The third round of the French Open is here and the order of play is absurdly good.
I’ve found value on two of Friday's matchups — Gauff vs Yastremska and Tauson vs Kenin.
Read on to find my newest French Open picks.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing tennis matches and seeing tennis odds.
French Open Picks
Coco Gauff (-1250) vs Dayana Yastremska (+740)
6 a.m. ET
Coco Gauff defeated Tamara Zidansek 6-3, 6-4 in the second round. Gauff won 60% of her service points and was broken three times. The 20-year old also won 52% of her return points, breaking on five occasions.
Gauff is now 9-3 on clay in 2024 and has a strong 56-24 career-record on the surface. Gauff's first serve is strong and she controls the baseline with her powerful backhand. The American is so athletic, defending and counterpunching effectively. She has a high tennis IQ, knowing the right moments to come forward. And Gauff is a fantastic net player when she moves in.
However, Gauff's having issues landing her serves. In addition, her forehand is a major weakness, leaking errors and short balls, especially when opponents can rush her, although this is tougher on clay.
Dayana Yastremska destroyed Yafan Wang 6-2, 6-0 to reach the third round. Yastremska won 70% of her service points, only getting broken once. In addition, the 24-year old won 66% of her return points, breaking six times in seven return games.
Yastremska has a 4-3 record on the dirt this year, but is 77-44 on clay for her career. The Ukrainian has a big first serve and hits with extreme power from the baseline from both wings – especially her forehand. Yastremska takes the racquet out of her opponents' hands with her power and dominates the battle of court positioning. And, while Yastremska can become erratic at times, as she plays with low margins, she's in a great rhythm right now and the clay gives her more time to set up her power.
Gauff struggled against Zidansek, only landing 48% of her first serves, hitting six double faults, winning under 50% of her second serves and hitting a negative winner/unforced error ratio. Yastremska, meanwhile, dominated on serve and hit 21 winners against 11 unforced errors.
Yastremska has the extreme power to rush Gauff's forehand and make the American uncomfortable. And, with the way Yastremska is serving, Gauff won't get nearly as many return chances as she's accustomed to.
The Ukranian's aggressive returning should put even more pressure on Gauff to land first serves and on the American's second serve itself.
Pick: Over 18.5 games (-116 via FanDuel)
Clara Tauson (-137) vs Sofia Kenin (+114)
8 a.m. ET
Clara Tauson beat Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 in the second round. Tauson won 58% of her service points, getting broken six times. The 21-year old also won 47% of her return points, breaking on six occasions.
Tauson has an impressive 8-3 record on clay in 2024, having gone 62-28 as a professional. The Dane has a powerful game, with a big first serve and huge groundstrokes. She is particularly potent with her forehand. Tauson positions herself effectively to play offense, putting her opponents on defense. With that said, she can sometimes bail out of rallies early. Her backhand is a liability and she doesn't move well from the ground.
Sofia Kenin dismantled Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-3 to continue her Paris campaign. Kenin won 70% of her service points and was only broken once. In addition, the 25-year old won 47% of her return points, breaking four times.
Kenin is now 5-5 on clay for the season and has a 79-56 career-record on the dirt. The American has a high tennis IQ, spreading the court well and utilizing her variety to effectively spread the court and make her opponents uncomfortable. She anticipates where her opponents are going, defending and counterpunching at high level. Kenin has no problem absorbing pace and redirecting that pace into precise targets. She can hit with controlled aggression when she's in-form, but at the same time, Kenin doesn't play with high margins.
This is a great matchup for Kenin with the American's current form. Kenin has the defensive skills to effectively blunt Tauson's powerful groundstrokes, extending rallies and testing the Dane's shaky rally tolerance.
And Kenin has the tennis IQ and precision to effectively get the ball on Tauson's more erratic backhand. In addition, the American's variety should keep Tauson off-balance, further exacerbating her poor movement. This will get Kenin into the cat-and-mouse exchanges that greatly favor the American, as Tauson doesn't have great hand skills.
