rabat last year, giving Bronzetti more career titles on this surface than Osaka.
Honorable Mention
Tatjana Maria (+280) vs. Clara Tauson
French Open Odds: Lock It In
Nicolas Jarry (-225) vs. Corentin Moutet
Jarry is playing the best tennis of his career, as the 28-year-old Chilean comes into this tournament rocking a career-high ranking of No. 16 after reaching his first Masters 1000 final in Rome. Clay has been Jarry's best surface over the years, as he has a .600 win percentage on it compared to sub-.500 marks on other surfaces. Moutet has great feel and will have the French crowd in his corner, but the 79th-ranked Frenchman has actually played his worst tennis on clay in his career, with just a .379 win percentage on the dirt. The difference in power between the 6-foot-7, 198-pound Jarry and the 5-foot-11, 156-pound Moutet will likely prove too great for the underdog to overcome.
Fabian Marozsan (-310) vs. Mikhail Kukushkin
Marozsan is ranked 41st, but that ranking doesn't do the 24-year-old Hungarian justice, as he has reached at least the Round of 16 in all four of his career Masters 1000 event appearances and made the third round of the Australian Open this year. Marozsan burst onto the scene just over a year ago with a clay-court win over Carlos Alcaraz, so he's clearly comfortable on this surface, even though this will be his first French Open main draw appearance. The 36-year-old Kukushkin did well to get through qualifying here, but his best days are long behind him. Kukushkin has slipped to 135th in the rankings and this is his first ATP Tour main draw appearance of 2024. Since the start of 2022, Kukushkin is just 2-12 in Tour-level main draw matches.
Honorable Mention
Jelena Ostapenko (-245) vs. Jaqueline Cristian
French Open Predictions: Value Bets
Marie Bouzkova (-110) vs. Veronika Kudermetova
Kudermetova has struggled to a 7-12 record in 2024 and comes into this tournament on a three-match losing streak, so her 11-spot edge over the 42nd-ranked Bouzkova in the rankings isn't indicative of Kudermetova's recent form. Kudermetova's error-prone game doesn't mesh well with the longer points of clay-court tennis, while Bouzkova was playing well before missing the past six weeks due to an elbow injury, reaching a clay-court final in Bogota in her last tournament. If Bouzkova's fully healthy or close to it, she'll likely take care of business.
Laura Siegemund (-155) vs. Sofia Kenin
Siegemund is one of the world's best doubles players, but the crafty German has been surprisingly effective in singles at age 36, posting a 16-10 record in 2024 that includes a 9-4 mark on clay. Kenin's just 4-12 in 2024, and the 25-year-old American just hasn't been able to get out of her own head since breaking out in 2020 with a win at the Australian Open and runner-up finish at the French Open. Since the start of 2022, Kenin has a 3-6 record at Grand Slams.
Honorable Mention
Luca Nardi (+130) vs. Alexandre Muller
