Simona Halep vs Irina Camelia Begu
30th September 1500hrs
Tennis – France – French Open 2020
Pick Draw
Bookmaker Unibet
Odds: 00:44 GMT Wednesday 30th September 2020
It is an all-Romanian clash in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday.
It features tournament front runner Simona Halep taking on compatriot Irinia Camelia Begu.
The former is the strong odds-on favourite to walk through the tie.
Begu will be looking to score her first-ever win against Halep, who is currently ranked second in the world.
Table of Contents
Simona Halep Preview – A straight forward fixture for Halep?
There was no trouble whatsoever for Simona Halep in the first round of this year’s campaign.
She opened with a straight-sets victory over Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo. That was a powerful 6-4 6-0 win for Halep.
She wasn’t in action at the recent US Open. But Halep roared back into action on the clay at the Italian Open.
It was a title-winning campaign there for the Romanian as well, proving some very powerful clay form.
Simona Halep is a former French Open champion.
So given her recent Italian Open success, she looks to be the one to beat at this late-season Slam.
Halep is such a long odds-on favourite in this one that there is little value in the match outright for her.
It’s highly unlikely that she’ll drop a set either so we have to go looking around for value in tennis betting.
It is in the Games Handicap market for tennis betting that we are looking as we would expect Halep to come through this relatively unchallenged.
So there is a good enough tempter on a Simona Halep -6.5 Games Handicap at a 10/11 quote for this second round match* (odds taken 00:44 GMT Wednesday 30th September 2020).
Halep has won all seven of the previous meetings against her compatriot. It would be a sizable upset if she were to drop this one.
Irina Camelia Begu Preview – Slim chance of an upset for Begu?
Irina Camelia Begu faced a tougher challenge than expected in the opening round of this year’s French Open.
Now the difficulty level here multiples intensely.
Begu collected a 2-1 win in the opening round over Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann after having let the second set slip her by.
In Rome at the Italian Open Begu got past the first round there on the clay.
Then in the next round, she was blown apart by Johanna Konta in the second round.
Interestingly back at the Prague Open in August, Begu went to the semi finals of that tournament, albeit not a strong one, where she met Halep.
Begu just missed out on the first set on a tie break. She then went down 6-3 in the second to lose in straight sets.
But she was a lot more competitive than she was ever expected to be in that one.
Begu will have to defy 7/1 underdog odds in this one* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 8 January).
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Irina Camelia Begu has met Simona Halep once before in a Grand Slam tournament but not in a singles match, so this will be the first occasion of that.
Only once in the seven previous singles meetings has Begu managed to even get a set off of Halep, so this is a mightily difficult task for her.
She has shown a few glimpses here and there of being competitive, however when she comes up against top players, it’s usually a tournament exit for her.
We would expect the same.
Simona Halep vs Irina Camelia Begu Betting Advice
Simona Halep, who just celebrated her 29th birthday, should run away with this match.
Given the tough conditions at Roland Garros this year, the quicker she gets the job done the better.
It should be a comfortable straight-sets victory on the clay for her and even though Begu pushed her quite well in Prague in August, this should be a different kettle of fish.
We think that Begu is just going to be under heavy pressure from the off and like the look of a 6-2 First Set Score in Halep’s favour* (odds taken 00:44 GMT Wednesday 30th September 2020)
Key Facts – Simona Halep vs Irina Camelia Begu Betting Tip
- Simona Halep has won all previous meetings with Begu
- Simona Halep if a former French Open winner
- Irina Camelia Begu has taken one set in seven previous matches against Halep
In the recent Rome event, Begu only managed to get four sets on the board when she faced Johanna Konta in the second round.
So it’s likely that Halep isn’t going to let too much more than that get her by.
It’s a Halep to win at Under 18.5 Games at 10/11 that is our pick* (odds taken 00:44 GMT Wednesday 30th September 2020).
The best betting odds for Simona Halep vs Irina Camelia Begu
Simona Halep to win: 1/12 at Bet365
Irina Camelia Begu to win: 7/1 at Bet365
