Andy Schooler previews Tuesday’s first-round action at the French Open.
French Open betting tips: Daily best bets
1pt Vit Kopriva to beat Corentin Moutet at 31/20 (BetMGM)
0.5pt Daniel Altmaier to win the first set v Felix Auger-Aliassime at 2/1 (BOYLE Sports)
Vit Kopriva v Corentin Moutet
This match should be worth a watch with Moutet’s shot-making wizardry, while Kopriva has good touch too. Expect plenty of drop shots.
In betting terms, Kopriva looks overpriced to me.
I’ve written about him on several occasions during the claycourt season, winning some and losing some, but he’s certainly played well on this surface so far in 2026.
He was a quarter-finalist in Munich recently and also enjoyed a run to the last 16 at the Madrid Masters.
Andrey Rublev, Luciano Darderi and Fabian Marozsan were among the players beaten in those runs.
Kopriva also enjoyed the South American ‘Golden Swing’ earlier in the season, reaching the semis in Rio de Janeiro.
For me, that form is considerably better than Moutet’s – the Frenchman has gone just 3-6 since hitting the clay.
Moutet may be the higher-ranked player here but only one of his three clay wins has come against a player ranked above Kopriva.
Let’s back the Czech here at around 6/4 in what will be the pair’s first meeting.
Felix Auger-Aliassime v Daniel Altmaier
I often look to oppose Auger-Aliassime in some way in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.
He has a poor record when starting off at the majors – 14-13 in round one matches. At Roland Garros, it’s just 2-4.
And it’s not like he’s played top players. He’s been seeded in all of his visits to Paris.
Digging deeper, we find he’s won only four of his 27 Grand Slam first-round matches in straight sets.
Altmaier has rediscovered some form of late, beating Ben Shelton in Hamburg a couple of weeks ago, so he looks capable of providing a decent test for the Canadian, who will know full well how he’s struggled in such matches in the past.
The head-to-head is also encouraging for the 11/4 underdog – it’s 2-2 overall and 1-1 on clay.
The problem is I’m not really seeing the markets I was hoping for. I’ve considered total games and the game handicap but am not particularly enthused by the lines.
Instead, let’s try a small bet on Altmaier to win the opening set at 2/1.
The German has managed that in three of the four previous meetings and could prey on any FAA nerves again here.
Posted at 21:20 BST on 25/05/26
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