Wimbledon 2012: Why Kerber and Williams will reach the final at SW19
The Tipster is backing Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber to win their respective semi-finals and meet in the Wimbledon final
As Wimbledon reaches its conclusion, the Tipster takes a look at the mouth-watering semi-finals in the women’s draw, with our resident betting expert backing Serena Williams to topple Victoia Azarenka and reach her seventh final at SW19.
Wimbledon 2012 Live Streaming: Watch all the action at SW19 unfold on your computer by opening a bet365 account today
Serena Williams v Victoria Azarenka
Second seed Victoria Azarenka faces four-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in a battle of grunting as well as heavy-hitting. Williams has saved her best form for the latter stages, beating defending champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets in the quarter-final. Williams hit an astonishing 61 aces in her five matches, but what would have pleased Williams in the quarter-final was her returning – she struggled in the earlier rounds but against Kvitova, she won 27 points on the fourth seed’s serve. With all this in Williams’ favour, Azarenka faces a difficult test – plus the American leads 7-1 in head-to-head stakes, including a win at SW19 in 2009. The Tipster reckons Williams to win in three sets is excellent value at 5/2.
Bet365 odds
Azarenka made a strong start to the season but it came to a stuttering halt as she was blasted off the court by Williams in Madrid, and she struggled throughout the remainder of the clay-court season. However, she has produced some of her best tennis at Wimbledon and is yet to drop a set – her victory over Ana Ivanovic stands out. The concern for Azarenka will be that she twice failed to serve out the match against Tamira Paszek in the quarter-final, converting just 33 per cent of her break points. The Tipster reckons a tiebreak to occur in this match is outstandingly priced at 9/4 in what will be a tight last-four meeting.
Bet365 odds
Angelique Kerber v Agniezska Radwanksa
This match represents a wonderful opportunity for either Agniezska Radwanksa or Angelique Kerber to reach their first Grand Slam final. Kerber has won more matches than any other lady on the tour this year, reaching the Eastbourne final before squandering five championship points against Paszek. But she has responded brilliantly at Wimbledon. Kerber’s strength is her combination of aggressive play and few unforced errors – only 13 against Sabine Lisicki. But it remains to be seen if Kerber chokes with the finish line in sight as she did at Eastbourne, and so nearly did against Lisicki. But Kerber will be quick out of the blocks in this semi-final, so the German to take the first set and win the match is a solid shout at 11/10.
Bet365 odds
Radwanska, the world No3, has had a similar run in this year’s tournament as Kerber. She has enjoyed straight-sets wins in the opening four rounds – beating Elena Vesnina, Heather Watson and Camila Girogi – but was taken to three in her quarter-final. Maria Kirilenko was a real test for Radwanska and she responded well, producing 36 winners with only 22 unforced errors. The Polish No1’s strength is her ability to mix up her game with a combination of deep slices and drop shots, as well as unleashing the power when necessary. However, being in the top three is a pressure which hampers her game rather than enforces it, and in her first Grand Slam semi-final, Radwanska is bound to be nervous. Their last three matches have averaged 31 games in total, and the Tipster reckons over 23 games between Kerber and Radwanska is a great bet at 11/10.
Bet365 odds
Wimbledon 2012 Live Streaming: Watch all the action at SW19 unfold on your computer by opening a bet365 account today
Like The Sport Review on Facebook:
Read more on: Agnieszka Radwanska, angelique kerber, serena williams, victoria azarenka, wimbledon 2012.
