French Open, 2nd round, Wednesday, 29.05.2024
Is he the number one favorite for the title? A number of names stand out at the French Open 2024 that could end up at the top, and of course Carlos Alcaraz is one of them.
The 21-year-old’s fitness is still a bit of a mystery, but he has made an even stronger start to the tournament. Hand on heart: Who really believes that the world number 3 will have problems against Jesper De Jong?
The bookmakers certainly don’t, the odds on the favorite to win are vanishingly small. In my De Jong Alcaraz betting tip, I’ll therefore tell you why I also expect a clear-cut affair and see the Spaniard clearly ahead!
Top favorite for a Grand Slam title? Perfectly normal now! Many experts expect it to be Carlos Alcaraz who lifts the trophy in Paris in a few days’ time.
Admittedly, the year 2024 has not yet gone exactly as the Spaniard would have wished. Of course, there have already been one or two titles, but is Alcaraz really fit at the moment?
Around six weeks ago in Monte Carlo, the world number 3 withdrew and did not compete. He was back on court a little later in Madrid, but he didn’t look quite fit.
Alcaraz cheated his way through with a 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 win against Jan-Lennard Struff, but was beaten by Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals. Now he is in the French capital with the aim of winning another major
At the start, he had already underlined these ambitions, and it took him less than two hours. J.J. Wolf had no chance whatsoever when Alcaraz went on to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
It was a good match, but not without mistakes. He gave away seven break chances and also won 69% of the points on his first serve.
Alcaraz knows: “I still need a final at the French Open. Two years ago, he was beaten in the quarter-finals by Alexander Zverev, then in 2023 he lost to Novak Djokovic in the top four
Does he know who he has to play on Wednesday? The 21-year-old has never played against Jesper De Jong, but the odds are so clear that a normal win bet is once again not worthwhile.
Alcaraz is also ahead at Oddset with an average of 1.008 to 24.0, which is clear. So who exactly is this Jesper De Jong? The qualifier from the Netherlands is ranked 176th in the world, which explains the high odds.
The Dutchman is only 1.80 meters tall, but Alcaraz himself is only three centimeters taller. It was only at the Australian Open this year that his name appeared in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time.
He actually made it through the first round, but then understandably cut his teeth on Jannik Sinner. Now, at only the second major of his career, it was straight back to round 2
In qualifying, De Jong had prevailed against Pablo Llames Ruiz, Dennis Novak and J.J. Wolf. He managed a 6-1, 6-2 win against the American – exactly against THE man Alcaraz had won against in round 1!
Once he reached the main round, the Dutchman was up against Jack Draper, and this match was set to be a real spectacle for the spectators. 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 3-6, 6-3, after a long battle, De Jong was the winner!
A yield of 90% on his own break chances was instrumental in this success, but of course this match took a lot of energy. Strength that Alcaraz was able to save on the other side.
Incidentally, the young Dutchman has not yet attracted much attention this year. At major tournaments, he almost always finished in qualifying, and even at Challengers he didn’t bring home many strong results
My De Jong Alcaraz tip
How fast will Carlos Alcaraz finish this time? After his dismantling against J.J. Wolf, he wants to get through another round as quickly as possible, and the Spaniard has by no means reached his limit yet.
In my opinion, Jesper De Jong is not someone who can pose a threat to the world number 3. The underdog is in the main round in Paris for the first time and has hardly any experience with real top stars. That’s why I can only guess at this point:
Alcaraz wins easily against De Jong and since the betting odds are too low for that, I’ll add a game handicap of -9.5, which brings odds of 1.72 at NEObet.
