Monte Carlo Masters tennis best bets for Monday, April 8
There’s nothing quite like the heart of clay-court season, which truly begins with the Monte Carlo Masters in France. This is a tournament that ranks just below the four Grand Slams in terms of importance. And while the field for this event is smaller, it’s absolutely loaded with talent. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will all be out there for this event, but it’s Andrey Rublev who is the defending champion here. Those four, along with several other remarkable players, will be gunning for the first Masters 1000 title of 2024 on the dirt. And we’ll be providing you with tennis best bets on a daily basis for this one. Make sure you keep reading for my tennis best bets for Monday, April 8th. Also, make sure you come back throughout the day, as I constantly add picks to my card. So, if you’re interested in a match and want to see what I have on it, come back before first ball and see if I added something on it!
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts are betting!
2024 Results: 187-214 (+0.93 units)
Corentin Moutet vs. Alexei Popyrin
This is a match in which I simply trust one player on clay a lot more than the other. And that player is the 99th-ranked Moutet, who is favored over the world No. 46. Popyrin has had a good start to the year and has a booming serve, but the clay is going to slow that down and allow Moutet to get into rallies. And once a few balls are in play, Moutet is going to have a massive edge over Popyrin. Moutet is just a very good defender along the baseline, and he can also rip winners when he has some time. I expect him to thoroughly dominate in long exchanges, and I also think he’ll have a rather easy time holding. Moutet might not have the most powerful serve in the world, but he gets good spin on it and it sets him up for quick winners.
Moutet is also 3-0 against Popyrin in his career, with all of those wins coming on hard courts. There’s no reason he shouldn’t move to 4-0 against the Australian now that they’ll be playing on the dirt.
Bet: Moutet ML (-133 – 1.5 units)
Laslo Djere vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Djere and Tsitsipas met in Monte Carlo two years ago, when the Greek star earned a 7-5, 7-6 (1) win. Tsitsipas is a two-time Monte Carlo champion, and he’s going to feel some excitement getting back here. But I don’t think that’s enough for him to overcome his poor recent form. Tsitsipas has lost three of his last five matches, and his most recent loss was the most concerning. Tsitsipas got beat up on by an out-of-form Denis Shapovalov at Indian Wells. That was a match he really should have been able to figure out, but his backhand is just all over the place right now. And his serve has gotten a little worse over the last year. That is enough to make him very beatable. And I’m not even taking him to lose.
Djere hasn’t played well in recent weeks, but he’s a proven clay-court winner. And he has the power required to give Tsitsipas problems along the baseline. Djere, who isn’t a great server, can also make his job easier by serving to Tsitsipas’ backhand side. That said, I like Djere to battle and make this a very close match. I also think he has the ability to pull off the upset.
Bet: Djere +4.5 Games (-128)
Jaume Munar vs. Roman Safiullin
This is a little more juice than I’m normally comfortable with, but Munar should get the job done against Safiullin. Munar might not be as good as Safiullin on other surfaces, but he has 62 wins on clay in his career. And he’s 14-12 on the dirt over the last 52 weeks. Meanwhile, Safiullin has played a total of 12 clay-court matches at the ATP level, despite being the same age as Munar. With that in mind, the Spaniard has a huge edge in experience on this surface.
Safiullin is also a player that can be a bit erratic, as he likes to hit for power from both wings on the baseline. That’s not an issue when he’s playing well, but Safiullin has lost three of his last four matches and is just 4-8 in the 12 matches he has played in 2024. So, he’s not finding the court regularly with that power. And if he’s spraying unforced errors in this match, Munar will get more out of him by just being a wall along the baseline.
Munar also has an absurd 32.2% break percentage on clay over the last 52 weeks. He’s going to make Safiullin uncomfortable when it’s his turn to serve, and the Russian is a shaky server to begin with.
Bet: Munar ML (-158 – 2 units)
Added Plays
Karen Khachanov ML (-135 – 1.5 units) vs. Cameron Norrie
Federico Coria Over 11.5 Games (-110) vs. Ugo Humbert
PARLAY: Martin Damm ML vs. Toby Alex Kodat + Zizou Bergs ML vs. Oliver Crawford (-125 – 2 units) [Sarasota Challenger]
Sunday’s Plays
Taylor Fritz ML (-114 – 2 units) vs. Frances Tiafoe
PARLAY: Matteo Berrettini ML vs. Roberto Carballes Baena + Danielle Collins ML vs. Daria Kasatkina (-114 – 1.5 units)
Frances Tiafoe ML (-110 – 1.5 units) vs. Ben Shelton
Thiago Agustin Tirante ML (-200 – 1.5 units) vs. Alexis Galarneau [Mexico City Challenger]
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