French Open Friday Semi-Finals Tips: Back Alcaraz bet builder and Djokovic to test Sinner

• Third time lucky for Musetti against Alcaraz

• Back the Spaniard in a semi-final bet builder

• Djokovic can compete against Sinner

The French Open men's singles has gone with form as Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have all reached the final four.

Of those players it is only Djokovic who was an outsider to reach the semi-final, and even then he was only a marginal second favourite to Alexander Zverev.

I expect both semi-finals will be competitive and, while Sinner and Alcaraz are the expected finalists, Musetti and Djokovic could find opportunities to upset the odds. 

Musetti can hang with Alcaraz

This will be the third meeting at the business end of a clay court tournament this season between Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti.

In both the previous meetings, Musetti arrived in strong form and with a reasonable chance of beating Alcaraz. However, the Italian was his own worst enemy, failing to bring his best level to the court with the nerves clearly getting to him.

I don't think it will be third time lucky for Musetti, but I think he is capable of hanging with Alcaraz and it would not at all surprise me if this match goes long.

Alcaraz did not entirely feel comfortable playing Musetti, who is an incredibly solid baseliner and was able to generate leads in each of their two recent encounters only for them to disappear. 

In Monte Carlo, Musetti took the first set, while in Rome he was a break ahead in set two.

Alcaraz's level that can yo-yo throughout matches. He has so many options at his disposal, and mixes up his game repeatedly, that there are natural ebbs and flows in his level.

Musetti will create opportunities, as in their previous matches, to capitalise on Alcaraz's inconsistencies. The Italian must also be determined to show what he is truly capable of in this match-up. He said after the Rome meeting that his mind was elsewhere, complaining about conditions and the shadowing that appeared on the court. He also said he would find a way to learn from that lesson.

Musetti has also said that he believes Alcaraz is the favourite to win this French Open, and it is clear that he perceives himself the underdog in this contest.

Overall, I agree with Alcaraz's favouritism, but I do think Musetti will hang with the Spaniard. Grand Slam semi-final opportunities come around less often for Musetti than they do Alcaraz.

This has the potential to be a longer match and there are several lines worth combining as a Betfair Bet Builder to get value from that outcome.

Piece together Alcaraz to win 1/71.14 with Musetti over 13.5 games 8/111.73 and Alcaraz over 19.537/2 games, which is priced collectively around 6/42.50.

Sinner likely too strong

I expected that Djokovic, in his current form and health, would prove too classy for Zverev.

The Serbian legend has layers to his game that Zverev simply does not possess, and I couldn't imagine the one dimensional baseline grinding game of the German overcoming Djokovic unless the 38-year old veteran was showing signs of obvious physical discomfort.

However, the match-up with Sinner is a different proposition, and although I expect Djokovic to be competitive, the Italian's intensity should prove too much.

Sinner has been in great form throughout this tournament, and is yet to drop a set, steam-rolling his opponents in the process. 

Yet, there is still a glimmer of hope for Djokovic. You can take Sinner's dominant results with a slight pinch of salt. Not one of the Italian's conquered opponents have the means to disrupt Sinner's grasp and control of rallies.

The key to beating Sinner is to get him out of his rhythm, but there are very few players who can do it. The duo are tied at four wins apiece. Sinner has won all but one of their hard court encounters, but Djokovic has won each match played on a natural surface: two wins on grass, and their only meeting on clay.

Djokovic can find some joy by repeating the tactics he frequently used against the baseline dwelling Zverev. He employed several drop shots and also used short balls and serve volley tactics to impose his game and disrupt Zverev's baseline control and rally rhythm.

Sinner will look to play similarly to Zverev, but the Italian has a much more potent and attacking baseline style than the German.

I expect Sinner's intensity and firepower will outmuscle Djokovic over the course of the contest. Djokovic will manage his fitness to enable him to produce charged bursts of quality.

Djokovic is more than capable of taking a set here. Sinner's firepower is likely to be too much, but this has the potential to become a dogfight and I wouldn't discount Djokovic's chances in a longer match.

Sinner ran out of steam at the clay court tournament in Rome, and historically he has long term issues in physical, lengthy encounters. Although he's the much younger man, he's untested deep into a clay court battle.

Sinner's A-game will likely prove too strong for Djokovic, but I can see Novak taking a set. If he is still competitive in the fourth it could spell danger for Sinner should it go the distance, and there may be value on the Serbian in-play if his opponent is showing signs of physical deterioration.

Before a ball is hit, the value is on Sinner to win and both players to win a set at 5/42.25.

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