Friday's French Open Predictions: The Panel's Best Bets For The Men's Semi-Finals
French Open Betting Tips
The Panel Tip 1: Jannik Sinner To Beat Carlos Alcaraz – 11/8 With Betfred
The Panel Tip 3: Casper Ruud To Beat Alexander Zverev – Evens With Bet365
For the first time in 20 years, not one member of the ‘Big 3’ in men’s tennis has made it through to the French Open semi-finals, which have a fresh feel to them as a result.
Novak Djokovic was the last of the Mohicans before an untimely knee injury forced him to withdraw at the quarter-final stage, guaranteeing there will be a new name on The Musketeers’ Trophy.
Tennis betting sites believe Carlos Alcaraz is the name most likely to be engraved on the trophy, but all four semi-finalists have shown enough to think they can go all the way.
Both semi-finals are competitive betting heats and The Panel are happy to take on the favourites in both matches.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner Prediction
The top two in the French Open betting square off in this blockbuster semi-final and online bookmakers make Alcaraz odds-on to advance.
The Spaniard has certainly looked in good touch in Paris, dropping one set on his way to the last four and is now within touching distance of a first final at Roland Garros.
Stefanos Tsitsipas proved no match for the reigning Wimbledon champion in their quarter-final and any suggestion Alcaraz is still being troubled by a forearm issue he suffered in the build-up to the French Open have been laid to rest.
Sinner had similar health concerns ahead of the slam, but he, too, has looked on top of his game during his best-ever run at the French Open.
The Italian has also only dropped one set on the road to the last four and will take over as the world No 1 on Monday, no matter the outcome of this match.
These two have met eight times at tour level in the past, but with four wins apiece, the head-to-head record gives little indication of which way this match may go.
Alcaraz claimed the honours in their last encounter at Indian Wells, one of only three defeats Sinner has suffered in 2024.
Sinner has been ultra-consistent from the final few months of 2023 onwards, winning his first slam title at the Australian Open, and is the best ball striker in the men’s game right now.
The 22-year-old felt he was too predictable in the loss to Alcaraz at Indian Wells and we may see him vary up his shot selection in an effort to mitigate the advantage playing on clay gives the Spaniard.
We can expect to see these two battling for honours for years to come, and on this occasion, The Panel are happy to take the extra value that comes with backing Sinner as an underdog.
The Panel Tip 1: Jannik Sinner To Beat Carlos Alcaraz – 11/8 With Betfred
Settle In For Epic Encounter
While both men will have their fair share of backers on Friday, the consensus is that whoever comes out on top will have been made to work for their victory.
There have only ever been three straight sets victories in previous meetings between Alcaraz and Sinner, and even then, each one of those matches featured a tiebreak.
The two encounters they’ve had in a best-of-five format have been contested over a minimum of 39 games, with their clash at the 2022 US Open producing an epic five-set, 56-game contest.
Both men are playing at an extremely high level right now, and given how well they know one another, the expectation is this match will swing back and forth.
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Casper Ruud Vs Alexander Zverev Prediction
Two of the French Open’s nearly-men square off in Friday’s other semi-final, with Alexander Zverev looking to avoid a fourth successive semi-final defeat.
He lost at this stage last year to Casper Ruud in straight sets, yet it’s the German who is the favourite on betting apps for this rematch.
If nothing else, Ruud knows how to win a grand slam semi-final having advanced to the final on each of the three occasions he’s got to this stage. He’s contested the last two French Open finals, only to come up against Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.
The Norwegian was due to meet Djokovic again in the quarter-finals, only to be handed a walkover win, so should be the fresher of the two men.
Zverev has plenty stacked against him in Paris. His record is one concern – Zverev is 1-6 in previous slam semi-finals - and then there’s the distraction of his ongoing court case over allegations of domestic abuse taking place in Germany.
He’ll need to show more than he did in his quarter-final win over Alex De Minaur to topple Ruud, who was a pretty comfortable winner last year, taking the last set 6-0.
Ruud has been performing at a high level for most of the clay court season, winning two titles in the run-up to the French Open, and while it shouldn’t be as easy to beat Zverev this time around, there’s plenty to like about his chances.
The Panel Tip 3: Casper Ruud To Beat Alexander Zverev – Evens With Bet365
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