Roland Garros Men Second Round Matches & Betting Predictions
Posted by Eric Williams on Tuesday,May 30, 2017 1:45, EDT in
With one round in the books and Round 2 of the 2017 French Open set to get underway at Roland Garros on Wednesday, five expert ATP picks, including a pair of ‘upset specials’ will put you on the right path to grand slam success at the year’s second major.
And away we go… Find out more about the latest tennis betting odds here.
In Depth Analysis On The Roland Garros Men Second Round Matches & Betting Predictions
Borna Coric -185
Steve Johnson +155
Analysis: The 20-year-old Borna Coric and 27-year-old Steve Johnson have never faced one another, but I’m expecting this match to be one of the very best second rounders on the docket. Coric is a modest 13-13 with one title this season while Johnson has gone 17-8, also with one title.
Johnson has the bigger serve and forehand, but Borna Coric is the far better mover on court and that is where the difference in this match will be on the slow clay at the French. Simply put, back the younger and quicker Coric to get the best of Johnson in this pairing, though I’m thinking it could go five sets!
Pick: Borna Coric in 5 Sets
Tommy Robredo +395
Grigor Dimitrov -540
Analysis: 35-year-old Tommy Robredo has had a fantastic career, but he’s clearly on the down side and likely won’t be on tour much longer. Even though Robredo has a 3-1 record against now, 26-year-old Grigor Dimitrov and beat the Bulgarian as recently as the 2017 Marrakech in Monaco, I’m going to urge you to back the younger and more explosive Dimitrov to get past his older counterpart if, for no other reason than the fact that he has fresher legs. Each of the last three meetings have gone the distance and the longer this match goes, the more it will favor Dimitrov.
Pick: Grigor Dimitrov in 4 Sets
Lucas Pouille -265
Thomaz Belluci +215
Analysis: The 23-year-old Lucas Pouille has made some big strides the last couple of seasons and he’s gone 17-10 on the year with one title while the 29-year-old Thomaz Belluci is just 11-13 on the year with no titles. The bottom line for this pairing is that Lucas Pouille has more firepower off the ground and doesn’t wait for is opponents to make a mistake before he strikes. Thomaz Bellucci is a very good player and he won’t go out of the French Open quietly, but he will go out nonetheless. Lucas Pouille continues his run up the ranking by getting the big win in Round 2 at home.
Pick: Lucas Pouille in 4 Sets
Upset Specials
Nikoloz Basilashvili -125
Viktor Troicki +105
Analysis: 25-year-old World No. 63 Nikoloz Basilashvili has gone 16-11 this season, but I still don’t understand why he’s the favorite against 31-year-old veteran and World No. 35 Viktor Troicki in this match. The two have never played but Troicki is 14-12 on the year and has more firepower in his 6-4 frame than the 6-1 Basilashvili does. Troicki also has a huge edge in experience which is why he’s a great upset pick in this match.
Pick: Viktor Troicki in 4 Sets
Ivo Karlovic +125
Horacio Zeballos -145
Analysis: Ageless 38-year-old World No. 24 Ivo Karlovic has gone 7-9 in 16 matches this year, but has one of the biggest serves in ATP World Tour history. 32-year-old Horacio Zeballos is a modest 12-13 on the year and lost to big Ivo at the 2017 Aussie Open in an amazing five-setter that Karlovic won 22-20 in the fifth. Maybe it’s me, but ’m loving the value that Karlovic is offering in this match and like him to get the upset win by bombing at least 25 aces minimum.
Pick: Ivo Karlovic in 4 Sets
