French Open Women's 2023 Preview: Back success for Sabalenka in Paris

As the clay court season blooms, anticipation rises for the grand spectacle that is the WTA French Open. Below you can find a preview and two tips for the event from tennis tipster Max Saakyan 

Set amidst the enchanting backdrop of Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, this esteemed tournament brings together the world's finest women's tennis players in a captivating battle on the red clay. With a rich history and a tradition of grace, the WTA French Open celebrates the elegance and prowess of women's tennis on the terre battue.

The French Open has had some interesting winners in the past when it comes to odds, the same cannot be said on the ATP side. The highest priced winner for the French Open winner in recent years was Jelena Ostapenko in 2017. Ostapenko, who was a relatively unknown player to many and unseeded at the time, won the Singles title that year. Her odds of winning the tournament were around 100/1 or even higher, depending on the sportsbook. It was a remarkable and unexpected victory, making her the first unseeded woman to win the French Open in the Open Era.

Number One Iga Swiatek is the clear favourite for the Roland Garros title, which isn’t surprising one bit. Her entire career has seen Swiatek dominating on the clay, holding a 58-7 record since 2020. I have seen a lot of value in Iga the past few months, with many bookies pricing her so low. However this year at the French Open, her price seems a bit too short for me to play with. 

She’s had a disappointing year for her standards, reaching the same number of losses she had in 2022 already (6). She’s only won two titles this year, and will struggle to reach the eight she won the previous year. Rybakina has been a true enemy for the number one, losing three times to her already (Australian Open, Indian Wells and Rome). Another worry is the most recent loss in Rome, where she had to retire after playing a flawless initial set winning 6-2. With injury concerns, and some players managing to oppose her game style successfully, 8/11  is simply too low

Barbora Krejickova is a player that I’m interested in, the Czech has some history at the French Open, winning unexpectedly in 2021. The run from Krejickova was truly remarkable, where she won a title in Strasbourg just a couple days before her campaign at the French Open where she beat Pliskova, Alexandria, Svitolina, Stephens, Gauff, Sakkara and Pavlyuchenko. She not only won the singles title that year, but also the doubles! Her price ranges around 18/1, which shows some value in my eyes.

Aryna Sabalenka poses some value, with her title win in Madrid and beating Swiatek in the final, odds will favour Sabalenka heavily. I think it's important to look at outright odds whether they hold value with each game. I think Aryna is one of those players that will hold value in this case, and with Swiatek looking a bit unreliable recently I'm more than happy to jump on these at 13/2.