Serena Williams moved to within a victory of her 21st Grand Slam singles title after destroying Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday. Pulling off that feat won’t be easy, though, as standing in her way in the final is the in-form Garbine Muguruza who’s coming off a thrilling three-set win over Agnieszka Radwanska.
Who will emerge victorious in this blockbuster showdown? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this much-anticipated women’s final. While you’re at it, you can check out the men’s side of the draw with our semifinal previews of Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic vs. Richard Gasquet.
[sc:TennisArticles ]Serena Williams vs. Garbine Muguruza Betting Preview
Where: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon
When: Saturday, July 11, 9:05 AM ET
Line: Serena Williams (-700) vs. Garbine Muguruza (+450) – view all Wimbledon Women’s Singles lines
Betting on Serena Williams
There’s just no stopping Serena Williams.
The world No. 1 extended her winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments to 27 matches with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-4 victory over Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday. It was an emphatic performance from the American who has now beaten Sharapova 17 straight times.
[sc:Other240banner ]Key to Williams’ dominant showing in the semis was her excellent serve. Serena won 25 of her 29 first serve points against Sharapova for an incredible 86 percent clip. Sharapova, on the other hand, was only 31-for-45 (69%) on her first serve points. Williams also had 13 aces and two double faults for a solid plus-11 margin while Sharapova only recorded two aces and six double faults in the match.
With the victory, Williams improved to 25-3 in Grand Slam semis matches. Up next for Williams is a final clash with Garbine Muguruza. The 33-year-old has fared extremely well in her past meetings with Muguruza, with Williams winning two of their three previous matches. This will be the first meeting between the two tennis stars on grass.
For Williams to defeat Muguruza this coming Saturday, she needs to continue her excellent return play. She won 44% of her receiving points against Sharapova with Williams converting three of her nine break point opportunities. Williams also needs to impose her aggressive style and dictate the tempo of the match. She did just that against Sharapova in the previous round, with Williams blasting 29 winners.
Williams is 85-12 in her career on grass.
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Betting on Garbine Muguruza
Garbine Muguruza reached her first ever Grand Slam final with a nerve-wracking 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over 13th-seed Agnieszka Radwanska. It was a terrific performance from Muguruza who will be aiming to become the first Spanish woman to win the Wimbledon title since Conchita Martinez in 1994.
Achieving that dream will be a tough task, though, as standing in her way in the final is five-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams. The American has an incredible 20-4 record in Grand Slam final matches. With that said, Muguruza will still fancy her chances of recording the massive upset as she has already beaten Serena in a Grand Slam tournament once before.
Muguruza shocked Williams in the second round of last year’s French Open, beating her in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. It was Williams’ most lopsided defeat in her 318-match Grand Slam career as she finished the contest with 29 unforced errors and only eight winners. Muguruza almost stunned Williams again in the Australian Open earlier this year, losing in three tough sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
For Muguruza to pull off the improbable victory, she needs to limit her mistakes this coming Saturday. She committed a whopping 23 unforced errors in her semifinal match against Radwanska. That simply won’t do against a world-class player like Williams who’s playing some of the best tennis of her life right now. The one thing going for Muguruza heading into the final is her excellent serve. She put into play 63% of her first serves in the semifinal against Radwanska with the Spaniard winning 79% (41/52) of those points.
Muguruza is 8-2 in her last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Williams (-700) beats Muguruza in straight sets to keep her calendar Grand Slam dreams alive.
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