French Open tennis: second-round match predictions & free tips

Tennis analysis, predictions, tips and best bets for the French Open second-round matches at Roland Garros in Paris on Thursday.

When to watch

ITV4 & Eurosport, from 10am Thursday

Best bets

Nikola Milojevic to beat Aljaz Bedene
1pt 11-10 bet365, Paddy Power

Ons Jabeur -3.5 games v Nao Hibino
1pt 5-6 bet365

Leylah Fernandez to win at least a set v Polona Hercog
1pt 3-5 Betway

Preview

Second-round matches in Grand Slams have a tendency to throw up tough picks for punters as formlines are often difficult to interpret after just one competition match.

That's the case in the French Open on Thursday - a day when men's singles top seed Novak Djokovic plays his second match against Ricardas Berankis - and so prospective bettors should take extra care.

The last 64 of a Grand Slam is also one when the form starts to settle down, so anyone thinking of backing outsiders to post upset wins should have decent cases for doing so.

Nikola Milojevic v Aljaz Bedene

Aljaz Bedene will hope to put his greater experience to good use in his French Open second-round clash with Nikola Milojevic and the Slovene is definitely no mug on clay courts.

However, Milojevic's 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-1 first-round victory over fellow Serb and 26th seed Filip Krajinovic reads so well that it could be wise to follow the 25-year-old in his next outing.

The clash with Bedene will be Milojevic's fifth match of the tournament. And while all of his qualifying victories went to a deciding set, victims Yannick Maden and Leonardo Mayer are decent performers in their own right so the form should be good.

Bedene needed four sets to get past wildcard Arthur Rinderknech and he may have to work harder in round two.

Nao Hibino v Ons Jabeur

Ons Jabeur has been a revelation in recent years and the Tunisian looks to be getting better and better.

Nao Hibino made the semi-finals in Strasbourg last week when she was a three-figure price for the title, but the Japanese may find Jabeur a tough cookie at Roland Garros.

Jabeur can be considered for a straight-sets win, but Hibino is a genuine battler so the better option could be backing the favourite to give up 3.5 games on the handicap.

With Mayar Sherif having exited the tournament following the Egyptian qualifier's close loss to second seed Karolina Pliskova, African eyes will now be on Jabeur and she is not expected to let them down.

Polona Hercog v Leylah Fernandez

Polona Hercog is a no-fuss performer who enjoys playing on clay, but the Slovene is up against a decent opponent in Leylah Fernandez.

Big things are expected of the Canadian and given that she is likely to put up a huge fight against Hercog, the outsider may offer a shade of upset value.

Canadian tennis is going through a golden period including Bianca Andreescu's victory in last year's US Open and Fernandez looks like playing a big role in her nation's tennis future.

The oddsmakers expect experience to triumph in this one, but Fernandez can definitely be backed to win at least a set.

Not got a bet365 account? Sign up today and get up to £100 in bet credits.

Up to £100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport