Best bets & online bookie odds for 2017 French Open finals

ROGER Federer may have skipped it this year, yet the Swiss flag is flying still at the 2017 French Open.

Stan Wawrinka reaped sweet vengeance for his semi final defeat in 2016, outlasting Andy Murray in a seesawing five-setter on Friday night.

That tees up a blockbuster title bout with Rafael Nadal, who dispatched the plucky but outclassed Dominic Thiem in straight sets.

The women’s draw often throws up surprises, but few bigger than what we have seen this year.

Jelena Ostapenko, unseeded and only just turned 20 years old, will contest her first Grand Slam final after adding Timea Bacsinszky to her victim list.

Standing between her and a fairytale triumph is Simona Halep, who dumped out second seed Karolina Pliskova in a three-set tussle worthy of a title decider.

Simona Halep (3) vs. Jelena Ostapenko

11pm AEST Saturday, June 10, 2017

S Halep – -303.03 at CrownBet
J Ostapenko – +275 at William Hill

Halep may never have a better chance of breaking her Grand Slam hoodoo.

Even though she is always touted as a potential contender these days, this is only the second time the Romanian has reached a major final.

The first was at Roland Garros in 2014, when she fell to Maria Sharapova over three sets.

We know she has the game, which was on full display in the second half of her stunning comeback win over Elina Svitolina in the quarters.

But does she have the temperament and tactical composure to outplay this year’s French Open bolter?

The standout quality of Ostapenko’s shock run to the final has been her aggression.

The young Latvian has backed her ability and worn down higher-ranked opponents with wave after wave of attacking strokeplay.

There is more than a little money coming in for Jelena, who opened at upwards of +300 in the head-to-head betting at several online bookmakers.

Women’s tennis is notoriously unpredictable, so why not follow the trend and go where the value is?

Our tip: Ostapenko to win

Rafael Nadal (4) vs. Stan Wawrinka

11pm AEST Sunday, June 11, 2017

R Nadal – -526.32 at Sportsbet
S Wawrinka – +450 at William Hill

It almost seems trite to even debate this one.

After his excellent run at the 2017 Australian Open, those in the know went straight to the bookies and pumped up Nadal for Roland Garros.

When fit and firing, the Spaniard is all but unstoppable on his favoured surface.

Look how he treated Thiem, in the midst of a super season and fresh off an outstanding win over Novak Djokovic.

Wawrinka has looked in fine fettle in Paris, having dropped not a single set until his semi clash with Murray.

But while the Swiss star is a very, very good player on the red stuff, he has always struggled against the best clay-court of all time.

Stan has beaten Rafa only three times in 18 attempts, and at least one of those wins – the 2014 Australian Open final springs to mind – was against a wounded opponent.

It would be wonderful if Wawrinka could put up a proper fight, but La Decima is there for the taking.

Our tip: Nadal to win