WTA FRENCH OPEN BETTING TIPS SHARAPOVA, BARTOLI, WICKMAYER AND MORE

The women’s side of the French Open is overshadowed by the spectre of Justine Henin, a four-time French Open champion. The announcement of her intention to reverse retirement in the fall of 2009 sparked speculation then whether she would win a fifth; and the debate has only been gathering momentum ever since. That she finished runner-up in Melbourne only helped add shine to her favourable odds in grand slam betting markets worldwide.
Those punters backing Henin to the crown will be pleased to know she got her bid off to a positive start earlier today when she won in straight sets on Court Philippe Chatlier. So far, on course she is.
But is the French Open really going to be about Henin and her alone as she embarks on her quest to reclaim her queenly perch over Paris. Might it not be about some other lass in the draw? Say, home favourite Marion Bartoli, up-and-coming Belgian sensation Yanina Wickmayer or perhaps even Maria Sharapova, who is missing but the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam?
Bartoli, Sharapova and Wickmayer are all in action today you might want to know and William Hill is at the vanguard with a spread of markets on their respective first round encounters.  
Marion Bartoli, a former Wimbledon finalist, begins her campaign in the first round today when she takes on Maria Elena Camerin. Bartoli is a 2/7 fave over Camerin, tipped at 5/2. Bartoli has home edge on her side which will go a long way to helping her win this match. Bartoli isn’t the best mover to begin with and clay is perhaps the most demanding surface of all. If Camerin allows Bartoli to control the match from the baseline, the Frenchwoman will overpower her easily.
Speaking of poor movers, Maria Sharapova is not exactly a gazelle on clay. In fact, she admitted as much when she once suggested she has as much agility on clay as a cow has on any surface. But didn’t she go and thump Kristina Barrois last week for the Strasbourg title – a clay-court title, no less. (Well, it isn’t as if it was her first clay court title but the timing of it, right before the French Open couldn’t be better).
Bookies are listing Sharapova a solid favourite, 1/9 in her opening round match against Ksenia Pervak 5/1.  And seeing that Sharapova took the precaution of warming up her game in Strasbourg last week, a clear sign she learned the lesson of her first round exit at Melbourne, she has to be the better play here. I imagine the confidence after Strasbourg will help her put forward a clinical performance against Pervak.
Yanina Wickmayer is set to go-head-to-head with Sandra Zahlavova in our last feature match. Wickmayer is the bookies solid favourite at 1/20 to win outright while Zahlavova is a significant puppy at 8/1. From the form Wickmayer has shown this term, I can’t imagine her faltering at this early stage