French Open Thursday Tips: Three value bets in the Women's draw

• Kudermitova backed for straight sets win

• Kenin's resurgence to continue in Paris

• Cocciaretto has tools and temperament to succeed

On Thursday at the French Open, I'm looking at the women's draw for the best value. There are several players who are worth opposing, and I have found strong candidates to get the job done.

The 2024 Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova is lacking matches and looks vulnerable against Veronika Kudermetova who has shown a return to form this season.

Former-French Open finalist Sofia Kenin has rediscovered some of her best tennis, and should have the ammunition to down the declining Victoria Azarenka, while Grand Slam specialist Elisabetta Cocciaretto looks a good price to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Elsewhere, I suggest how to get involved in opposing Francisco Cerundolo's conqueror Gabriel Diallo.

Krejcikova lacking matches

Barbora Krejcikova made her long awaited return to tour in Strasbourg last week, unsurprisingly losing her first match to Magda Linette.

The two-time major winner has been suffering from a persistant back injury that curtailed her chances at the end of last season, and has prevented her from competing since then.

It is not the first prolonged break the Czech has had in her career, and history tells us it takes a considerable length of time for her to get back running at top speed.

Krejcikova is a highly rhythmic player. She has a particularly fine-tuned hitting style, and when she is at her best she can mix plenty of variety into her game. However, it usually takes her a long while to develop that feeling on court.

She had the luck of the draw when paired with Tatjana Maria, who loathes clay and is on an eight match losing streak, in the opening round. Had it been any other player in the draw there would have been a strong temptation to oppose the reigning Wimbledon champion.

It was heavy going for Krejcikova who required a tiebreak and a one break margin in set two to advance. Her performance will have to improve significantly in round two if she is to continue her progress.

Veronika Kudermetova is frighteningly inconsistent. Last year she plummeted down the rankings from a top 20 position to a year end ranking of 72. This season she has been back in form and is creeping back towards the top 30, albeit too soon for a seeded position in this draw.

Kudermetova is a flat hitting, powerful baseliner. If her head is in check, she should find rallies to her liking against the slow starting Krejcikova. A few months later this would be a less tempting position, but there is value on the Russian winning this match in straight sets. 

Krejcikova either goes very well or it doesn't work at all. Therefore a 2-0 set win for Kudermetova at 6/52.20 is where the value is to be found.

Former-finalist Kenin is under the radar

One of the most interesting stories of the 2025 season so far is the reemergence of Sofia Kenin as a competitive force on the women's tour.

The feisty American burst on to the scene five years ago winning the Australian Open before a runner-up appearance in the French Open final. She quickly burned out after those achievements, but it was not too surprising considering the high levels of intensity that she put into her career.

After levelling out, and years of appearing unhappy on court, Kenin is enjoying a renaissance. For her efforts so far this season she is ranked inside the top 20.

Kenin's first round performance was exceptional. Against the top seeded French player Varvara Gracheva on the biggest stadium court, the American dropped only four games in a dominant display.

There is little doubting Kenin's current form.

Her opponent Victoria Azarenka is nearing the end of her career. It has been a dismal campaign for the two-time Grand Slam champion, who finds herself a lowly 79 in the race and having already played the early hard court season where she typically finds her best results.

It is a worrying sign for the Belarussian's longevity in the sport, although at 35-years-old it should not be a surprise. 

Azarenka had an easy opening round draw against Yanina Wickmayer, who has played a handful of matches this season and barely been competitive in any of them. The Belgian announced that she will retire after Wimbledon.

Kenin is playing too well to be worried about Azarenka. The duo did once famously play in Rome prior to Kenin's French Open final run, and Azarenka won without conceding a game.

However, that was in large part due to Kenin's mindset, and she has proven since then that the Azarenka match-up is not an issue.

With one player on the rise, and the other in decline I see this as a match that Kenin should be winning fairly comfortably.

Odds of 5/42.25 for a 2-0 Kenin set victory is appealing.

Cocciaretto underrated

Elisabetta Cocciaretto lives for the big tournaments. The Italian typically comes alive at the Grand Slams and Billie Jean King Cup, and is noticeably fired up in her matches on these important stages.

The same cannot be said for opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova. Despite a thoroughly convincing first round win, the Russian struggles with the pressure of Grand Slam tournaments where she possesses a losing career record, even though she has been a consistent seeded player for much of that time.

Alexandrova is hitting her shots well and first round opponent Lucia Bronzetti couldn't handle the pace. I do, however, give Cocciaretto a better chance.

Cocciaretto is a street fighter, and she is very capable of using an opponent's pace against them. She finds angles to counter punch pace back towards her adversary, and this tactic that could frustrate Alexandrova.

The pair have never met before, but Cocciaretto is positive about her chances saying: "It is a difficult match, but I think that with my means I can make it difficult for her."

The 11/43.75 is tempting on the Italian who has the tools and temperament to cause Alexandrova trouble.

Griekspoor can cover Diallo

There is one match in the men's draw on Thursday which I would like to highlight as a potential bit of value for punters.

The shock of the opening round was unquestionably Gabriel Diallo's defeat of Francisco Cerundolo, the player many, including myself, thought had a good draw for a deep run in Paris.

However, the big serving Canadian didn't give Cerundolo a sniff, with Cerundolo complaining about the lack of space provided to him on the courts.

While Cerundolo would fancy a typical clay court dynamic of directing traffic from the baseline, today's opponent Tallon Griekspoor is more likely to trade serve and first strike consistency with Diallo.

It is a match up dynamic in which the Dutchman tends to fare well. Griekspoor is a highly talented player but has not been able to make a significant dent up the rankings due to horrendous draws. Last season he was showing strong form but would continually be drawn with elite opponents such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.

This Grand Slam should be the opportunity for Griekspoor to prove his worth as with Cerundolo out of the draw, he can prove that his lack of progression was down to bad draw luck.

I expect Griekspoor has the steadier toolkit than Diallo, and over five sets he should have an advantage. However, I respect the Canadian's form and can see him bag a set. Therefore Griekspoor and both players winning a set at 6/42.50 would be my pick, if you want to get involved.

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