This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
The second week of the French Open begins Sunday with fourth-round action in both the men's and women's singles draws. A couple of American women will be in action, including one who will look to rely on her experience to upset an opponent who has never been this far before in a major. On the men's side, the head-to-head dominance of one of the top players should continue against a familiar opponent. All match odds below are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking other mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel, BetMGM or Caesars.
How players performed throughout the clay-court season is important, but those results are overshadowed at this point by their play through three rounds at Roland Garros. The stakes are highest at the majors, and the men play best-of-five set matches rather than the best-of-three seen at other ATP Tour events. Conditions vary from tournament to tournament, and even from day to day, but clay generally plays slower than hard or grass, favoring players with better footwork, touch and ability to work the point rather than big servers. Using this context can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be considered overwhelming favorites, while the Value Bet section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
Upset Alert
Sloane Stephens (+160) vs. Jil Teichmann
Teichmann has had the far superior clay-court season in 2022, but Stephens has found her game at this tournament and has the clear edge in big-match experience. In a draw with a dearth of remaining Grand Slam champions, Stephens is one of the exceptions, having made the final of the 2018 French Open after winning the US Open in 2017. The American's ability to retrieve balls and then turn defense into offense fits perfectly with the pace the courts have been playing at, so Stephens should capitalize if Teichmann shows any signs of nerves in her first career Grand Slam Round of 16 match.
Honorable Mention:
Leylah Fernandez (+165) vs. Amanda Anisimova
Lock It In
Novak Djokovic (-1400) vs. Diego Schwartzman
All four favorites on the men's side are likely to advance here, but it would be absolutely shocking if Djokovic lost this match. The world No. 1 has won all six previous encounters with Schwartzman, taking 15 of the 18 sets between the two. Schwartzman can be encouraged by the fact that two of the three sets he won came when these two faced off at the 2017 French Open, but that's likely as close as he can get given the usual disparity in ease of holding serve when these two play. Djokovic's returning prowess and Schwartzman's inability to get many free points with his serve make it tough for the Argentine to build any sustained momentum.
Honorable Mention:
Alexander Zverev (-2000) vs. Bernabe Zapata Miralles
Value Bet
Martina Trevisan (+110) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Trevisan's on an eight-match winning streak over the past two weeks, and she has lost just one set over this dominant stretch. The diminutive Italian faces a fellow unseeded 28-year-old in Sasnovich. While Sasnovich has notched the higher-quality wins in this tournament by knocking off Emma Raducanu and Angelique Kerber, Trevisan has been in even better form lately, making her a nice value as the slight underdog.
