French Open 2023: Tennis best bets for Pliskova vs. Stephens, Wawrinka vs. Ramos Vinolas, plus three other matches – Monday, May 29th

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Tennis best bets for the French Open – Monday, May 29th

The French Open is the second major of the tennis season, and it’s the only one that is played on clay. This year’s tournament will feel a bit different without 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, but the action should be tremendous from both the men and the women. There’s nothing quite like clay-court tennis, and we’ll be here with daily best bets for all the action at Roland Garros. With that said, keep reading for our picks for Monday, May 29th. We have already had a very profitable clay-court season, and we went 3-1 with our Day 1 picks in Paris. Make sure you also check out the Pro Picks page throughout the course of the tournament, as I’ll have some plays there that you won’t find here. Two of the the winners from yesterday were posted to that page. 

 

MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have

Benoit Paire vs. Cameron Norrie

This is a match that Norrie really should win, but I don’t see Paire going down without a fight. The Frenchman has long had issues keeping his cool on the court, but he has avoided massive blowups in 2023. And the reality is that his talent is undeniable, so it’s a little surprising to see this price on him. When Paire is playing his best tennis, he should be able to take it to Norrie — especially with the crowd in his corner. These fans are going to be pulling hard for him to just make this competitive, which is why I think it’s worth it to take him to win a set. Don’t be surprised if he does it early and then loses his focus, allowing the Brit to walk away with the win. But not before us cashing. 

Bet: Paire To Win A Set (+100) 

Brandon Nakashima vs. Denis Shapovalov

There’s a lot working against Shapovalov in this match. For starters, Nakashima beat him in four sets when the two met at Wimbledon last year. And now the two transition to clay, where Nakashima is fresh off a solid run in Lyon. Meanwhile, Shapovalov is just 1-2 in his three-clay-court matches this season. On top of that, Shapovalov recently made a coaching change, and players don’t generally see positive results from those moves overnight. So, with Nakashima having the head-to-head edge, as well as the better recent results, this just seems like a good place to back the American to pick up a win. Shapovalov should be more of a factor by the time hard-court season rolls around.

Bet: Nakashima ML (-135)

Karolina Pliskova vs. Sloane Stephens

Stephens has been showing some signs of life recently, but I still think this is a tough matchup for her. Pliskova is one of the best servers in the world, so she should be able to easily hold when the ball is on her racquet. Meanwhile, Stephens occasionally lets service games slip away, so Pliskova will have her chances to break. Also, while Stephens is a better mover between these two, the slow courts give Pliskova a shot at tracking balls down. That narrows the gap between these two on the baseline. There’s a reason Pliskova has been to the semis at Roland Garros, and I think she’ll show the world why. Of course, Stephens has been a finalist here herself. But she is just a shell of the player that was once elite in the women’s game.

Bet: Pliskova ML (-150)

Stan Wawrinka vs. Albert Ramos Vinolas

Outside of Novak Djokovic, Wawrinka is the only other player in the draw to have won the French Open in the past. But Wawrinka is now 38 years old and is no longer the player he once was. Wawrinka still has flashes here and there, but he struggles with consistency — and his fitness is no longer a strength. With that in mind, I think there’s some value in backing Ramos Vinolas as a small underdog play. The Spaniard is a ridiculous 192-162 on clay in his career, and he simply knows how to get the job done on this surface. Wawrinka also happens to be 0-4 in his last four matches against lefties, so that’s another reason he might struggle with the southpaw.

Bet: Ramos Vinolas ML (+235 – 0.5 units)

Alexei Popyrin vs. Aslan Karatsev 

My last play of the day has us looking for Karatsev to beat Popyrin. Karatsev is scorching hot coming into this match, as he has won 13 of his last 15 matches and made a run to the semifinals in Madrid. Now, he gets a pretty good matchup with Popyrin, who is really a serve bot at this point. The problem with that is Karatsev is one of the best returners in the world, and the clay is only going to make it easier on him to get serves back in play. And Karatsev is going to have a massive edge from the baseline, making this a bet you aren’t going to want to pass on.

Bet: Karatsev ML (-140 – 2 units)