Halep Now Odds-On Favorite to Win Quarter 2 at Roland Garros

• Simona Halep is the defending French Open champion
• No. 4 Kiki Bertens was forced to retire in her second-round match
• No. 5 Angelique Kerber lost in her opening round matchup

The 2019 French Open has barely started but we’ve already seen a number of big names drop on the women’s side. That’s all good news for Simona Halep, the favorite who is looking to repeat as champion. Now that her French Open odds have improved significantly, is she a good bet to win her quarter and win the tournament?

2019 French Open Odds

Odds taken 05/29/19.

Halep’s Path Through Quarters Becomes Much Easier

Halep had a brief scare in the opening round, needing three sets to oust Ajla Tomljanovic, but the good news is that she’s through. The better news is that her path to winning her draw looks like a breeze after some other contenders couldn’t get out of the first round.

Most notably, Petra Kvitova, who could have become the no. 1 player in the world with a good run, withdrew from her opening matchup.  She was viewed as Halep’s biggest challenger to win the quarter. The no. 17 seed, Anett Kontaveit, and no. 30 seed, Mihaela Buzarnescu, were also bounced.

The top player remaining in either Section 3 or 4 is Aryna Sabalenka. They’ve only met twice but Halep has beaten her both times without losing a set. Halep is now a good bet to win Quarter 2. Her odds have dropped from +100 to -140, and it looks like she should have an easy time of things.

Halep’s Path to a Repeat Opens Up

The French Open draw on the women’s side is almost always wildly unpredictable. We’ve barely started the action at Roland Garros and we already have a slew of surprises. As mentioned, Kvitova withdrew. Also out are Angelique Kerber, who shocking lost in the first round as a -500 favorite, and Kiki Bertens (retired), who was one of the tournament favorites.

Naomi Osaka lost the first set of the tournament 6-0 and then needed to survive a second set tiebreaker just to make it to Round 2.

We’ve also seen some other concerning performances, such as no. 1 seed Naomi Osaka, who lost the first set of the tournament 6-0 and then needed to survive a second set tiebreaker just to stay alive and make it to Round 2.

But this is par for the course at the French Open. With that being said, I’d be careful betting Halep to go deep in this tournament. She hasn’t won a title this year, so she could still lose at any point.

What’s the Best Bet?

I definitely don’t mind taking a shot with Halep at -140 to win her quarter. She’s been to the fourth round and beyond in four of the last five French Opens. However, I’ll pass on betting her to win it all. She’s only done it once and while she’s the favorite, there are still plenty of landmines here.

I’m concerned with her needing three sets to get by her opening round match. If she was in good form, she should have easily won 6-2, 6-2 – or something along those lines. There are still some very good players in this tournament, including Karolina Pliskova, who might be ready to emerge. I’d sooner take a flier on her – she’s won her first two matches without breaking a sweat – than bet Halep to win it all.