2022 French Open Tennis: Iga Swiatek vs. Coco Gauff in the Women's Final

Iga Swiatek can tie the record for most consecutive match victories in the 21st century and win her second French Open title in three years when she takes on powerful American Coco Gauff in an intriguing championship tilt Saturday at Roland Garros.  

Dimers.com tennis expert Robert Williams discusses how you should bet.

Iga Swiatek’s 6-2, 6-1 win over Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals was her 34th straight victory. A 35th consecutive victory by the 20-year-old from Poland would tie Venus Williams’ 21st century record set in 2000.  

Coco Gauff has been making some history of her own. At 18-years-old and just a few weeks removed from high school, Gauff is the youngest woman to reach a Grand Slam final since 2004, when Maria Sharapova did it at Wimbledon at 17.

Coco Gauff graduating from high school while she’s in Paris for the French Open 💫 pic.twitter.com/sCBlDMYlU3

— Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) May 22, 2022

Gauff has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros this year, although she has had a somewhat easier path. Due to a rash of upsets on the fabled clay, Gauff has only had to play one seeded player, 31st seed Elise Mertens. Gauff romped to the final with a 6-3, 6-1 semifinal victory over Martina Trevisan in which she won nine of the final 10 games. 

Why You Should Bet the Favorite Iga Swiatek (-650) 

You will have to lay a big price to back the favorite, and rightfully so. Swiatek doesn’t have the biggest weapons in women’s tennis, but nobody is more consistent. She doesn’t have a real weakness. Her serve is in the 100 to 114 miles-per-hour range, with an average of about 103 on clay. But she is so relentless and consistent in rallies that she is still very difficult to break.

If Iga Swiatek were British or American, she'd be a front page story everywhere in the world. She'd get all the attention. TV shows, magazine covers, everything. But she's from Poland so there's eerie silence. Shame. At 20, she's already a legend. 🇵🇱 https://t.co/GRuxrFXQpp

— Roland Sebestyén (@rolandsebest) May 26, 2022

Meanwhile, she has broken serve 22 times in her last 39 return games. There is no reason to believe that the pressure will get to Swiatek. She was rock-solid in a 6-4, 6-1 win over Sofia Kenin in the 2020 final at Roland Garros. And going 34 straight matches without a loss has made her even more confident.  

Why to Bet the Underdog Coco Gauff (+475) 

It’s not too often that you get such a generous price on a player who has yet to drop a set in a competition. There is a lot to like about Gauff’s game, and if the opponent was anybody else, she would have a realistic chance. Gauff is quick, athletic, and not afraid to be aggressive. She will need to be aggressive to have a shot against the favorite. Gauff has a more dangerous service game than Swiatek has faced during most of her run. Her serve has been clocked at nearly 125 mph on grass and she has no problem pounding the felt to the tune of 110-115 mph on the clay.  

After advancing to the French Open final, Coco Gauff shared a message calling for peace and an end to gun violence. pic.twitter.com/eGbgF8whNL

— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2022

She should be able to hold more often than she is broken, which will help her keep the match competitive. If she can use her service and ground stroke power aggressively while keeping unforced errors to a minimum, it’s reasonable to believe that Gauff has a puncher’s chance of pulling off a huge upset.  

Best Bet: Swiatek in straight sets (-235) 

Swiatek’s pre-match playlist includes Led Zeppelin, and there’s no reason to believe that she won’t Ramble On to the title. There’s not a lot of value in taking the favorite at -650, but a straight-set victory seems very likely and the price of -235 is fair. Swiatek has been on this stage before and is by far the best player in women’s tennis these days.

Best Props Bet: Total games OVER 19.5  

Playing an over in a match expected to only go two sets may seem counterintuitive, but I expect this one to be competitive all the way through. Swiatek will get a few breaks, but I expect Gauff to have a significant number of holds and a break or two of her own. This has all the makings of a 6-4, 7-5 type match, so OVER is the play.  

In-Play: in-game play on the OVER 18.5 

If Gauff gets down by a break early in the match, make an in-game play on the OVER 18.5. Gauff isn’t given enough credit for her tenacity. I don’t see her wilting despite any early adversity. The American is comfortable in these surroundings. After all, she won the French Open junior title here at age 14.  

Expect a battle until the end, which means an in-play OVER.