2019 French Open Semifinals Odds & Betting Preview

2019 French Open Semifinals Odds & Betting Preview

Written by on June 6, 2019

We’re down to four men remaining in that draw at the 2019 French Open. Novak Djokovic put away Alexander Zverev in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, on Thursday to advance to face Dominic Thiem, who dispatched Karen Khachanov with even greater ease, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. Zverev out-aced Djokovic 10-1 but had eight double faults to Djokovic’s four and converted only 47 service points, to 60 for Djokovic. Thiem broke down Khachanov, winning five break points to Khachanov’s zero and at one point winning five games in a row. In the other side of the bracket, Roger Federer defeated 24th-seeded Stan Wawrinka in four sets, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, and Rafael Nadal cruised over Kei Nishikori, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. Federer and Wawrinka each only won two break points and were even with 20 service games won. Wawrinka had some issues with serving accuracy, double-faulting seven times, but he also delivered eight aces and almost upset his Swiss compatriot. Nadal won 76 percent of his first serve points and delivered seven breaks, shutting down Nishikori. So now we have the top four seeds set for Friday’s semifinals. Take a look at our tennis betting thoughts about each matchup.

2019 French Open Semifinals Odds & Betting Preview

Friday, June 7

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal (6:50am ET)

Rafael Nadal has seen his clay court fortunes improve dramatically over the course of 2019. He failed to defend titles at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, but then he rolled to an Italian Open title and has breezed to the semis here. He only lost five games against Nishikori, winning 54 percent of his receiving points. Nadal faces a tougher opponent in Federer, but since this is on clay, this should not be all that difficult for Nadal to win. Federer and Nadal have faced off in some of tennis’ most significant stages, with Nadal winning 23 of the 38 matchups. On clay, Nadal has even been more dominant, winning 13 of the 15 matchups. The key for me is the surface here; Federer is one of the game’s all-time greats, but Nadal is a step above the Swiss on clay. 2019 French Open Prediction: Nadal wins in four sets Novak Djokovic vs Dominic Thiem (8:50am ET) Dominic Thiem no 80 percent of his first serve points and 63 percent of his second serve points, which was a major contributor to his needing just 26 games to dispatch Karen Khachanov. At no time did Thiem face even a break point, as he has now won eight straight sets and has taken just one break over those last two matches. Thiem made the French Open final last year and looks to make it two in a row. He has only won one time in three Grand Slam semifinal matches, but he has won 13 of his last 15 matches played on clay. Now, though, he faces one of the game’s best on clay. Novak Djokovic also breezed in his win over Zverev, winning 80 percent of his first serve points and 52 percent of his second serves. He has not lost a set in this French Open, making his matches shorter and keeping his legs fresh. In his last 16 Grand Slam events, he has made the final 10 times, and if he wins on Friday, he would make the French Open final for the fifth time. His last loss in a Grand Slam semifinal came in 2014 at the U.S. Open. On clay, Djokovic has been particularly dominant, winning 14 of his last 15 matches. Djokovic has won seven of the nine meetings between these two, including a win in Madrid this year. On clay, the two have met five times, with Djokovic winning three of them. I see this match going evenly…but Djokovic advancing. 2019 French Open Prediction: Djokovic wins in four sets