British No. 1 Cameron Norrie gets his French Open campaign underway on Monday when takes on Russian Pavel Kotov. Can Norrie make a deep run in Paris this week? Read on for our Norrie vs Kotov prediction and betting tips.
Norrie comes to Paris in solidly middling form. He hasn’t been in a complete rut, but has been playing far from his best tennis as well. Typically, the 28-year-old has been winning a match or two each event, but rarely threatening to be around on final weekends.
However, his game play suits the clay courts of Paris, and as the No. 32 seed, he has an opportunity to turn his year around with a deep run. In his way is world No. 56 Pavel Kotov, who is playing some good tennis in 2024.
Kotov sits at a career-high ranking coming into the French Open. This comes off the back of European clay court swing that saw him win eight matches across five tournaments–not bad numbers for someone who wasn’t even on the main tour too long ago.
Can Kotov cap off his clay court season with an upset win over Norrie?
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How the Bookies View It: Norrie Ahead, But Not Drastically
Bookmaker bet365 has No. 32 seed Norrie as the favourite in this match. However, the margins aren’t wild, with the Brit paying 4/9 to win while Kotov sits at 7/4. Set betting favours Norrie in three, returning 12/5.
Recent Head-to-Head: All Norrie
Norrie and Kotov have met once before, with Norrie winning comprehensively. The match was played on clay in Barcelona last year, and ended 6-1, 6-2 to Norrie.
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
Norrie has made the third round in Roland-Garros each of the last three years. Despite the Brit’s mercurial form at times, when it comes to Grand Slams, he knows how to stand up and bag points.
The last time that Norrie exited in the first round of a major was January 2022, meaning he’s collected eight consecutive opening wins in Grand Slams. Of these, six were in straight sets as well.
Kotov, on the other hand, is 1-5 in Grand Slam main draws, picking up his one and only win earlier this year in Melbourne.
Norrie vs Kotov Betting Tips & Predictions
We’re confident that Norrie will take care of business on day two here. The Brit has a strong record in Grand Slam first rounds, while Kotov is new to this level. Expect Norrie to get his clay court game going and wear Kotov down across three straight sets.
- Norrie to win 3-0 @ 12/5
- Total games under 37.5 @ 4/5
Norrie and Kotov play second on Court 13 this Monday, so get your bets in quick to make them count.
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