The WTA French Open action continues on Monday. The 2026 edition of Roland Garros goes into the second day of first-round competition. The first round started on Sunday and will end on Tuesday, as the field goes from 128 down to 64. There are so many matches and stories to keep track of. Which top seeds are in danger? Which floaters in the draw will begin to pick up momentum, which could flow into the rest of the tournament? These and other interesting questions will soon be answered. LWOS has our best bets for three matches on Monday. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA French Open
Maria – Mertens: Time 5:00 EST
H2H: 0-2
Tatjana Maria faces Elise Mertens. Maria is a top-55 player, but recent results haven’t been what the German veteran would have hoped for. She is 4-6 in her last 10 matches, and her best win of the four came against Magda Linette, who is not having an especially strong 2026 season. Elise Mertens isn’t playing the best tennis of her career, but she is 6-4 in her last 10 matches, and her last two losses have come against Mirra Andreeva and Karolina Pliskova. Mertens is performing moderately better against tougher competition. The markets accordingly have Mertens installed as a very heavy favorite.
Best Bet to Make
Because the markets have priced Mertens as a huge favorite, you won’t get much of a return for a Mertens straight-set win, so you need to go to the game spread. The evenly-priced spread is 6.5 games. One thing to note about the start of this French Open is that the weather is really hot in Paris. Maria is one of the oldest active players on the WTA Tour. It figures to be hard for her to perform at the level she wants. Mertens should be able to cover the spread here.
That being said, betting on Mertens -6.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Mertens -6.5 games @2.00 @Bet365
Gibson – Putintseva: Time 5:00 EST
H2H: 0–1
Talia Gibson faces Yulia Putintseva. Both players enter this match in less-than-great form. They are both 3-4 in their last seven matches. Gibson lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who is ranked outside the top 100, in the Paris WTA 125 tournament before coming to the French Open. Putintseva failed to get out of the qualifying rounds at Strasbourg. Neither player is riding high, which makes this match hard to call.
Jun 2, 2023; Paris,France; Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) reacts to a point during her match against Sloane Stephens (USA) on day six at Stade Roland-Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Jakub Bobro
Best Bet to Make
The reality of the situation is that these two players are struggling, and it feels very risky to bet on either one. If you are thinking about betting on this match, the prices are good for Putintseva minus 1.5 sets and Gibson plus 1.5 sets, both at or near 1.90, but do you want to trust either player to cash that ticket? The value is, once again, on over 2.5 sets. When you have two struggling players, that’s the way to go. Instead of betting on Gibson +1.5 sets at 1.86, you can get a much bigger return on over 2.5 sets.
That being said, betting on over 2.5 sets is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: over 2.5 sets @2.65 @Unibet
Kalinskaya – Boisson: Time 5:00 EST
H2H: 0–0
Anna Kalinskaya, a top-25 seed at Roland Garros this year, faces Lois Boisson, the surprise semifinalist from the 2025 French Open women’s singles tournament. Kalinskaya made the Round of 16 in Rome, a very solid result, and decided not to play any more tournaments before the French Open, choosing to rest instead of add matches. Boisson returned from a very long (several month) injury layoff in April. She has played five matches in her comeback and has won only one of them. Has she played enough to regain form and rhythm? She did not get an easy first-round opponent.
Best Bet to Make
The reality of Boisson’s comeback to the tour is that it will likely take more time for her to get back her confidence. Kalinskaya is not the opponent Boisson wanted to face. Kalinskaya made a good run in Rome. One of Kalinskaya’s wins in Rome was a match in which she saved nine match points and defeated Katerina Siniakova. Kalinskaya should enter this match with confidence and belief. She should be able to win comfortably, which will give you a great return on your wager if you win.
That being said, betting on Kalinskaya winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Kalinskaya winning 2:0 @2.40 @Unibet
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
