The 2018 French Open is just a few days away and if you’re still unsure which player you would lay money on to win the women’s side of the tournament, then you’ve come at right place. Read on to see which players some of the industry’s top tennis experts believe will win it all at Roland Garros.
Expert Picks and Predictions for the 2018 French Open Women’s Singles Division
Brandon Carter (Tennis.com) – Simona Halep
Brandon Carter of Baseline over at Tennis.com is picking the favorite to win it all at Roland Garros. That’s Romanian tennis bombshell Simona Halep, who has yet to take home a Grand Slam title so far in her career. The 26-year-old Halep came close to capturing that elusive Grand Slam title earlier this year when she finished runner-up at the Australian Open. She was also the runner-up to Jelena Ostapenko in last year’s French Open. Here is what Carter has to say about Halep’s chances of winning at the Roland Garros:
“While her body failed her Down Under, her mentality has unquestionably improved under coach Darren Cahill. She can take inspiration from her Aussie Open vanquisher Caroline Wozniacki, who pushed for nearly a decade to win her first Slam. The French Open seems her most likely stage.”
Randy Chambers (Sports Chat Place) – Simona Halep
Randy Chambers of Sports Chat Place, meanwhile, echoes the aforementioned Carter’s pick, as he, too, believes that Halep will win the 2018 French Open. Halep has shown her readiness for the event after appearing in the finals of the 2018 Rome Masters recently, and while she lost in the championship to Elina Svitolina, that does not change the fact that she’s the current No. 1 WTA player in the world. Halep is 6-2 on clay court matches this year and has pair of finals appearances at the French Open (2014, 2017).
Vithun Illankovan (Last Word On Tennis) – Simona Halep
And what do you know, Vithun Illankovan of Last Word Tennis is also predicting Halep to top the French Open. For Illankovan, he thinks that Halep’s loss to Ostapenko last year has lit a fire underneath Halep, who has a title this year thanks to a win at the Shenzhen Open (hard surface) back in January. Per Illankovan:
Halep’s loss to Jelena Ostapenko in this year’s Roland Garros final was one of the most shocking moments of the 2017 season. It was reminiscent of how I felt wen Stan Wawrinka upset Novak Djokovic in the men’s 2015 Roland Garros final. Djokovic came back to win the tournament the following year and I believe Halep will do the same. This is because Halep didn’t slump after that huge disappointment and finally reached the World No.1 ranking by getting revenge on Ostapenko with a win against her in the China Open semi-finals.
Ryan Simpson (TopBet Writer) – Simona Halep
TopBet’s own Ryan Simpson also likes No.1 ranked Simona Halep (+550), citing that she reached the championship round at Roland Garros two times before, last year included. Simpson deems it Halep’s time to shine, and it seems all experts here are inclined to agree.
