WTA 2019 French Open Odds & Picks: Can Halep Win It Again?

• Simona Halep won the 2018 French Open and has been to the final in each of the last two years
• No female player has won more clay court matches than Kiki Bertens since the start of 2016
• Belinda Bencic is worth a flier as the No. 15 player in the world

The draw is out for the women’s side of action for the 2019 French Open. Simona Halep is favored to win the event and Kiki Bertens is the only other player inside of 10/1 odds. Are either of them a good bet or is there value with someone else on the board?

2019 French Open Odds

Odds taken May 24, 2019.  

Halep Reliable on Clay

Women’s tennis is unpredictable to begin with. Predicting a winner on clay is even more challenging. However, if there is one player that tends to be very reliable on the red surface it’s Simona Halep. She’s won 72% of her career matches and is the defending champion. However, there is reason to be concerned backing her.

Last year, she was 16-3 during the clay-court season en route to her win at the French Open. This year, she’s just 7-1. She’s won no titles this year and is coming off a disappointing second-round loss to Marketa Vondrousova at the Italian Open.

She has reached the finals in each of the last two years and three of the last five, but I’ll pass on her in this spot. She was bounced in the fourth round at the 2019 Australian Open and the first round at the 2018 U.S. Open. The +400 payout just isn’t worth it considering how unpredictable this event has been.

Take a Flier on Belinda Bencic

There’s no question that she’s a long shot. At +2500, she’s going to need a lot to go right. She’s not great against elite players but if the draw goes her way, she’s capable of winning. The odds here don’t reflect her chances as she should be somewhere in the +1500 range.

Consider that the No. 15 player in the world made the semis at Roland Garros in 2016 and the semis at the Madrid Open this year. She’s more than capable on clay. She’s only lost on clay three times this year and two of the losses were to Halep and Kiki Bertens – two of the top players. This is an unpredictable tournament, so don’t be surprised if someone like Bencic rises to the occasion.

Bertens Ready To Roll?

Speaking of unpredictable, one of the reasons Kiki Bertens might be ready to break through is because first-time winners have won this event in each of the last three years. She’s been excellent on clay this season but she’s really been excellent on the surface for the last three years. No female has more wins than her on clay since the start of 2016.

Taking a look at this year in particular, she won the Mutua Madrid Open without even dropping a set and beat Halep in the final. She didn’t win the Italian Open but she did lose a hard-fought, three-set match to Johanna Konta in the semis. She’s on the better half of the draw than Halep, seemingly with less to trouble her, so she’s worth a bet at +800.