While the incomparable Roger Federer didn’t bother to show up and World No. 2 Novak Djokovic got knocked out in stunning fashion, the ATP portion of the 2017 French Open still has a ton of excitement surrounding it as the semifinal round gets set to take place on Thursday.
You see, the greatest clay court player of all-time, World No. 4 Rafael Nadal still has an opportunity to win his record, 10th French Open title – and a trio of other title hopefuls will give it all they’ve got in an effort to deny Rafa and bag the hardware for this year’s second major.
With World No. 1 Andy Murray looking to win his first French Open title, World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka looking to bag his second French Open title in three years and blossoming World No. 7 Dominic Thiem looking to win his first major, there’s plenty of drama surrounding the pair of quarterfinal matches that will take place on Thursday. Let’s find out where the value lies in both matches and take a closer look at the updated tennis betting odds here.
Expert Picks For The 2017 Roland Garros Men’s Semifinals
Andy Murray vs. Stan Wawrinka
2015 champion Stan Wawrinka smacked Marin Cilic senseless in his 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 quarterfinal win on Wednesday while World No. 1 Andy Murray beat back World No. 9 Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(0), 6-1 to reach the semifinals. “Since I won in Geneva I found confidence with my game,” Wawrinka said. “I never give up. I work hard. I try to do what’s right. I listen to my team. The past two or three weeks have been very good momentum. I’m playing really well. I’m very calm. I’m extremely confident about my game.” Murray owns a 10-7 edge in 17 career meetings against Wawrinka and beat the second-ranked Swiss player in the world in each of their last two meetings, including last year’s four-set French Open win. “Andy defeated me last year. He was playing better. Now the conditions are a little different. I think he’s probably a bit less confident, a bit more hesitant. Hopefully I can take advantage of that and find solutions to beat him. He’s struggling a little bit since the beginning of the year, but he’s in the semifinal. So when a champion like him finds a way to win matches, he’s playing better. But I know the way I’m playing so far, and hopefully I can win.” Murray said he didn’t play his best tennis but found a way to get past the dangerous Nishikori. “It’s a huge step in the right direction for me. Anyone can win matches when they are playing well. It’s winning when you’re not playing your best is more impressive.”