Tennis Betting Tips: Four-time French Open champion helps fire Friday Price Boost

I had some success with Wednesday’s Tennis Betting Tips, backing Solana Sierra to beat Jasmine Paolini at 13/8, while my second pick, for Thanasi Kokkinakis to overcome Pablo Carreno Busta at 15/8, was voided following the Australian's retirement after the first game of the third set with the scores level at 1-1.

I return today with my Friday best bets from the third round of Roland-Garros, where Novak Djokovic takes on Joao Fonseca in the headline match of Day 6.

Set Betting - Sorana Cirstea 2-0 vs Solana Sierra @ 5/6

I was behind Sierra for her second-round match with 2024 French Open finalist Paolini, and despite going a set down and a break down in the second, the Argentine came up trumps for me, rallying to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

However, I’m finding it difficult to come up with reasons to back her on Friday as she faces a much more in-form opponent than the Italian.

Last December, Sorana Cirstea announced the 2026 season would be her last, but her form across the first half of the year may well lead her to reconsider retirement.

The Romanian No. 1 entered the Top 20 for the first time in her career earlier this month following a Rome semi-final run that included a third-round upset of World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (2-6, 6-3, 7-5).

Cirstea, who turned 36 years old in April, is now the favourite in her bracket to reach the quarter-finals following World No. 2 Elena Rybakina’s second-round exit to Yulia Stardubtseva (6-3, 1-6, 6-7).

I don’t see Cirstea letting that opportunity pass her by, despite Sierra’s own impressive form this year which has seen her beat Paolini and take the opening set off reigning Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff (7-5, 0-6, 4-6) in the third round of the Italian Open earlier this month.

Cirstea has played 22 times since the start of March, losing just five times, and all five defeats were to opponents seeded 14th or higher; three to Gauff, who was a top-four seed in Miami (fourth), Madrid (third) and Rome (third), and one to top-seed Mirra Andreeva in Linz.

Of her 17 victories since the beginning of March, just four, including retirements, have gone to a deciding set, and one of those was that Rome win against Sabalenka.

On outdoor clay this year, Cirstea is 7-2, losing twice to Gauff and only dropping a set in victory to Sabalenka.

As you can see from the time dedicated to each player, this selection is more about the strength of Cirstea than the weaknesses of Sierra, who I think is a big talent, but on this occasion, the 21-year-old could be handed a harsh lesson.

Price Boosts - Over 17.5 Total Games in Magda Linette vs Iga Swiatek @ 6/5

Staying with the women’s singles, I’m backing Over 17.5 Total Games between Polish No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Polish No. 3 Magda Linette in one of Betfred’s Price Boosts.

The compatriots have faced off twice before, firstly at the Beijing Open in October 2023, when second-seed Swiatek romped to a 6-1, 6-1 victory, but it was a lot more competitive at the Miami Open in March of this year when Linette prevailed 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 to secure one of the biggest wins of her career.

Both previous matches between the two were played on hard courts, where Linette is probably at her strongest, and this will be their first meeting on clay, where four-time Roland-Garros champion Swiatek is most at home.

So, World No. 3 Swiatek might be expected to sweep aside World No. 73 Linette on Friday, but while I’d probably agree that she’s on for a straight-sets win, I believe her opponent can at least make one of the sets competitive and help us to push past the 17.5 Total Games barrier.

Swiatek required just 15 games to beat Emma Jones 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round on Monday, and just two more on Wednesday to brush past Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3, but she dropped serve twice in the opening set against the latter, showing that she’s not infallible on French soil.

French Open Odds

Linette has overcome the odds twice already this past week, beating 19-year-old Tereza Valentova 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 in the first round on Monday before overcoming 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in the second round on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old has shown that she can dig in and make life difficult for higher-ranked opponents, and while Swiatek represents a couple of steps up in class from Valentova and Ostapenko, she’ll take belief from their Miami meeting earlier this year.

I think a 6-3, 6-3 or 6-4, 6-2 victory for 24-year-old Swiatek are the likeliest outcomes, and either would see this Price Boost win.

Find more Tennis Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights