Wimbledon best bets: Women’s semifinals

And then there were four….

The Wimbledon women’s singles title comes down to Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina, and Barbora Strycova. Final spots will be determined on Thursday, when Williams goes up against Strycova and Halep faces Svitolina.

Here are some of the best bets heading into the business end of the tournament:

(11) Serena Williams vs. Barbora Strycova

At 33 years old, Strycova is through to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in her career. In fact, the Czech had previously reached just one quarterfinal (also at the All-England Club in 2014). she is a grass-court specialist, despite what those results would suggest. Strycova’s 14 other trips to Wimbledon ended with losses in either the first round (six times), second round (four times), or third round (four times). By comparison, she has advanced to the Australian Open fourth round on three occasions.

If there is one grass-court specialist on tour, it’s the woman Williams just beat on Tuesday. Fellow American Alison Riske, who had previously ousted world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, tested Williams in a major way but ultimately fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. It was arguably the highest-quality match of the tournament, one that will give the 23-time Grand Slam champion plenty of confidence going into the semifinals. Williams is especially motivated, too, as title No. 24 would tie her atop the all-time charts with Margaret Court. She certainly wants to deliver more history, and fans want to see it. The 37-year-old is also enjoying more crowd support than usual as the mixed doubles partner of Britain’s home hero Andy Murray. Finally, Williams leads the head-to-head series with Strycova 3-0 overall and 6-0 in total sets, without having played a single tiebreaker (including a 6-2, 6-4 victory at Wimbledon in 2012).

Pick: Williams to win in two sets (-150)

 (7) Simona Halep vs. (8) Elina Svitolina

This should be a good one in every way. Eyeing her second slam title, Halep has dropped just one set this fortnight and has won seven in a row—a stretch that includes a 6-3, 6-1 rout of Victoria Azarenka. Svitolina is in the SFs of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, but she had previously reached four quarterfinals so she is not afraid of the big stage. The eighth-ranked Ukrainian is also 10-1 in total sets at Wimbledon, highlighted by a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of recent Roland Garros quarterfinalist Petra Martic.

Although Halep is a considerable favorite (-220), Svitolina will take heart from her 4-3 advantage in the head-to-head series. This has not been an easy matchup for the seventh-ranked Romanian, who is 1-3 in their last four meetings but most recently got the job done 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 earlier this season on the hard courts of Doha. Another competitive contest should be expected.

Pick: Over 21.5 games (-110)

Futures: Odds to win the title

Serena Williams: Even
Simona Halep +180
Elina Svitolina +600
Barbora Strycova +1000

Looking less than her sometimes-invincible self heading into London, Williams should be filling up her bandwagon to capacity by now. She showed both the game and the mental toughness against Riske that can win Wimbledon–and perhaps win it convincingly, too. Williams is close to a lock against Strycova, after which it would be hard to pick against her in a major final.

Best value: Williams Even

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