French Open: Serena Williams-Azarenka encounter headlines third round

Not many ladies on the WTA tour can boast three victories over world number one Serena Williams, but French Open third round foe Victoria Azarenka is one of them.

Grand Slam great Serena is Coral’s 9/4 favourite to regain the Roland Garros crown, having ceded it to Russian racket star Maria Sharapova following a shock early exit last year.

Williams (odds-on at 4/11 to advance from her next assignment) will thus want to avoid bowing out during the first week again and, despite those aforementioned losses to Belarus’ biggest sporting name Azarenka (still a tasty 2/1 to win their match), has never been beaten on clay by this opponent.

Three of the last four head-to-heads have gone to a third set, so punters can increase Serena’s odds to 11/4 or those of Azarenka to 9/2, if you back your chosen tennis star for victory but their clash to go the distance.

Either Williams or Azarenka will play the winner of Sloane Stephens v Tsvetana Pironkova in round four. Serena will hope to face her fellow American at that stage, provided she gets through a tough test herself, as young pretender Stephens eliminated sister Venus in round one and follow that up by knocking out British hope Heather Watson.

Stephens is an odds-on 2/7 chance to add the Bulgarian to her hit-list, and has two career victories against Pironkova under her belt already, including a victory on clay in three sets from 2013. If you fancy that to happen again, then take odds of 11/4, but be aware that the 22-year-old has beaten her last couple of opponents in straight sets.