2019 French Open Women’s Singles Semifinals Odds: Barty vs Anisimova & Konta vs Vondrousova
- Eighth-seeded Ashleigh Barty is the only one of the top 25 seeds to reach the semifinals on the women’s side
- Two of the four players – Amanda Anisimova and Marketa Vondrousova – are unseeded
- Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko won the 2017 French Open women’s singles title
The youth and the underdogs are being served and volleyed in women’s singles competition at the French Open. Three of the final four left standing in the tournament are under the age of 23.
None of them have ever played in a Grand Slam final.
Eighth-seeded Ashleigh Barty will face unseeded Amanda Anisimova in one of Friday’s semifinals. Johanna Konta, the 26th seed, tangles with unseeded Marketa Vondrousova in the other semifinal.
Anisimova didn’t even play last year at Roland-Garros. Among the other three semifinalists, only Barty made it as far as the second round. They’ve completely toppled the French Open odds.
A Party for Barty?
Tennis experts touted the 2019 French Open women’s singles tournament as a coming-out party for Australia’s Barty. She’s been on the cusp of making a major move for some time now. Barty was a quarterfinalist at this year’s Australian Open, the first time she’d advanced that far in a Grand Slam event.
Ashleigh Barty vs Amanda Anisimova French Open Women’s Singles Semifinal Odds
| Player | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashleigh Barty | -190 | -3.5 (-105) | 21.5 (-105) |
| Amanda Anisimova | +155 | +3.5 (-125) | 21.5 (-125) |
*Odds taken 06/06/19
Anisimova lost in her first-round match at her only previous French Open appearance in 2017.
Anisimova Making History
The American teen made her French Open debut two years ago. Anisimova was the youngest to play in women’s singles at Roland-Garros since 15-year-old Alizé Cornet in 2005. Just 17, Anisimova is the first player born after 2000 to ever appear in a Grand Slam semifinal.
She certainly announced her presense in fine style. Anisimova bounced no. 3 seed and defending champion Simona Halep 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Halep had appeared in the last two French Open women’s singles finals.
A Contrast in Styles
Anisimova and Barty have dropped just one set between them during the tournament. Barty lost a set to Sofia Kenin in the round of 16.
The Aussie dispatched American Madison Keys in the quarterfinals. She toppled the 2018 US Open finalist, 6-3, 7-5. Barty is ranked no. 8 in the world. She’s striving to become the first Australian to win a Grand Slam event in eight years.
Her game is about placement and touch. Barty’s backhand slice has proven to be a deadly shot in her repertoire and can handcuff opponents.
Anisimova is all about power. She seeks to overwhelm opponents, as she did against Halep, hitting 25 winners. It will be a match of strength against guile.
Ashleigh Barty vs Amanda Anisimova Stats
| 8 | World Ranking | 51 |
| 1 | Grand Slam Semifinal Appearances | 1 |
| 8 | French Open Seeding | Unseeded |
| 10-1 | 2019 French Open Record | 10-0 |
| 0-0 | Head-To-Head | 0-0 |
| 15-3 | 2019 Record On Clay | 17-4 |
| 4 | Career Tournament Wins | 1 |
Considering she handled defending champ Halep with aplomb, don’t expect Anisimova to be overwhelmed by the moment.
Pick: Ashleigh Barty (-190)
Living up to the Hype
Former world no. 1 Kim Clijsters touted Vondrousova as a legitimate sleeper pick to win it all in women’s singles at Roland-Garros. Thus far, the 19-year-old Czech is living up to that hype.
Vondrousova edged Petra Martic 7-6(7-1), 7-5 in the quarterfinals, her first-ever victory in five matches against Martic.
Johanna Konta vs Marketa Vondrousova French Open Women’s Singles Semifinal Odds
| Player | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johanna Konta | -135 | -2.0 (-125) | 22.0 (-105) |
| Marketa Vondrousova | +110 | +2.0 (-105) | 22.0 (-125) |
Konta has dropped just one set in the entire tournament. She blasted last year’s finalist Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4 in their quarterfinal match.
Can Konta Get It Done?
The British player moved as high as no. 4 in the world rankings in 2017. Konta has reached the seminals now at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the French Open. However, Konta has yet to play in a Grand Slam final.
Konta is currently 26th in world rankings. At 28, Konta is the oldtimer among this final four. She’s 10-3 on clay this year. Konta reached two finals on the surface but lost both of them. She was beaten 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 by Maria Sakkari in Morocco. Konta also dropped a 6-3, 6-4 verdict to Karolina Pliskova in the Italian Open final.
Czech Mate
Konta defeated Vondrousova 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the Italian Open quarterfinals. While that result might make you lean toward playing the Brit, a word of caution. That match was the second of the day for Vondrousova.
The Czech teen hasn’t dropped a set at Roland-Garros. It will be a showdown of Vondrousova’s power game, which she adeptly mixes with a dash of feathery touch, against Konta’s all-around play.
Johanna Konta vs Marketa Vondrousova Stats
| 26 | World Ranking | 38 |
| 3 | Grand Slam Semifinal Appearances | 1 |
| 26 | French Open Seeding | Unseeded |
| 10-1 | 2019 French Open Record | 10-0 |
| 1-1 | Head To Head | 1-1 |
| 20-4 | 2019 Record On Clay | 19-2 |
| 3 | Career Tournament Wins | 1 |
This is the first time Konta has ever advanced beyond the first round at Roland-Garros. Konta only dropped one service point in her quarterfinal against Stephens.
Vondrousova reached the final on clay at Istanbul. She looks ready to emulate 2017 French Open champ Jelena Ostapenko and make the final as an unseeded player.
Pick: Vondrousova (+110)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
