This situation seems oddly familiar.
The legend, Serena Williams, looking for an elusive record, is one match away, and facing a younger rival.
Last year’s Wimbledon Final it was Angelique Kerber.
Last year’s U.S. Open Final it was Naomi Osaka.
And here we are again, back in the Wimbledon Final, against Simona Halep.
Can she do it this time and start her quest for number 25? Let’s break down the match and the players.
Serena Williams
Serena loves playing at Wimbledon.
- She’s been to the Women’s Singles Finals 9 times (make that 10) and has a 7-2 record.
- She’s been to the Women’s Doubles Finals 6 times and won each time.
- She even won a Mixed Doubles title in 1998.
This year hasn’t been any different either. She’s cruised through the tournament, only losing 3 sets on her way to the final. Her 6-2, 6-1 semifinal win over Barbora Strycova was dominant, with two 121 MPH aces to go along with her standard crushing returns.
But, despite her constant denial, there’s a lot of pressure on her to not only get that 24th title, but also achieve something even more personal: become only the 4thwoman to win a major after having a baby.
Simona Halep
The 27 year old Romanian has been at the top of her game for a few years, having held the number one ranking at the end of both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. (in 2017, she became only the 7th player to reach #1 without having won a Grand Slam title.) She won her first Grand Slam the next year at the 2018 French Open, but since then, has dropped to number 8 in the rankings.
Her previous results at Wimbledon have been mixed, with a trip to the semis in 2014 the farthest she’s gone before this year’s success. But her path to the final has been strong, as she only lost one set on her way to meeting Serena. She had a tougher semifinal matchup against 8th seed Elina Svitolina but won handily 6-1, 6-3. She looks much more comfortable on grass, and seems ready for the challenge of taking on a legend.
Head-to-Head
This will be the 11th meeting between the two, with Serena holding a commanding 9-1 lead. Recent matches have been tight however, with their last three meetings going 3 sets, including an Australian Open fourth round win for Williams in January.
How To Bet The Match-Up
Thanks to her history both at Wimbledon and against her opponent, Serena is favored, -200 to Halep’s +170. But digging deeper into potential bets, there are some good opportunities to win some money.
- Set Betting: There are only four options, and all can earn you something.If history holds and it goes 3 sets, with Serena winning, you have great +295 odds.
- Number of Tiebreaks: Both are at the top of their games, so a tiebreak seems very possible. Fortunately for you, the odds for Over 0.5 is +230.
- Total Games-Set 1: Both women will be eager to set the tone in the first set, meaning it might be a back and forth battle to gain the upper hand. Think it will go to 6-5 or more? Betting the Total Games-Set 1 at Over 10.5 is at +300 and only goes up from there.
- Correct Score- Set 1: This is always a good one, as all choices can pay well. Serena has won 3 of her 6 matches so far in this tournament 6-2, whereas Halep has won 3 matches 6-3. A Serena first set win at 6-2 is at a healthy +1000, whereas a Halep 6-3 set win is at +1600.
It’ll be a great match! Enjoy and good luck!