The field for the women’s draw at Wimbledon 2017 will be wide open this year with the absence of Serena Williams. But the top tennis experts believe the title could come down to just two women. Which two do they see as the top contenders to take home the crown?
Wimbledon favorite Karolina Pliskova (+450) received half the votes in ESPN‘s six-expert panel predicting the winner of the women’s draw. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova (+650) got two votes, while British World No. 1 Johanna Konta (+800) got a single vote.
TENNIS.com
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CHAMPION
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Ed McGrogan
Karolina Pliskova
Brad Kallet
Petra Kvitova
Nina Pantic
Karolina Pliskova
Steve Tignor
Petra Kvitova
The editorial staff at TENNIS.com was split down the middle with their women’s champion picks. McGrogan and Pantic went with the favorite Pliskova, while Kallet and Tignor sided with Pliskova.
McGrogan justified his pick by saying that although the field looks relatively open, Pliskova’s ability to hit the ball hard will see her succeed. Meanwhile, Kallet has gone with Kvitova for the narrative aspect. As he says, it would be quite a story for the two-time champ to win it all again just seven months after her harrowing home invasion incident.
Sky Sports
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Barry Cowan
Karolina Pliskova
Barry Millns
Petra Kvitova
Peter Fleming
Pliskova/Kvitova
Mark Petchey
Karolina Pliskova
The four-expert panel over at Sky Sports is also pretty convinced that the winner of this year’s Wimbledon will either be Pliskova or Kvitova. Cowan thinks Pliskova is the best server in the women’s game with Serena absent, and that will play a big part in her victory. But Millns believes Kvitova is just as good, if not better, on grass, and her victory at Birmingham shows she’s good to go for this Grand Slam.
