British tennis fans will be breaking out the crisps on day one of the French Open today, with several of their hopes taking to the courts in Paris.
Young gun Jack Draper gets his campaign underway in the day session, taking on qualifier Jesper de Jong. Can the 22-year-old make his first deep run at a Grand Slam? Read on for our Draper vs De Jong prediction and betting tips.
Draper has had a hot and cold last six months. At one stage in late 2023 and early 2024, he was starting to look like he might finally put together the kind of results that align with his potential.
The Brit made the round of 16 at the US Open last year, and picked up some handy results following that. Finals in Sofia and Adelaide with wins over the likes of Lorenzo Musetti, Sebastian Baez and Tommy Paul had him looking sharp.
Things have dropped off slightly since, with Draper going 4-5 across the European clay court swing. He’ll need to be on his toes against De Jong, as the Dutchman comes here with three wins under his belt already, having won his way through qualifying.
De Jong is something of an unknown quantity on the ATP Tour, having only played six times in main draws. However, he did get a win earlier this year at the Australian Open, having also won his way through qualifying then.
Can he keep the momentum going? Read on to find out.
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How the Bookies View It: Draper a Solid Favourite
Bookmakers have Draper a solid favourite here, but not unreasonably so. The Brit pays 1/5 to win, while De Jong sits at 7/2. Heavy odds in Draper’s favour, without an upset being entirely ruled out. Set betting says this ends in three, paying 5/4 for Draper to win 3-0.
Recent Head-to-Head: Advantage Draper
Draper and De Jong have not met on the ATP Tour, but they did play in the Forlia 5 Challenger tournament in Italy two years ago. Draper won that match 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
De Jong looked hot in qualifying this week. The 23-year-old won all three of his matches in straight sets, dispatching No 27 seed Pedro Llamas Ruiz 7-5, 7-6(6), Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-3 and JJ Wolf 6-1, 6-2.
While Draper comes into Paris on a two-match losing streak, it’s been a while since he’s taken a bad loss. His defeat in Geneva was to eventual champion Tomas Machac. Losses in Rome and Madrid were both to top 10 players, while Munich, Monte-Carlo and Miami were top 25 players that he pushed to deciding sets.
Draper vs De Jong Betting Tips & Predictions
Expect Draper to get this one done in style. When the Brit wins, he wins–on three occasions he’s won his opening round of a Grand Slam in straight sets.
- Draper to win 3-0 @ 5/4
- Draper to win and under 34.5 games @ 6/5
Draper and De Jong will play second on Court 12 this Sunday, so get your bets in quick.
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