Undaunted through a grueling tournament, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Tamara Zidansek now find themselves just one win away from the 2021 French Open finals. The two meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET after reaching the semifinals with hard-fought three-set victories. The No. 31 seeded Pavlyuchenkova ousted Elena Rybakina 6-7, 6-2, 9-7 in Wednesday's quarterfinal. Zidansek took a similar path, downing No. 33 seed Paula Badosa 7-5, 4-6, 8-6.
William Hill Sportsbook lists Pavlyuchenkova as a -175 favorite (risk $175 to win $100) on the money line, while Zidansek is at +138 in the Pavlyuchenkova vs. Zidansek odds. Other 2021 French Open odds of note for this matchup include the over-under for total games listed at 20.5 and the game handicap favoring Pavlyuchenkova at -3.5. Before making any Zidansek vs. Pavlyuchenkova picks, see the 2021 French Open predictions from elite tennis handicapper Gavin Mair.
A renowned women's tennis handicapper, Mair cashed in huge at last year's French Open. He picked Iga Swiatek to win (-163) and win in straight sets (+140), and he was right on both counts.
He also called unseeded Jelena Ostapenko (80-1) winning the 2017 French Open, Naomi Osaka (32-1) winning the 2018 U.S. Open and Bianca Andreescu (20-1) winning the 2019 U.S. Open.
Now, Mair has broken down the latest 2021 French Open odds from William Hill and released a pair of best bets for this matchup. Head to SportsLine to see them.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Tamara Zidansek preview
Mair has gotten over the shock of seeing some of the best women's singles players in the world fall one-by-one. But he is confident Pavlyuchenkova and Zidansek are ready for the spotlight. It will be the first time since the 1978 Australian Open that a grand slam event will feature four first-time semifinalists.
Pavlyuchenko has been the underdog for most of the tournament and has already upended three seeded opponents. Her biggest win came in the third round when she dispatched one of the tournament favorites in No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0. She has outlasted her last three foes in three sets.
The tennis expert knows she will need similar determination when she faces Zidansek. The 23-year-old reached the French Open semifinals for the first time in her career after defeating Badosa in three sets. It also marked the first time a Slovenian women's player had accomplished that feat since the country achieved its independence in 1991.
Zidansek has not been discouraged when she has fallen behind, doing so twice -- in the first round against sixth-seeded Bianca Andreescu and in the third round vs. Katerina Siniakova. Against Siniakova, she came close to the brink of elimination after losing the first set 6-0. She won the second set 7-6 before prevailing 9-7 in the third.
How to make Zidansek vs. Pavlyuchenkova picks
Not only does Mair have a strong pick on the winner, he also loves a prop bet that brings a big plus-money return. Be sure to see Mair's picks and analysis before locking in your 2021 French Open picks.
Who wins Pavlyuchenkova vs. Zidansek in the French Open 2021? And which prop bet bring a big return? Visit SportsLine right now to see Gavin Mair's best bets, all from the acclaimed expert who has owned this tournament.
