The Wimbledon tennis tournament is on schedule, which means that the four women’s quarterfinals will all be played on Tuesday afternoon at the All-England Club. That’s where we’ll pick up our tennis picks.
As you probably know by now, we saw tennis action on the middle Sunday for the first time in a long time. There were a total of six matches played and almost all of them were straight sets results. Only one contest needed the full three sets, which was Svetlana Kuznetsova’s win over Sloane Stephens. Aside from that, we saw Elena Vesnina beat Julia Boserup, we saw Coco Vandeweghe top Roberta Vinci, we saw Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova topple Timea Bacsinszky, we witness Serena Williams move past Annika Beck, and we saw Ekaterina Makarova survive Barbora Strycova. Overall, there weren’t very many surprises on this day, although some will say that seeing Stephens stumble is a bit of a disappointment – especially for the Americans.
The fourth quarterfinal not mentioned here involves Venus Williams and Yaroslava Shvedova. That is a matchup of an established player and an upstart. Below, you’ll see a mixture of matchups in the three quarterfinals being examined:
Simona Halep vs. Angelique Kerber
This is a match of top-level players, both seeded in the top five at Wimbledon this year. Halep is fifth, Kerber fourth. Halep did score the more impressive win on Monday in the fourth round. She beat ninth-seeded Madison Keys, whereas Kerber beat 49th-ranked Misaki Doi. Halep achieved a lot more. However, a bettor has to notice and account for the fact that Halep won largely because Keys came down with a leg cramp midway through the third set. Halep and Keys were on serve, with Halep leading 3-2, when Keys started cramping. She lost the next few games and was never able to gain the ability to play that match on even terms. Therefore, while Halep beat the more impressive opponent on Monday, Kerber – who walloped Doi fairly easily – is in better form and did not have to play an extended match. Kerber has found a way to win a Grand Slam event, unlike Halep. That difference between the two players could easily become substantial in this match. Give the moderate edge to Kerber. Take Kerber with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Kerber in three sets
Elena Vesnina vs. Dominika Cibulkova
This is a matchup of players who both won Monday matches with a 9-7 score in the third and final set. Vesnina ousted Ekaterina Makarova, while Cibulkova beat Agnieszka Radwanska. It is true that Radwanska is a tougher player than Makarova. It also has to be noted that the Cibulkova-Radwanska match ended a few hours before Vesnina-Makarova. Cibulkova is therefore able to get a few more hours of rest before this match. Cibulkova has played in a Grand Slam final, something Vesnina has never done. On various levels, it’s hard to see a path to victory for Vesnina. Cibulkova is a better ballstriker from both wings. She is more likely to be able to attack and have success with quick-moving points. She should be able to dictate the tempo and create the intended shape of this match. She should be able to win in a straightforward way, so take Cibulkova with your tennis picks here.
Pick: Cibulkova in straight sets
Serena Williams vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
This is a matchup which shouldn’t be taken for granted. Yes, Serena is the huge favorite, but Pavlyuchenkova has struggled with her weight and her stamina for a long time. In this tournament, she is slimmer and trimmer and is playing her best tennis. She’s a powerful hitter who could reasonably go toe to toe with Serena in extended rallies. This match could become complicated. However, Serena has the experience, the knowledge of how to win, and the much better serve. She has the tools needed to handle Pavlyuchenkova. As long as she plays a relatively solid match, she should be able to get this done. Take Williams with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Serena in straight sets
