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Simona Halep will take on Jana Cepelova in the first round at Roland Garros, and all eyes will be watching Halep’s physical state after she torn a ligament in her ankle last week in the Rome final.
89th ranked Jana Cepelova enters Roland Garros in rather poor form, losing her last 3 matches prior to the French Open, However, she did have succes early on in the European clay, reaching the semifinals at Istanbul. She also took a set from Kontaveit in Rome in her last match, with Kontaveit playing the best tennis of her life in that tournament.
Simona Halep has been hands down the best player in the world since the European clay court season started, winning the title in Madrid and also reaching the final in Rome. However, playing so much tennis caught up with Halep and she injured herself in the Rome last act, at a point in which she was winning the match. She eventually lost that final to Svitolina and it was revealed she torn a ligament in her ankle. Her presence at Roland Garros was questionable, but Halep confirmed over the weekend that she will play.
Bet on Cepelova vs. Halep and claim your 100% (100 Eur) free bet at Ohmbet now!The H2H is tied at 1-1, with Cepelova winning the last meeting at the 2015 Wimbledon, in the first round. The two players never met on clay.
Halep said she is feeling better and her ankle is improving every day, but those could well be lies. Fact is that training videos showed her starting intense lateral movements only a couple of days ago. If she indeed torn a ligament in her ankle, it will be very difficult to come back after one week and play competitive tennis at a good level in a Grand Slam.
Cepelova is obviously no match for Halep, especially with the Romanian being in good form, so this bet is mostly about Halep’s injury. However, it`s far from impossible for Cepelova to beat even a good version of Halep.
Huge upsets happen pretty often in women’s tennis, and Halep is actually one of the players most prone to surprising losses. She exited early in many grand slams (even at the hands of Cepelova two years ago) and can get frustrated quickly if things aren`t going her way. What`s more, Halep is for the first time in her life the favorite to win a Grand Slam, so there will be a lot of pressure on her – and she has not been at her best under pressure in her career.
Point is, this is clearly a bet based on Halep’s injury, but even if she managed to recover, there`s still at least a 10 – 15% chance there for an upset, which I see as a bonus / safety net.
My tip is Cepelova to win. I suggest taking the straight win as opposed to any kind of handicaps, as this is not a bet based on matchups, it`s based on a potential injury. I also suggest taking Cepelova at a bookmaker which DOES NOT void bets in case of retirement. I will bet at Bwin, at odds 5.00, even if other bookies have odds as high as 5.75.
In the worst case, I think you should take the bet with a bookie that voids bets only if retirements occur before the end of the first set (Pinnacle, Betfair, Unibet, 1xBet, Ladbrokes, etc.). Prediction: Jana Cepelova – Simona Halep 6-4 2-0 Ret.
Pick: Cepelova
Odds: 5.00 @ Bwin
Stake: 3
Possible profit: 12
Event date: 30 May
