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French Open Predictions, Picks, Betting Odds for May 31

Kenny Ducey

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Sports Reporter | Capper

Publish Date: 05/30/2024

Fact checked by: Allan Howe

The 2024 French Open is in full swing from Roland Garros in Paris, and Friday marks the beginning of the third round in both the men's and women's draws.

(Photo by Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)

To help elevate the experience, we'll dive into a few matches that should be thrilling encounters and present some betting value. I'm looking toward an exciting rematch between Sebastian Korda and Carlos Alcaraz which could have the former World No. 1 in a bit of trouble, and will dive into some underdogs like Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov who may find themselves in a favorable spot.

Will we see some upsets around the grounds, or will things remain rather silent on that front? Let's get into our best bets and predictions for the French Open on Friday, May 31.

HUBERT HURKACZ VS DENIS SHAPOVALOV PREDICTION

Denis Shapovalov hasn't made the fourth round of the French Open in five appearances here in Paris, so it didn't exactly seem like this would be the week for the former World No. 10 to rise back up the rankings and return to the world's top 100.

Well, Shapovalov is a win away from doing just that. He will crack the top 90 if he can sneak by Hurkacz here, and in the process post a career-best showing at Roland Garros. It was a rather surprising twist, too, given Shapovalov had to come through talented Frenchman Luca Van Assche and Frances Tiafoe, but he's passed those tests with flying colors.

Shapovalov has long been a confidence-driven player, and someone who needs time over the ball to calm himself down and limit the unforced errors, and he's seemed to clean up his game over the last month on the dirt. In doing so, he's now coming into this match against Hurkacz with a world of belief.

Hurkacz has had an unusually good clay season, but over the course of his career he's been an incredibly hard person to trust in the Grand Slams, outside of Wimbledon.

He's now just 8-6 in the matches he's played at the French Open as the World No. 8 and I think this is a very dangerous spot given these two have played five very tight matches.

Yes, Hurkacz has won four of them, but none have been set on clay -- where Shapovalov is probably the stronger of the two.

I think Shapovalov will have a lot to say in this match, and after a five-setter at last year's Australian Open there may be another marathon match on the cards. Back the Canadian to take two sets.

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Best Bet for Hurkacz vs Shapovalov: Shapovalov +1.5 Sets (-115 at DraftKings)

BEN SHELTON VS FELIX AUGER ALIASSIME PREDICTION

This is a highly intriguing match considering both men haven't exactly embraced clay-court tennis over the last couple of years. For Ben Shelton, that's simply a case of inexperience given his upbringing on hardcourts in America, and for Auger Aliassime it was the product of two flat and disappointing stretches of tennis.

Well, both men have looked excellent on the clay this year with winning records, though it's been Auger Aliassime who's played more matches and won a higher percentage.

When you further factor in the fact that four of Shelton's wins came in Houston, which isn't clay that mirrors what we see here in Europe, and consider the caliver of opponents that the Canadian has come through, I think he's a very deserving favorite here.

There should be plenty of errors made between both men considering they won't be able to dominate with their serve, and while he's been one of the guiltiest parties on tour I do feel as though Auger Aliassime should play the cleaner game of the two.

He's got a wealth of clay-court experience dating back to his rise to the Top 100 in 2018 that he can draw from, and it wasn't even two years ago that he was considered one of the five best in the world for a period of time.

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Best Bet for Shelton vs Auger Aliassime: Auger Aliassime ML (-150 at DraftKings)

SEBASTIAN KORDA VS CARLOS ALCARAZ PREDICTION

It's hard to find a player who's defeated Carlos Alcaraz on the clay over the last few years, but Korda is one of them. He took him out in three sets at the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters in what was an utterly captivating performance, and while Alcaraz did get him back just a month or so later with a straight-sets win at the French Open, the match was incredibly close at 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Alcaraz entered this tournament with serious questions about his health after losing in the quarterfinals of Madrid and pulling out of Rome the following week with an arm injury.

After all, he's shown signs of arm issues in the past and he's not nearly the same player if he can't hit his deadly forehand.

He looked fine against JJ Wolf in the first round, but it's hard to read into that one given the level of his opponent. He looked shaky in the second round against Jesper De Jong, dropping the third set and making something of a meal out of the first two.

He was anything but convincing, and should have disposed of the young Dutchman much more quickly.

Korda had his breakthrough on these grounds just four years ago when he made the fourth round in his debut, and he's come through two relatively tricky opponents this week in pretty convincing fashion. With a couple of quality wins under his belt heading into this tournament, he's finding some form and some confidence, and he should find a way to negotiate a set here.