French Open quarterfinals best bets & value picks – May 31, 2022

Two of the greatest tennis players of all time collide in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals on Tuesday as Novak Djokovic takes on Rafael Nadal. We’ve got a preview of that match as well as the other four quarterfinal fixtures on May 31.

Carlos Alcarez (-436) vs Alexander Zverev (+346)

Carlos Alcarez is on fire coming into this match. The 19-year-old Spaniard entered the French Open on the heels of back-to-back tournament wins in the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open, and he’s won three of his first four matches so far in this tournament in straight sets. Alexander Zverev has also won all but one of his first four matches in straight sets, and he currently owns a 2-1 head-to-head record against Alcarez.

Of course, those two wins over Alcarez came before the young player’s recent breakout, and Alcarez rolled to an easy 6-3, 6-1 win when these two met earlier this month. It’s hard to pick against Alcarez with the roll he’s on, but there’s not much value on him on the moneyline here. So we’ll take a stab on Zverev at least winning a set and bet on this quarterfinal to go OVER 3.5 sets.

Rafael Nadal (+196) vs Novak Djokovic (-226)

Since losing to Carlos Alcarez in the semifinals at the Madrid Open earlier this month, Novak Djokovic hasn’t lost a set. He’s a perfect 9-0 with five wins in the Italian Open and four wins in the French Open, all in straight sets. Rafael Nadal had cruised through the first three rounds of this tournament with straight-set wins, but his fourth-round outing against Felix Auger Aliassime took five sets to decide. Nadal won the Australian Open earlier this year with Djokovic out due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.

There’s a strong case to be made for taking a shot on Nadal at this price. He’s the ‘King of Clay’, the best French Open player ever, and he’s got a 7-2 head-to-head advantage over Djokovic in their nine all-time meetings at Roland Garros. But, on the other hand, when Djokovic gets into a zone like the one he’s currently in, he’s just too good to beat. While Nadal may be worth the gamble, we see Djokovic coming out on top.

Leylah Fernandez (-175) vs Martina Trevisan (+155)

Leylah Fernandez has faced a much more difficult path into the quarterfinals, defeating Belinda Bencic in the third round and Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round. She’s an incredibly talented 19-year-old and is the one to beat in this match, but Trevisan can’t be overlooked here given her current form. Trevisan is 9-0 over her last nine matches in the Morocco Open and the French Open, and all but one of those wins have come in straight sets.

We like this one to need three sets to decide, whichever way it goes. The lean is on Fernandez, who’s best effort would in all likelihood be enough to get the job done. But the payout is much better on the OVER 2.5 sets, and this should be a competitive match regardless of the outcome.

Sloane Stephens (+158) vs Cori Gauff (-178)

This all-American affair may be the most highly anticipated matchup of the quarterfinals on the women’s side. Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff is just 18 years old and has already made some memorable grand slam runs in her young career. Gauff has yet to drop a set in this year’s French Open, rolling through her competition including a 6-4, 6-0 win over Elise Mertens in the last round.

But while Gauff has looked sharp and is correctly pegged as the favorite here, the price is far too high against a very game Sloane Stephens. Stephens just picked up a sensational 6-2, 6-0 upset win over Jil Teichmann, and her current form suggests she is not ready to be knocked out in the quarterfinals. This match could go either way, so we’ll take the nice price on Stephens as a live underdog.

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