Round 1 of the 2024 French Open continues Tuesday with a full slate of matches kicking off early in the morning and going through the afternoon.
We’ll dive into a couple of best bets for Day 3 at Roland Garros, with the odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Daniel Evans (+740) vs. Holger Rune (-1250)
(Approximately 10 a.m. ET)
At this time last year, it seemed like Holger Rune, 21, was going to win a Grand Slam sooner rather than later, and it felt like Roland Garros would be a great fit for the Dane after a scintillating clay season last spring. But Rune started to struggle at the end of 2023 and has not found any consistency on or off the court in 2024.
There have been some massive moments — like Rune’s win over Grigor Dimitrov in Monte Carlo in early April — but they have been overshadowed by messy losses, injury issues and some immature displays in between the lines. All of that should be normal for a 21-year-old, but Rune’s ascendancy in 2023 raised expectations to the point where he was being talked about in the same conversation as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. It seems the pressure has been ratcheted a notch too high for the Dane, and it is impacting his performance between the lines.
On paper, Rune should have no issues with Daniel Evans in Round 1. The Englishman is not all that comfortable on the clay and has just one win at Roland Garros in six trips.
That said, Evans is a gamer and the type of player who will put the ball in play and force his opponent to hit an extra shot. Evans will certainly know that Rune is wearing some baggage on his shoulders and will do everything he can to take this match into the deep end of the pool and force the Dane out of his comfort zone.
In the end, Rune should prevail. But he’s just 2-3 in his past five matches and has a propensity of beating himself.
The Bet: Over 3.5 sets (+102, FanDuel)
Gregoire Barrere (-102) vs. Alexander Bublik (-118)
(Approximately 10 a.m. ET)
It may seem bizarre that these odds are so tight considering Gregoire Barrere is the No. 115 player in the world and Alexander Bublik is the current World No. 17, but there is a method to the madness.
One of the more polarizing players on tour, Bublik is not a fan of the clay and has not had much success in Grand Slams to date. The big-serving Bublik also has a reputation of being petulant on court and losing focus in matches. Bublik has a way of driving his backers up a wall.
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The mental side of Bublik’s game figures to be tested in a big way Tuesday, as Barrere will have the full backing of his hometown crowd.
All that said, the gap in talent between these two players is wide enough that it seems like you’re getting quite a discount on Bublik. There certainly is a chance that Bublik is disinterested and Barrere’s work ethic is the difference, but this could be one-way traffic if Bublik shows up.
The Bet: Bublik (-118, FanDuel)