The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, 24 May, and after a thrilling clay court season, excitement is in the air ahead of what is typically a tournament full of surprises.
On the men's side of the draw, Jannik Sinner is the clear favourite with Carlos Alcaraz ruled out through injury. The Spaniard's absence from the next two Grand Slams means Sinner has two golden opportunities to add to his haul of four majors.
On the women's side, the situation is less clear. Aryna Sabalenka starts as the favourite, but her form in the build-up to the tournament will not fill punters with confidence.
Ahead of the first round getting underway, check out our French Open betting tips below.
French Open betting tips: Our three selections
Coco Gauff to win the Women's French Open – 7/1
Coco Gauff is our pick to win the French Open. First and foremost, American's best surface is clay, where she boasts an impressive 74% win record across her career. It was, therefore, no surprise when she won at Roland Garros last year, and there is nobody in the field who should worry her too much this time around as she looks to defend her crown.
As mentioned, Sabalenka is not playing particularly well and was dumped out of the Rome Masters in the second round by Sorana Cirstea a fortnight ago. There are also concerns around Iga Swiatek, who is usually reliable on clay, as she has lost six of her last seven three-set matches.
In terms of Gauff, she is trending in the right direction. She reached the final in Rome and won three three-set matches on the way, proving her mettle in longer matches, which is always important to have in slams.
Casper Ruud to reach the Men's French Open final – 8/1
It's difficult to look beyond Sinner for the title, so betting on the outright men's winner market makes little sense this year.
Instead, the ‘to reach the final' market is a lot more appealing. With Sinner almost certain to reach the final from the top half of the draw, the bottom half offers up more possibilities. Casper Ruud is our pick as he has a combination of good form, a game suited to clay courts and a favourable draw.
Ruud, a two-time finalist at the French Open already, is not scheduled to play a fellow seed until the third round, and that would be Tommy Paul, whom Ruud has never lost to on clay.
As for his form in the build-up to the tournament, Ruud reached the semi-finals in Geneva, the final in Rome and the quarter-finals in Madrid.
Alexander Zverev to be eliminated in the semi-finals – 11/2
Alexander Zverev is another player in the bottom half of the French Open draw, and the German is the favourite to make it through his half to face Sinner in the final.
However, we are now firmly on the Casper Ruud train, and the Dane is more than a match for Zverev. The pair have met in two previous Roland Garros semi-finals, with each man winning one apiece. Zverev's reputation as a player who struggles in big moments also goes against him.
Let's say Ruud doesn't make it to the semi-finals, Zverev's next most likely opponent is Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam winner has won two of his previous three clay-court matches against Zverev.
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters. He's also a keen football fan and is an expert on European football.
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