Iga Swiatek vs Nadia Podoroska Odds & Pick: French Open Women’s Singles Semifinals
- No. 54 ranked Iga Swiatek is the second Polish woman to reach the French Open semifinals since 1939
- Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska becomes the first-ever qualifier to reach the women’s singles semifinal at the French Open
- The semifinal is scheduled for Thursday, October 8th, 4:00 AM (EST)
The 2020 French Open has seen more than its fair share of surprises, from the ousting of top seeds in the women’s draw to the dreary rain and cold conditions that fall weather brings to Paris.
Qualifier and World No. 131, Nadia Podoroska of Argentina is set to take on World No. 54 Iga Swiatek of Poland in their first-ever meeting.
The semifinal showdown will take place on Thursday, October 8th, 4:00 AM (EST).
Iga Swiatek vs Nadia Podoroska Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iga Swiatek | – 5.5 (+107) | – 420 | Over 16.5 (-435) |
| Nadia Podoroska | + 5.5 (-136) | + 310 | Under 16.5 (+320) |
Odds taken Oct 7 at DraftKings
Smooth Sailing for Iga Swiatek
Up-and-coming star Iga Swiatek stormed past Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan, 6-3, 6-1, to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.
It was a slow start for the 19-year-old teenager as she lost her serve in the opening game; however, Swiatek quickly turned things around. Trailing 3-1, she turned the tables on the Italian, winning 11 out of next 12 games, and cruised to an easy victory.
Overall, Swiatek hit 20 winners and survived 19 unforced errors. Trevisan almost matched the same number of winners and unforced errors; however, she really struggled with her serve, winning only 43 percent of service points.
In addition, Trevisan could only convert two of her nine break-point opportunities, while Swiatek was able to take advantage of her chances, converting six break points to seal the deal.
Overall, Swiatek has played some high-level tennis at Roland Garros. In her last five matches, she has yet to drop a set and has only lost a total of 20 games.
Her biggest win of the tournament thus far came in the fourth round when she surprisingly dominated the No. 1 seed and 2018 French champion Simona Halep, 6-1, 6-2.
It was sweet redemption from her fourth-round loss to Halep on the same stage last year when she won only one game, playing a total of 45 minutes.
Swiatek easily took care of 2019 French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova, winning by the same score as Halep’s defeat.
In addition to singles, Swiatek has also gone deep into the doubles portion of the draw, playing her quarterfinal match with partner Nicole Melichar of the United States a day before her singles competition.
This will be the second time a Polish woman has made the final four at Roland Garros. The last time was in 1939 when Jadwiga Jedrzejowska finished as the runner-up.
Cinderella Story for Nadia Podoroska
Nadia Podoroska is the first Argentinian woman to reach the last four in Paris since Paola Suárez’s semifinal run in 2004.
In her best career performance, 23-year-old Nadia Podoroska earned her first victory over a top-20 player, shocking the No. 3 seed, Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.
The young Argentine stunned the tennis world, winning 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 19 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. Svitolina was the overwhelming favorite, riding an eight-match winning streak, but could not win the battle against the confident Podoroska.
During the match, Podoroska showed off her mental toughness and capped the victory by blasting a forehand winner past her opponent.
Podoroska has been extended to three sets twice thus far in the championship. In the second round, she was pushed against No. 23 seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan before winning, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. In the fourth round, Podoroska started slowly, before eventually prevailing against World No. 114 Barbora Krejcikova, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Podoroska is only the third female qualifier to get to the semifinals at any major tournament since 1968 when the Open era began.
Before her success this week, Podoroska was off the tour for eight months and contemplated quitting tennis due to her extensive list of injuries.
Iga Swiatek vs Nadia Podoroska Head-to-Head Stats
| No. 54 | WTA Ranking | No. 131 |
| 0 | Head-to-Head | 0 |
| 19 | Age | 23 |
| 7-5 | 2020 Record | 33-6 |
| 0 | Career Singles Titles | 0 |
Best Bet
Based on her latest performances, Swiatek is the favorite to win this battle.
Podoroska has nothing to lose, creating history along the way. The feisty Argentine will definitely put up a fight.
Swiatek (-420)
An experienced sports journalist, Martha K has written feature stories for CBC and Yahoo Sports, hosted Sauga 960 AM, worked with ESPN production and covered a variety of major events, including the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. She is a former Division 1 tennis athlete.
