Wimbledon Tennis : Men’s Semi-Finals & Women’s Final Preview

Andy Murray may have crashed out to Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-final but there is still plenty to look forward to in the final three days at Wimbledon, starting with the Men’s semi-finals.

After Murray ended Britain’s 73-year wait for a Wimbledon Men’s champ, perhaps a successful title defence was a little too much to ask for. Nevertheless, we’ve got four top players in the semi-finals and should be in for three explosive contest.

As for Saturday’s Women’s final, that has the potential to be a classic.

Women’s Final: Eugenie Bouchard V Petra Kvitova

The 2011 champ is back in the final at SW19 and is now potentially two sets away from lifting here second Grand Slam crown. However, Petra Kvitova knows that she must be at her best to beat Canadian starlet Eugenie Bouchard.

Last season was Bouchard’s first in Grand Slam events and her best performance was a third-round appearance in London. However, she has burst onto the scene in 2014 by reaching the semi-finals in both Australia and France and now the 20-year-old has gone one step further by booking her first ever final appearance.

Can she go all the way by lifting the crown? Not if Kvitova has her say.

The Czech Republic thrives at SW19 and has reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the past five years. On grass, she has been as consistent as any women in recent years and a second title certainly wouldn’t flatter her – particularly in the manner she has brushed aside her opponents over the last fortnight.

Only third-round opponent Venus Williams has taken a set off of Kvitova so far and the 24-year-old enters Saturday’s final in fine form. However, you could argue that Bouchard, who has yet to drop a single set at this year’s event, has been in equally great shape.

It should be one hell of a final.

Can Fed-Express Deliver One Last Wimbledon Title?

Having seen Murray dethroned by Dimitrov on Thursday, the majority of spectators in London will be behind one man. He is the greatest man to ever lift a racket and fans would love to see the 32-year-old claim an eight Wimbledon crown.

Roger Federer has wowed tennis enthusiasts for over a decade and has picked up more Grand Slam titles (17) than any other player. The Swiss superstar is loved not only for his ability on the court, but also for his demeanor away from it and the SW19 crowd would love to see him end a two-year wait for title 18 on Sunday.

However, Montegran-born Canadian Milos Raonic could be set to spoil the party once more. The No.8 seed ended the dream of Australian teen Nick Kyrgios on Wednesday and will be hoping to do the same to Federer on Friday. If he does, it will secure the 23-year-old’s first ever Grand Slam final.

In the other semi-final, No.1 seed Novak Djokovic takes on Murray’s conqueror for a place in Sunday’s final. Last year’s runner-up has not won any Grand Slam since the 2013 Australian Open and will be determined to end his drought here.

However, the Bulgarian is on route to following the exact same blueprint as Murray. Dimitrov has already won Queen’s, as the Briton did in 2013, and will be hopeful of claiming a first Grand Slam title on Sunday. Alongside Raonic, Wawrinka, and potentially Krygios, there is a definite changing of the tides in tennis right now and the 23-year-old could cement his place as a genuine force by lifting the crown vacated by Murray.

Both semi-finals are perfectly balanced to be entertaining affairs. We should be in for a real treat.

Wimbledon Tennis Betting For Friday & Saturday

While Serena may have flopped in the Women’s, Novak Djokovic is still going strong in the Men’s and we are still backing our pre-tournament pick to run out victorious on Sunday. If you aren’t already on then you may fancy taking the Serbian with Betfred.

Novak Djokovic to win outright is 5/6 with Betfred

As far as the Women’s final goes, we’re going to go with the favourite and backa Kvitova to lift a second crown. Bouchard has been sensational all season and looks destined to be a future multi-time Grand Slam winner but we think this final has come just a little too soon for the 20-year-old and are tipping the more experienced star to prevail.

We’ve yet to see how the Canadian will respond to falling a set behind in this tournament and if Kvitova can get her nose in front then this final could quickly slip away from the youngster.

Petra Kvitova to win 2-0 is 2/1 with William Hill

With regards to the Men’s semi-finals, we’d love to see a Federer-Djokovic final. However, there have been plenty of surprises at SW19 and it may not be as easy as just picking the two favourites.

What we do think is that Djokovic will ease to Sunday’s showdown. Dimitrov enters the semi-final on the back of his best ever performance but we cannot see him following that victory up with another major upset.

Novak Djokovic -5.5 games is Evens with Ladbrokes