The French Open second round match between Stan Wawrinka and Thanasi Kokkinakis features as Bettingpro.com.au’s best bet for Wednesday May 31.
Bet Of The Day May 31 – read on below for our reasoning behind today’s best bet.
Key Points
- Wawrinka is 38 years of age and coming off a five-setter in R1
- Kokkinakis coming off straight sets defeat of Dan Evans
- Wawrinka has won at least one set in his last 10 Grand Slam defeats
- Nobody has beaten Wawrinka in straight sets at a Grand Slam since the 2018 US Open
We’re off to the French Open for today’s best bet as Australian star Thanasi Kokkinakis comes up against three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka for a spot in the third round.
This should be a cracking contest and an old school grudge match – remember Nick Kyrgios’ famous sledge to Wawrinka almost a decade ago? If you know, you know.
Wawrinka is a former champion at Roland Garros and one of the handful of men who threatened the hierarchy of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray when the ‘Big Four’ were at the absolute peak of their powers.
However, Wawrinka’s level and consistency has naturally declined at 38 years of age, so we’re backing Kokkinakis to claim one of the biggest wins of his career here.
Wawrinka is coming off a gruelling five-setter in the first round – the Swiss was in control leading Albert Ramos-Vinolas two sets to love, but his level dipped and he was forced to close out the victory in five, 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 1-6, 6-4.
Backing up on clay after a long five-setter is tough for anyone, let alone a 38-year-old with a recent history of injury problems.
Kokkinakis meanwhile enjoyed an stress-free straight sets victory over Dan Evans. It was an important routine victory for the Aussie, who isn’t exactly known for gliding through matches or early rounds – remember his epic vs Andy Murray at the Australian Open earlier this year?
Despite his relative lack of success on clay (which is mostly due to injuries), Kokkinakis actually has a great game for the surface. The high bounce suits his big forehand, while he also gets good kick off the clay with his serve.
I can’t see Kokkinakis winning this in straight sets, so we’re backing Wawrinka to win one or even two sets in defeat.
Wawrinka doesn’t go down without a big fight.
Indeed, Wawrinka has won at least one set in all of his last 10 Grand Slam defeats dating back to the 2019 Australian Open.
That’s right, nobody has beaten Wawrinka in a slam in straight sets for the last four years. There might be a bit of water under the bridge, but I don’t think these two like each other.
It’s going to be a big battle, but Kokkinakis is playing well and this seems like a match where he steps up and makes a statement.
BET OF THE DAY MAY 31 👇