Wimbledon Ladies Final Betting: Kvitova to be Czech-mated

Wimbledon Betting / Sean Calvert / 02 July 2011 /

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Save all those kisses for me. Sharapova should be the one celebrating come the end of the match.

"We’re hopefully going to be treated to some blazing winners on
Saturday and this has the makings of an entertaining match, but the
worry is that Kvitova’s nerves in her first final might get the better of her."

There are good reasons for both players to feel nerves in today's final but Maria Sharapova's experience of having been there and done it should see her prevail, says Sean Calvert.

It was another hugely profitable day's tipping at the All England Club on Friday, as both of my set betting predictions proved to be correct in the men's semi finals on Friday.

It would surely have been a clean sweep had Andy Murray not choked two sets away 6-2 after leading and controlling his match early on. But still, it was my seventh straight day of recording a profit and you'd be over £100 up in the last week if you'd had a tenner on each of my recommended bets in that time.

It's the turn of the ladies on Saturday and we have an intriguing Wimbledon Ladies Singles Final on Centre Court, as Maria Sharapova takes on Petra Kvitova.

This match isn't the easiest to call, as Sharapova's performances can vary wildly depending upon how well she's serving and this is of course Kvitova's maiden Grand Slam final appearance, which means extreme nerves are a factor.

Sharapova threw in 13 double faults in two sets against Sabine Lisicki in their semi final, but was able to rely on the power of her forehand to see off the German. So you feel that if she has a good serving day, she should earn another Slam title.

But the left-handed Kvitova has some supreme power of her own and fired 40 winners past Vika Azarenka in their semi final, with just 14 unforced errors.

Sharapova and Kvitova have only met once on the WTA Tour, with Sharapova winning in straight sets on indoor hard-courts in Memphis, but that was over a year ago and doesn't have a huge bearing on today's clash.

We're hopefully going to be treated to some blazing winners on Saturday and this has the makings of an entertaining match, but the worry is that Kvitova's nerves in her first final might get the better of her.

The last four Wimbledon Ladies Singles Finals have been won in straight sets and the [2.62] about a Sharapova 2-0 win will be popular, as the Russian has a good record against both lefties and Czech players.

Sharapova has won 28 of her 34 matches against lefties and the only one she's ever played at Wimbledon was Laura Robson this year.

She's also 10-2 against Czechs in her career which could be significant, if you believe in these sort of stats, of course.

Both players will be feeling the tension - Sharapova because she hasn't been in a Slam final for three years - but the Russian should be the more likely to handle it with her experience.

The 2004 Wimbledon Champ should also have a bit more in the tank after winning all
her matches in straight sets, while Kvitova's last two have gone the distance, so a narrow vote is for the former champion at around [1.64].

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