Serena Willias is very much alive at the 2019 Wimbledon women’s singles. Her next assignment is a surprise performer in the tournament in Barbora Strycova, who is coming off a stunning upset of a home favorite. Will Williams book a spot to the Finals? Or will Strycova spoil the narrative most people want? Going into the semis, the sportsbook favors Williams with -360 odds (opened at -400) to advance to the Finals, while Strycova is priced at +280 (opened at +300).
Betting Preview for the Wimbledon Women’s Singles Semifinals Match Featuring Serena Williams vs Barbora Strycova on July 11, 2019
Where: All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, London, United Kingdom
When: Thursday, July 11, 2019, 11:00 AM ET
Line: Serena Williams (-360) vs Barbora Strycova (+280)
TV Broadcast: ESPN, NBC Sports, TSN, Tennis Channel
Betting on Serena Williams (-400)
Williams barges into the semifinals but not before getting significantly tested by Alison Riske in the quarterfinals round. Williams took the first set then lost the second before roaring back in the last and decisive third set to score a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Riske. Williams peppered Riske with plenty of powerful serves, as she recorded 19 aces to just one by her opponent.Williams may have to improve on some areas, though, as she was broken five times by Riske out of five chances. She also committed 27 errors, nine more than Riske’s total. Williams is going to bank on her powerful strokes and aggression to stymie Strycova. If anything Williams has defeated Strycova in all of their prior matchups, including one way back in the first round of the 2012 edition of the Wimbledon. Williams is close to a sureshot when playing at this stage at Wimbledon, as she’s only lost just once in the tournament’s semifinals round out of the 11 times she’s made it to this point.
Betting on Barbora Strycova (+300)
Strycova was not expected to advance this far at the 2019 Wimbledon women’s singles tournament, but here she is on a collision course with a legend in the form of Williams. To get to the semis, she had to defeat home favorite Johanna Konta, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. There were other Czech in the tournament all seeded higher than Strycova, but only the 33-year-old veteran managed to get into the semifinals, which tells a lot about the solid form of Strycova. Against Konta, Strycova put 69 of her first serves in and won 67 of her first-serve points. Strycova has made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon just once before and has never gone past the third round in three years. Before this year’s Wimbledon, Strycova played at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham where she beat fellow Czech Kristyna Pliskova in the quarters before bowing out to Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals.
