Taylor Townsend vs. Caroline Garcia French Open Odds & Pick (May 24)
Streeter Lecka/Getty. Pictured: Taylor Townsend
- Taylor Townsend is favored to beat Caroline Garcia at the French Open.
- In a unique matchup where both players haven't featured on court in some time, Avery Zimmerman favors the American.
- Read on to see why he's backing Townsend to get a result.
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Taylor Townsend vs. Caroline Garcia Odds
| Townsend Odds | -178 |
| Garcia Odds | +146 |
| Over/Under | 21.5 |
| Time | 7:45 a.m. ET |
| Odds via FanDuel. For tips on how to watch tennis, click here. | |
Taylor Townsend reached the third round of the French Open when she was a teenager, and Caroline Garcia made the quarterfinals as a 23-year-old.
Now, they are 26 and 28, respectively, and they have a chance at important first-round wins when they square off on Tuesday.
Here's where I see value in the Roland Garros clash.
Townsend In New Era Of Her Career
The prime of Townsend's career thus far came in the 2017-19 years, when she broke into the top 75 and defeated Simona Halep at the US Open in 2019.
Townsend played just 10 matches in 2020 and didn't compete in 2021, but she's been productive in professional matches in 2022. She's now a mother and has a new coach, and it seems as though that's only made her stronger on the court.
A 9-2 record on the season has come entirely on clay, albeit the American green variety. While Townsend was competing at the Futures level, she picked up some nice results against tour-level players. Townsend also won four of the five three-set matches she's played, highlighting quality fitness.
She's a unique breed of player that relies on serve-and-volleying, something that is particularly rare on the women's tour. While you may think that this tactic is limited on slower clay courts, that isn't always the case.
A slower surface allows Townsend more time to close space and get to the net, and her spin rate is higher on clay than it is on hard or grass courts.
Townsend's 72% win rate on clay throughout her career is far better than her record on any other surface, including the one thought to be best for serve-and-volley players, indoor hard courts. There, she's 4-7 on her career.
This is a new Townsend, but don't be shocked if we see the serve-and-volley tactic play a big role in this match.
Garcia A Major Unknown Coming Into Roland Garros
An all-court player that is typically solid on the clay, Garcia has had a bit of a nightmare 2022 season.
Garcia is only 6-8 on the year, and she hasn't played a single clay-court event thus far.
Garcia has also dealt with injuries, particularly limiting the tennis that she has played in recent months. The Frenchwoman hasn't played in two months since retiring against Anna Bondar in Miami.
It's hard to get a great understanding of her status coming into this match, but it's tough to imagine Garcia is fully comfortable with her game. Taking two months off of the tour and returning to a Grand Slam is tough in and of itself, but changing surfaces also presents its own challenge.
Garcia will have to deal with a unique game style in one of the biggest stages of the sport, but she'll have to find her footing fast if she wants a big win.
Betting Value
Though Townsend will be playing her first Grand Slam match in years, it's still worth getting behind her as a favorite.
The American is comfortable on clay, is in good form and she's coming up against one of the best opponents that she could possibly have.
Townsend and Garcia even have Elo Ratings on the surface that are incredibly similar despite the fact that Townsend hasn't competed in a singles Slam since 2020.
Don't be afraid of trusting Townsend and her unique style in this match.
Pick: Taylor Townsend -2.5 games (-122 via FanDuel)
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