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Tuesday's Tennis Best Bet: French Open, May 31st

Jon Reid

WTA French Open Best Bet: Gauff vs Stephens

Tuesday, May 31st, 12:30 (UK Time)

The quarterfinal round kicks off Tuesday, as a pair of women’s matches take centre stage on Philippe Chatrier before two blockbuster men’s matches round out the day.

For Tuesday’s selection, it’s the second match of the day between two Americans in Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens that we turn to.

With both women playing some incredible tennis at the moment, this one has the potential to be very entertaining. With Gauff’s serve and backhand combination on attack, and Stephens’ incredible ability to extend points and seamlessly transition to attack when she sees the opportunity, this match could very well come down to which of the two women plays the more tactical game, especially in constructing points to put themselves in the more advantageous position.

The great equaliser here for Stephens as the underdog is her backhand wing. With it being no secret that Gauff is far more dangerous and potent on attack with her backhand, it’s key for Stephens that she has an incredibly consistent backhand as well. Not just that, but she can also return it with depth and inject pace, so she’s not just holding on in points, but also keeping the rallies neutral.

On the forehand wing, there’s no question Stephens has the edge. Firstly, as she put on display against Jil Teichmann, she’s incredibly adept at playing out rallies with patience, slowly creating open space, and then able to hit with power through that space to find winners. That will serve her particularly well against someone like Gauff, who is content to just push her forehand wing with topspin into the court. With her forehand being more susceptible to unforced errors, the slower surface allows Gauff to set up on that wing and play it with more caution. The aforementioned patience for Stephens will be a must.

With Gauff possessing the edge in the service department and on the backhand wing, but Stephens matching up decently well stylistically from the baseline, the odds seem a little long here. This should be a rather close affair, so both the games total and underdog to win markets look enticing.