French Open 2013: Odds for Each Semifinalist to Win at Roland Garros

All the favorites got to the semifinals of the French Open, and no long shots remain. No one seeded worse than sixth is still alive in either the men's or women's singles draw.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga pulled off the most significant upset, beating No. 2 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in straight sets. Does that make him the favorite?

Let's take a look at the eight remaining players and their chances of winning the event based on their performances so far. We'll analyze the four women's semifinals first, then the men.

Sara Errani

Why She Could Win: Sara Errani was the French Open runner-up last year, and she has reached the semifinals for the third time in the last five Grand Slam events. The moment is not too big for her.

Errani got to the semifinals of the two clay warmup events leading up to the French Open, and she beat the world's No. 4 player, Agneiszka Radwanska, in straight sets in the French Open quarterfinals. She has lost only one set in five French Open matches this year and is playing the best tennis of her career.

Her Biggest Obstacle: To win the French Open, she would have to beat Serena Williams in the semifinals and perhaps Maria Sharapova in the finals. Errani has never beaten either, going a combined 0-9 against them, not including the walk-over win over Sharapova last month in Rome.

Errani was competitive against Williams last month in Madrid, losing 7-5, 6-2, but the stakes are higher this time. Errani lost to Sharapova 6-3, 6-2 in the 2012 French Open finals.

Odds: 10-1

Victoria Azarenka

Why She Could Win: Victoria Azarenka won the previous Grand Slam event, the Australian Open, and is in the semifinals for the sixth time in the last eight majors. She knows how to perform in the big moments. This is her first semifinal berth in the French Open, indicating Azarenka, at age 23, is getting more comfortable on clay.

Azarenka has a 7-5 career record against semifinal opponent Maria Sharapova, and she is one of the few people to defeat Serena Williams this year, beating Williams in February on hardcourts.

Her Biggest Obstacle: Azarenka will be an underdog to Sharapova, but the bigger challenge would be Williams in the finals. Williams has a 12-2 record against Azarenka, and Williams beat her decisively in both their clay-court meetings. That includes a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Azarenka in the finals in Rome last month. 

Odds: 4-1

Maria Sharapova

Why She Could Win: Maria Sharapova won the French Open last year, and she is playing just as well this year. Losing the first set 6-0 to Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals was surprising, but her ability to come back and win the match demonstrated her resolve and maturity.

She beat semifinal opponent Victoria Azarenka convincingly in their only completed clay-court encounter. Sharapova also beat Azarenka in their most recent meeting, last year in Turkey.

Although Sharapova does not have a good record against possible final-round opponent Serena Williams, she has beaten Williams twice and took a set on three other occasions.

Her Biggest Obstacle: Serena Williams is the one player Sharapova has been unable to beat this year. Since the Australian Open, Sharapova has lost on the court to only one player in 2013. But she has lost to Williams three times in that span, including a 6-1, 6-4 loss on clay in Madrid last month. 

Williams seems to have too much power for Sharapova, who has lost 12 straight matches to Williams, including three on clay. Williams is playing the best tennis of her life at the moment.

Odds: 2-1

Serena Williams

Why She Could Win: Serena Williams has won 29 straight matches. More significant is the fact that she is 5-0 against semifinal opponent Sara Errani and 12-0 since 2004 against probable final-round foe Maria Sharapova. That includes a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Sharapova last month on clay in Madrid.

Losing a set in the quarterfinals to Svetlana Kuznetsova is not shocking, even though the latter is ranked 39th. Kuznetsova's has a history of playing well at the French Open, getting to the quarterfinals for the fifth time in the past seven years and winning it in 2009. Plus she had beaten Williams twice, including once on clay, in eight previous matches.

Her Biggest Obstacle: Williams biggest obstacle is herself. If she plays the way she did in the first week of the French Open, no one can beat her.

Only an off day can lead to her defeat. If Williams gets frustrated, she can start spraying errors, providing momentum for player as talented and experienced as Sharapova, Sharapova is capable of beating Williams if Williams is a bit off, but Williams has beaten her all three times they've met this year.

Odds: Even money

David Ferrer

Why He Could Win: No one has been as been more impressive in the 2013 French Open than David Ferrer, who has yet to lose a set in the tournament. Losing just nine games in his third- and fourth-round matches combined against top-35 players Kevin Anderson and Tommy Robredo is a testament to his relentless, steady style, which is so effective on clay.

Ferrer may be able to wear down Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals. Ferrer has won two of their three career head-to-head matchups, including their only meeting on clay in 2012 in Rome.

If the winner of the match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal has an emotional letdown, Ferrer could take advantage of that in the finals. Ferrer is so consistent that any opponent has to be at the top of his game to beat him.

His Biggest Obstacle: The winner of the Djokovic-Nadal match will be a significant favorite against Ferrer. Ferrer is too consistent and too tough for the rank-and-file players, but may not have the weapons to beat a player the caliber of Nadal or Djokovic.

Ferrer would rather face Djokovic than Nadal. Nadal has beaten Ferrer 16 times in a row on clay dating back to 2004. Djokovic has won his last four matches against Ferrer, and Djokovic won their last clay-court encounter. But Ferrer has a 2-1 career record on clay against Djokovic.

Odds: 5-1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Why He Could Win: This French Open may be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's best chance to capture a Grand Slam singles title. The Frenchman is playing the best tennis of his career, as demonstrated by his straight-set victory over Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and the fact that he has yet to lose a set in the tournament.

In addition, he will have the backing of the French crowd, which is important for an emotional, streaky player like Tsonga,

Finally, he will have to beat only one of the two favorites to capture a title since Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are situated in the other half of the draw.

His Biggest Obstacle: Tsonga's only victory over semifinal opponent David Ferrer came on grass, and Ferrer is clearly the better clay-court player. Nonetheless, a bigger obstacle would come in the finals against Nadal or Djokovic.

Tsonga has the weapons to beat Djokovic or Nadal if he keeps playing at a high level. However, Tsonga has lost his last six matches to Djokovic, including two on clay, and failed to take a set off Nadal in their only two career clay-court meetings.

Odds: 4-1

Novak Djokovic

Why He Could Win: Novak Djokovic has now reached the semifinals in 12 straight Grand Slam events, and he has won five of the past nine majors. He is ranked No. 1, and no one is really close.

He has lost only one set in the French Open, and he has been more dominant throughout the tournament than Rafael Nadal, who struggled a bit in the early rounds. Djokovic's shoulder injury that required attention in the first week does not seem to be an issue.

Djokovic beat Nadal in their most recent meeting, a straight-set victory on clay in Monte Carlo in April.

His Biggest Obstacle: Despite that victory over Nadal, Nadal remains the chief hurdle for Djokovic. Djokovic's best surface is hardcourts, and he has never won the French Open. More to the point, Djokovic is just 3-12 on clay against Nadal, including a four-set loss to Nadal in last year's French Open finals.

Nadal seems to have regained his top form in the second week of the French Open.

Odds: 3-2

Rafael Nadal

Why He Could Win: Rafael Nadal's minor struggles in the early rounds disappeared in the second week of the French Open. His quarterfinal victory over formidable Stanislas Wawrinka, in which Nadal lost just six games, suggests Nadal is in peak form again.

Nadal has a 57-1 career record in the French Open, and he has not lost at Roland Garros since 2009. He has reached the finals of all eight previous tournaments he's played this year and won six of them.

Nadal has a 12-3 record on clay against semifinal opponent Novak Djokovic, and he beat Djokovic in four sets in last year's French Open final.

His Biggest Obstacle: His semifinal match against Djokovic is a virtual tossup. Djokovic is the world's No. 1 player, has won five of the past nine Grand Slam events and has lost just one set in the French Open.

More significant is the fact that Djokovic beat Nadal, on clay, in their only 2013 meeting, in Monaco in April.

Odds: Even money