The second tennis Grand Slam event of 2015 swings into action at the end of the week as the world’s elite arrive at Roland Garros for the 2015 Women’s French Open. This tournament is played on the clay courts of the French capital following weeks of preparation on this surface and online bookmaker Bet365.com believe that 19 time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams will be the player to take her third ever French Open tennis title this June, but they also believe that the players sitting second and third behind the American in the WTA rankings in Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep could push her all the way.
The Big Three:
Serena Williams (Bet365.com odds to win @ 3.75): The world number one and champion at Roland Garros in 2002 and 2013 has played just two tournaments on clay in the build up to the 2015 French Open but she has not had the results she expected so far. She reached the final four in Madrid before losing 6-2, 6-3 to world number four Petra Kvitova while, after reaching the third round, in Rome she retired injured. She complained of a injury to her right elbow and made the decision to pull out to allow time to heal as she looks to win her second Grand Slam tournament of the year and third in succession after the US Open last year.
The younger of the two Williams sisters has seemingly learnt her lesson from last year when she was injured in the build up to the French Open but only took four days off before the tournament and began practising less than 48 hours before the start. She was eliminated in the second round, but will her change for 2015 see her progress further and add another Roland Garros title to her other 19 Grand Slam victories?
Maria Sharapova (Odds of 5.00 to win in the Bet365 Sportsbook): The defending champion and winner of two of the last three tournaments at Roland Garros Maria Sharapova, the Russian world number two, comes into this tournament in fine form. After falling at the semi final stage in Madrid like Williams she claimed the title in Rome last weekend as she defeated Carla Suárez Navarro in three sets to set her up perfectly for the 2015 French Open.
She has reached the final three times in a row here beating Sara Errani and Simona Halep in 2012 and last year as well as losing 6-4, 6-4 to Serena in 2013. She reached the final of the Australian Open earlier this year to the American world number one too where she once again lost in straight sets. She is sure to make at least the final four stage and we would not be surprised to see her make another appearance in the final where, as long as she does not face Williams (she has lost 17 of 19 matches against the American), she offers great value to win in Paris once again.
Simona Halep (Bet365.com French Open Outright odds @ 5.00): The Romanian 23 year old comes into the 2015 French Open as the joint second favourite to her conqueror in last year’s final having collected three hard court titles in 2015 already. She won in Auckland, Dubai and Indian Wells to show that she is deserving of a place in the world’s elite and that she is looking to claim her first Grand Slam title. However, her clay court form has not been that impressive this year with semi final defeats to Caroline Wozniacki and Carla Suárez Navarro in Stuttgart and Rome sandwiching a first round loss in Madrid to world number 27 Alize Cornet.
As world number three she will have to face either Williams or Sharapova at the semi final stage, assuming they all progress that far, and while on her day she is capable of seeing off both of these players their experience at this stage of Grand Slam events means we cannot see her progressing further than the final four stage.
The Dark Horses:
World number four Petra Kvitova (11.00) is a perennial underachiever at Grand Slam events that are not Wimbledon with just two semi final appearances in 20 entries, but after taking a break in March and missing the tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami citing fatigue she defeated Serena Williams on her way to the title in Madrid. If she can control her inconsistency at Roland Garros this year she may very well find herself in the running for the title.
Carla Suárez Navarro has popped up a few times in the previews of the top four in the world so far and with the world number eight available at odds of 17.00 to win the 2015 French Open she is certainly one of the dark horses. She reached the final in Rome seeing off both Kvitova and Halep at the quarter and semi final stages, as well as world number six Eugenie Bouchard before that, before losing in three sets to Sharapova in the final. After two final eight stage spots in Stuttgart and Madrid before that runner up place she is improving each time she takes to the clay, but can she improve to the extent to challenge for her first Grand Slam title?
Final Thoughts:
Despite the fact that each of these five players, plus a number of others such as Caroline Wozniacki who is back to fifth in the world after splitting with golfer Rory McIlroy last year, world number six Eugenie Bouchard and 2008 French Open tennis champion Ana Ivanovic, all stand great chances at winning this title we feel that it will be one of the top two in the world that take it. If Williams remains fit throughout the tournament she offers fantastic value to triumph while should the American fall by the wayside then Sharapova, a master on this surface, will surely take the title instead.
We feel that Williams has learnt her lesson and she’ll remain fit throughout the tournament and we wouldn’t be surprised to see her beat the Russian in the final. Our money is on Williams to triumph at odds of 3.75 with Bet365.com, but we’ll be hedging our bets too with something on Sharapova as well.