The 2011 US Open Women’s Betting

The 2011 US Open tennis betting provides some very interesting options this year. The defending champion Kim Clijsters is not coming back to defend her title because of a stomach injury, but back in action are both Williams sisters at Flushing Meadows. But while they are down the pecking order in terms of seeding, world number one Caroline Wozniacki is down the pecking order in betting prices, with her price drifting thanks to the return of Serena Williams to winning ways on Tour recently.

One of the year’s best performers Maria Sharapova is trading very well for the action in New York, and we should see a very competitive field, which will throw up some surprises. The action at Flushing Meadows is set to go ahead on schedule after the threats from Hurricane Irene to postpone it. That means you have some 2011 US Open tennis betting to look forward to after all. Britain’s Heather Watson starts of her first ever run in the main draw at Flushing Meadows against Maria Sharapova, while Laura Robson, Anne Keothavong and British number one Elena Baltacha are all in first round action as well.

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Serena Williams 28th Seed

Chances: Although she is seeded at 28th, the American is running as outright favourite in 2011 US Open tennis betting at the moment. Although she and her sister have been away from the game for the best part of a year, Serena has blitzed back on to the WTA scene, picking up two titles in her 2011 US Open build up. So, even with being away from the game, she still has the power to pack a serious punch when it comes to the competition.

One thing to consider though, is that because she is seeded low, as the organisers rejected an option to put her higher in the seedings, it means that she will run into seeded players earlier in the tournament than the quarter finals. Will that stop the progress of the three time US Open Champion? Well it will probably get her even more fired and up, and once she starts tasting victories in the early rounds at Flushing Meadows, then she should only get stronger and stronger through the tournament. No-one will want to have to face her.

Draw: No doubt, 4th seed Victoria Azarenka is the big threat to Williams here in her section of the draw. If she gets through that it should be plain sailing to the quarter finals. There she could meet any of an interesting crop of outsiders, like Jelena Jankovic and Francesca Schiavone. The clash against Azarenka should define this quarter. The big semi final opponent could well be world number one Caroline Wozniacki.

Serena Williams 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: Depends on what happens against Azarenka. The big Belarusian has had success against Williams before and is in great form. Beating Azarenka early on would do wonders for the confidence of Williams here. Very good chance.

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Maria Sharapova 3rd Seed

Chances: Well there has just been so much to admire about the tenacity and game of Maria Sharapova this year. Is definitely one of the star performers of the year on the WTA, but the Grand Slams have just evaded her, so she will be hungry here. Sharapova starts off against young Brit Heather Watson in the first round. Would still pretty much bank on Sharapova getting to the quarter finals at the very least here.

The power she has in her ground strokes is still phenomenal, and is one of the grittiest and most determined players on the Tour. You won’t see her with her head down very often and will scrap until the very last point. Superb serving ability, and always brave on the second serve. If she is serving well, she will go far.

Draw: Could be the likes of Julia Goerges or Flavia Pennetta in the way in her section, but you can’t see them beating her on paper. That would leave a projected quarter final appearance against Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who hasn’t been in hot form lately. Semi final opponents could be Vera Zvonareva or Marion Bartoli, which shouldn’t be too much to worry about. So a great chance for Sharapova again, and is the favourite from the bottom half of the draw.

Maria Sharapova 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: Because of the draw, Sharapova is in with a great chance here. If she holds her serving together, would expect nothing less than a semi final appearance.

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Petra Kvitova 5th Seed

Chances: Well the chances of the Wimbledon Champion picking up a second Grand Slam of the year are fading somewhat, because she has not been in the greatest run of form since her career high. At Wimbledon, she deservedly won, because she brought her complete game. Her forehand passing shots are incredible and she has great power and movement. Still big questions of consistency though, but she is young and all of that should be ironed out with more experience. On her day, a threat, as she is probably the most complete player in terms of combined skills. Whether she can produce it again when it matters at the Grand Slam is another question.

Draw: A tricky quarter but certainly not anything to be phased by. Julie Goerges, Agnieszka Radwanska and Shaui Peng could cause problems, but not too bad of a draw at all for Kvitova. The only thing which may stop her, is herself.

Petra Kvitova 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: Should be in the quarter final, but have to fancy Sharapova more from their quarter, so Kvitova falls down the pecking order a bit.

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Caroline Wozniacki 1st Seed

Chances: The World Number one has not looked to secure in herself in the Grand Slams, failing to live up to expectations. She has had a bit of slump recently, but bounced back with a fourth consecutive title win in New Haven. Things do have to be taken into context, because it wasn’t a particularly strong field on show, and Wozniacki, being world number one, was expected to win through. So while Wozniacki’s Grand Slam shows haven’t been great, this is the one which should suit her most this year.

She was going ever so well at Flushing Meadows last year until an uncharacteristic below par performance sent her crashing against Vera Zvonareva. Not quite sure what to make of Wozniacki, but one thing, is that she is well worth some value in your 2011 US Open Tennis betting. The potential is there, just needs to bring her A game.

Draw: Well, if Wozniacki is going to pick up her first Grand Slam title here, then she will have to do it the hard way. Serena Williams could be waiting in the semi finals, and could run into Daniel Hantuchova, Andrea Petkovic and Na Li before the semi’s. Tricky quarter of the draw to navigate.

Caroline Wozniacki 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: Always think she is worth a bet, especially on the hard court. Confidence has been a bit low, but incredible defence, anticipation and footwork should serve her well. Still needs to develop a big weapon, but really should be in the quarter finals with a good chance.

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Vera Zvonareva 2nd Seed

Chances: Last year’s losing finalist to Kim Clijsters, it has been a difficult year for Russian Zvonareva, trying to live up to the stage she was at when she made the final at Flushing Meadows. She goes as number two seed here, but don’t see her going all the way. There could be tough, grinding matches ahead for her, against the likes of Sabine Lisicki, Marion Bartoli and Sam Stosur before she hits the semi final stage. She did get back to some success by picking up a Tour title recently, but she is still not at her very best, and therefore is not too strong of a backer.

She is in the easier half of the draw though.
Draw: Yes, in the easier half of the draw, but it is the half which requires a lot more scrapping than the top half. There are tricky opponents along the way, and projected semi finalists could be either Maria Sharapova or Petra Kvitova. Tall order for Zvonareva at the moment.

Vera Zvonareva 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: Don’t see Zvonareva going all the way here. Not in the form she was in twelve months ago.

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Victoria Azarenka 4th Seed

Chances: For the players out around this price in 2011 US Open tennis betting, we like the chances of Victoria Azarenka over everybody. There is a bit of logic in backing her, so stick with us. Yes, she is one of our favourite players to back for value on these pages, and she has been in some cracking form over the summer. She is still waiting her first Grand Slam title, and no, she has not yet got the polished all round game mentally, but physically she is very strong. Much has been made of the potential fourth round clash against favourite Serena Williams.

The two met recently in the semi finals of the Rogers Cup, which the American took, but Azarenka has triumphed over Williams before, so it is going to be a tough call. If, however, Azarenka can get past that stage having gone through Williams, her stock will rocket, so it makes sense to get behind her now. There will still be Caroline Wozniacki in the way as well most likely, but because the raw potential of becoming a superstar is there for Azarenka, although she is still a bit unpredictable, this is as good a chance as any of her making a huge splash.

Draw: Pretty tough draw for the Belarusian. But as with Williams, the one who gets past the fourth round really has a comfortable draw ahead in this quarter. So therefore, there is a good chance for Azarenka.

Victoria Azarenka 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: She has the power and the spunk to get under the skin of Serena Williams. Having lost recently in Canada to the American, will no doubt fire up Azarenka. Frame of mind is still a grey area for Azarenka, but if she is primed and ready, we think she makes the best outside shot.

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Na Li 6th Seed

Chances: Coming off the back of a disappointing performance in New Haven, so not riding high in the betting options. She is the French Open champion, and while she has sparkled at Grand Slams the bits in-between often haven’t been too great. Still, could pull it together and make a run, because she has power and experience. Inconsistency though will plague her.

Draw: In Wozniacki’s quarter of the draw and could run into Andrea Petkovic early in what should be a big power struggle in the fourth round.

Na Li 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: A good quarter final shot at least, and that is because of her power. You just never know if you are going to see the best of her on court though.

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Sabine Lisicki 22nd Seed

Chances: The German has been going from strength to strength all year, and the youngster just won in Dallas as well as part of her final Grand Slam build up. She is rapidly becoming the best of a crop of rising stars, and while she spent most of last year on crutches, she is back with aplomb. Has a great serve variety in her arsenal but her all round game still needs some tweaking. Will run herself into the ground and getting better and better.

Draw: Not too bad of a draw at all for Lisicki. Could meet Zvonareva in the fourth round, but has every chance there. With Sam Stosur or Marion Bartoli likely scrapping out for a quarter berth against Lisicki if she got that far, it is a very nice draw for the German.

Sabine Lisicki 2011 US Open tennis betting prediction: Great price in 2011 US Open betting to have a shot here. Should be in the fourth round easily enough and from then on, the higher ranked players won’t want to see her. Well worth an outside shot at this price.

The ways to The 2011 US Open

It didn’t take long for them to be silenced. In just her third tournament back from a year-long absence from the game, Serena Williams won her 38th WTA title at the Bank of the West Classic. She defeated Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-1.

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The fifth-seeded Sabine Lisicki, who entered the tournament ranked 23rd in the world, did not lose a set during the tournament and only lost 13 games total in her five tournament matches. She defeated Aravane Rezai of France 6-2, 6-1 to win the first Texas Open.

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In a precisely a week after her triumph in Stanford, Serena Williams once again holding up the Rogers Cup in Toronto after outgunned Australian Samanta Stosur 6-4, 6-2.

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Maria Sharapova secured her second title in 2011 and 24th overall with a 4-6 7-6(3) 6-3 victory over Jelena Jankoivc to clinch the Western & Southern Open crown in Cincinnati.

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A little rain could not stop top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki from winning her fourth consecutive New Haven title, as she defeated the Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska, 6-4, 6-1, in Connecticut.

Women’s Semi-Final Preview

Chance to win
Maria Sharapova 65% – 35% Sabine Lisicki

Maria Sharapova vs Sabine Lisicki betting is a great semi final event, although it is a little bit of a surprise. Well, half of that line up is anyway. Russian Sharapova, who went into the tournament as joint favourite, is certainly living up to her role. It really is hard to poke holes in her game at the moment, because she is just playing some of the best tennis of her career.

She certainly has not played this well since her shoulder injury back in 2009, and the 24 year old looks right on top of her game. She suffered a disappointment in the semi finals of the French Open recently, so that will probably make her just a little bit more hardened for the challenge ahead.

Sharapova has been powering her way past opponents, so what does she have up her sleeve? Well, her game is right there for everyone to see, she is going to serve big and follow that up her powerful back hands from the baseline. It is very, very efficient tennis, and although she only looks like a small slip of a woman, she has incredible power in her ground strokes.

She really does play behind her serve and if there is any hint of her losing here, then it will be because her first serve is not working. While most players will fire in more conservative second serves, Sharapova will toss in big second serves with little fear of making a double fault. This is the thin line upon which Sharapova plays her tennis and it makes her an awesomely spectacular player to watch. She puts on really great displays of power tennis.

Sharapova powered her way past Dominika Cibulkova in the quarter finals, the player who had just knocked out world number one Caroline Wozniacki. Sharapova did not hang around or give her opponent a whiff of a chance, as she blitzed to a 6-1 6-1 victory to book her place in the final. Truthfully the path to the final was expected to be harder than it has been for Sharapova, but because the top seeds like Na Li, Wozniacki, Serena Williams and Sam Stosur all feel before the quarter finals, Sharapova has had a comfortable run. She should have plenty left in the tank because she really has not been tested yet.

Britain’s youngster Laura Robson gave her the hardest time of the tournament in the first set of their second round match. Other than that, Sharapova has not broken stride and for Maria Sharapova v Sabine Lisicki Wimbledon 2011 Tennis betting, the Russian looks a solid bet. But she does face a player who is really starting to live up to her potential. After making a great run at the French Open, where she had Vera Zvonareva on the ropes before her body collapsed through exhaustion, Sabine Lisicki has followed it so very well on grass courts here.

She was a dangerous floater in the tournament from the very start, and her story, one of having a long way back from spending seven weeks on crutches, is a great one. Should she make the final of Wimbledon here, knocking out the tournament favourite Maria Sharapova, the fairy tale would continue to grow. But can she do it?

Well, for all the threat from Sharapova’s first serve, Sabine Lisicki has a mean one of her own. She mixes up her serves well, and fires them down the throat of her opponents with a wicked speed. Her highlight moment came in the second round, when she beat third seed and French Open champion Na Li in three sets. It showed the best of Lisicki there, some great service games, and a superb tenacity to hang in there and scrap for points.

She is not the finished product by a long way, but she has the arsenal to really trouble Sharapova. She is one of the players who match power with power. Lisicki wears her emotions very clearly on court, and is hard not to cheer for her and smile along with her, or empathise with her pains. Very popular player and really has the potential to make it to the top ten.

She has shown a lot of mental strength so far, because after the high of beating Na Li, she could have crumbled against lower ranked opposition, however she has held things together well. Lisicki is a strong finisher, so will get back into the game if Sharapova comes out firing.

Will be surprised if this does not go to three sets, and as tempting as Lisicki is to back to cause an upset, Sharapova looks irresistible at the moment, even though she is the oldest player left in the tournament, with the other three semi finalists all 21 years old. Sharapova has the experience, she is a previous winner at Wimbledon and should make the final. The two met in Miami this year, and Sharapova ran out 6-2 6-0 winners, in their only previous meeting on the WTA.

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Chance to win
Victoria Azarenka 55% – 45% Petra Kvitova 

Victoria Azarenka vs Petra Kvitova betting should produce a thriller. Azarenka is one of the most in form players on the WTA at the moment, while Kvitova is getting better and better all the time. So let’s start with Azarenka. Followers of our tennis betting guides on these pages will know that Azarenka has long been a favourite of ours here. That is because she represents great value as she still has an air of unpredictability about her.

The tall Belarusian has power, pace and flair, and when she puts it all together, she can dominate the best in the game. She certainly has the potential to be riding near the top of the world rankings, but she is still waiting to make her Major breakthrough.

She blew a big opportunity in the quarter finals of the French Open, but the very fact that she hasbounced straight back and reached the semi’s of Wimbledon really shows that she has gotten over one of her big flaws, her inconsistency. She didn’t even start the season well because of that, but gradually she has built up a head of steam and is really motoring at the moment.

She won’t be everybody’s cup of tea to watch, but we tipped her here because the draw for her at Wimbledon 2011 was very kind. She did play Daniela Hantuchova in the third round which was a work out, but other than that, she has played some very impressive tennis. Was a long shot at the start of the tournament, but here she stands a great chance. Will go for a lot of winners.

However, Petra Kvitova is another one of the young players on the WTA who we have been championing over the last twelve months. This is her second Wimbledon semi final, after surprising many by reaching the semi finals here last year. One downfall of Kvitova is that she perhaps loses a bit of focus at times during matches, and that is something which should get sorted out with experience.

Her mental focus looked frail when she was 4-1 up in the second set tie-break after winning the first set of her quarter final match against Tsvetana Pironkova, but she pulled herself together to crush her opponent in what should have been an unnecessary third set.

But, the Czech, eighth seed at Wimbledon 2011 has power in spades. She has a wonderful serve and wins a high percentage of her first serves and will trouble Azarenka. In fact, Kivitova won the only meeting between them this year, back in Madrid on clay. Kvitova is a joy to watch, and she has perhaps the smoothest action of hitting the ball of all WTA players. Many are calling her the complete player, and she looks at times as if she is playing in slow motion, or at least effortlessly.

She just strokes the ball so fluently that she doesn’t look as if she is putting power into her ground strokes, but they fly away at speed nonetheless. Like to attack the baseline and hits some incredible winners. Immense winners, and this young girl is only getting better and better. Will she have learnt from last year’s Wimbledon semi final disappointment? She does look stronger mentally, and it won’t be a surprise to see in her Saturday’s final.

Tough call to make in Victoria Azarenka v Petra Kvitova Wimbledon 2011 tennis betting. This is 5th v 8th seed respectively. Both are 21 years old, have a similar year to date won/lost record (Azarenka 33/10, Kvitova 36/8) and Azarenka has won two tour titles this year, while Kvitova has won 3. Really tricky to split them, and the head to head record between them stands a two a piece. However, Kvitova has won the last two meetings between them, including victory in the round of 32 at Wimbledon last year.

Both are better players than they were this time last year, so this should be close. As a tip, well, Kvitova has the serves, the power, and semi final experience here, but Azarenka, who has gone under the radar here could just edge this, so we are sticking with her. These are two young players, but there is a little more maturity about Azarenka’s game. Should be a fantastic match, nonetheless.

Wimbledon 2011 – Day 10

On Tuesday in London, Maria Sharapova of Russia demolished a 2009 French Open semifinalist, Dominika Cibulkova from Slovakia 6-1, 6-1.

Maria struck 23 winners (including 5 aces) with 10 unforced errors (including 1 double fault) while scoring on 6 of the 10 break points she reached against Dominika and totaling 60 points in the match. Dominika hit only 3 winners (no aces), with 11 errors (3 DFs) while converting 1 of her 4 break point opportunities against Maria and scoring 32 points in the match. match stats

Maria said: “I was playing someone I lost to a little over a month ago on clay in two sets, so I knew she was capable of playing some really good tennis. A few years ago I also lost to [Dominika] at the French Open, at the same stage as today. I thought I played really solid and did the right things to win this time.”

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Also on Tuesday at Wimbledon, this year’s champion at Birmingham Sabine Lisicki of Germany defeated this year’s champion at Eastbourne Marion Bartoli of France 6-4, 6(4)-7, 6-1.

Sabine walloped 52 winners (including 9 aces) with 24 unforced errors (including 2 double faults) while scoring on 6 of the 10 break points she reached against Marion and totaling 111 points in the match. Marion hit only 12 winners (1 ace) with 17 errors (5 DFs) while converting 3 of her 4 break point opportunities against Sabine and scoring 90 points in the match. match stats - Tennis.com “Racquet Reaction”

The win made Sabine the first German to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Steffi Graf in 1999. Sabine said: ”It was a really tough match against Marion. She likes to play on grass and she plays well on it. I was disappointed I wasn’t going for my shots at the end of the second set. I started to get tentative. But I was going to fight—there was nothing else I was thinking of. I just really wanted to win. I gave it all I had. I was fighting for each point and didn’t want it to slip away.”

Marion was slowed by fatigue from long matches in the three previous rounds. Marion said: ”My mind was trying extremely hard, but my body just couldn’t do anything anymore. I still fought very hard, especially in that second set—I was down match points. But Sabine was playing very well, of course. I have no regrets… I just have to take the good things I’ve done in the last month and move forward.” postmatch interview

Sabine Lisicki will play Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday. They have met only once before, on a Laykold hardcourt this year in the 3rd round at Miami, when Maria defeated Sabine 6-2, 6-0. It is not likely to be so easy this time.

Sabine said: ”[Maria is] a great champion and has been playing well recently. I have absolutely nothing to lose. I just enjoy myself out there on the court so much. It’s just so great, and I’m so thankful to be out there again.”

Maria said: ”Sabine hits very hard. She has probably one of the hardest serves on the tour, and that’s very beneficial. She has used that very well on grass and it’ll be challenging. I’m really looking forward to the match.”

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Also on Tuesday at Wimbledon, the 2011 champion at Miami and Marbella Victoria Azarenka of Belarus handily defeated the 2010 champ at Quebec City, Tamira Paszek, from Austria, 6-3, 6-1.

Victoria struck 30 winners (including 1 ace) with only 8 unforced errors (including 2 double faults) while scoring on 5 of the 9 break points she reached against Tamira and totaling 66 points in the match. Tamira hit 11 winners (2 aces), with 7 errors (1 DF) while converting her one break point opportunity against Victoria and scoring 41 points in the match. match stats

The win put Victoria into the first Grand Slam singles semifinal of her career. Victoria said: “Looking at the rankings, everybody says I should have been in the semifinals already. It was important I got through this match. I’m very happy to be in the semifinals, and I’m looking forward to working even harder.”

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And also on Tuesday at Wimbledon, this year’s champion at Madrid, 21-year-old 8th seeded #8 (career high: #8) Petra Kvitova from Fulnek, Czech Republic, defeated a 2010 Wimbledon semifinalist, 23 year old 32nd seeded #34 (career high: #32) Tsvetana Pironkova from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 6-3, 6(5)-7, 6-2.

Petra struck 54 winners (including 9 aces) with 24 unforced errors (including 5 double faults) while scoring on 6 of the 10 break points she reached against Tsvetana and totaling 104 points in the match. Tsvetana hit 10 winners (1 ace), with 18 errors (3 DFs) while converting 2 of her 3 break point opportunities against Petra and scoring 80 points in the match. match stats -Tennis.com “Racquet Reaction”

Petra said: “At the beginning I was better and played like my matches before, but then I got a little nervous. I made some easy mistakes. I was so happy I won the first game in the third set, that I broke her. It got better from there.”

Petra Kvitova will play Victoria Azarenka in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday. Vika and Petra are tied at 2-2 in career matches. Vika won their first two meetings, Petra won the last two. Their only prior meeting on a chlorophyll court was last year in the 3rd round at Wimbledon, when Petra defeated Victoria 7-5, 6-0.

Victoria said: ”It’s a completely different game from when we played here last year—it’s a totally different stage of the tournament. She’s in great form and she’s playing well, so I really have to play my best game and try my best.”

Women’s Quarter-Final Preview

Dominika Cibulkova (24) vs Maria Sharapova (5)

For the first time since 2006 Maria Sharapova is in a Wimbledon quarterfinal when there is no possibility of a facing a Williams sister in order to win the title. Her immediate challenge is to defeat a woman who is almost a full foot shorter but who has beaten her the one time they played in a major. Cibulkova embarrassed Sharapova 6-0 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open. Amazingly, all four of their career meetings have been on clay, and  the two are locked at 2-all, with the shorter player having won the last 2 matches, including one this year.

However, Sharapova is much more comfortable on grass than clay. Cibulkova is also coming off one of the best wins of her career by basically blasting the World #1 Caroline Wozniacki off the court with nearly 20 forehand winners in a 1-6 7-6(5) 7-5 victory. The match-up on paper looks like a clear win for Sharapova, but Cibulkova has beaten her before and believes in her game. The question will be if Sharapova believes in her game, especially her (second) serve.

PREDICTION: Sharapova in 3 sets

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Sabine Lisicki  vs. Marion Bartoli (9)

Sabine Lisicki had one of the most outstanding performances by a female tennis player this year when she saved 2 match points against #3 seed Li Na (the most successful player at the Grand Slam tournaments this year) to win 3-6 6-4 8-6 in the second round. Lisicki has yet to lose a match on grass this year, having won in Birmingham right before Wimbledon, but she had to write the All-England Lawn Tennis Club in order to get a wildcard to enter the tournament, which was granted. 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli  put on an incredible performance in the 4th round of Wimbledon to dismiss the 2-time defending champion Serena Williams by out-hitting and out-serving the 13-time major champion in two sets 6-3 7-6(6).

Bartoli had more aces (10 to 8) than Serena and in most of the rallies was hitting the ball harder and more aggressively. Serena did not play her best, true, but Bartoli won the match more than Serena lost it. Head-to-head Lisicki leads Bartoli 2-1 including a win over the Frenchwoman this year but Bartoli’s lone win was on grass at Wimbledon in 2008. Bartoli had 11 aces in the first 3 rounds and 10 in the fourth. I seriously doubt she can play as well two rounds in a row. The German wild-card is a real contender to win the entire tournament.

PREDICTION: Lisicki in 2 sets

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Tamira Paszek vs. Victoria Azarenka (4)

The highest remaining seed is the hard-hitting (and ear-splitting) Belarussian who has reached her 5th career grand Slam quarterfinal at this year’s Wimbledon but who has never reached a major semifinal. I expect that streak to end on Tuesday. Her opponent, Paszek had an impressive win over 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the 3rd round 3-6 6-4 11-9 after nearly four hours of play.

Paszek had been long touted as a player to watch about 3 or 4 years ago but injuries got in the way and the 20-year-old is the furthest she has reached in a major since her breakthrough debut year in 2007. Azarenka has the power and mentality to dismiss most players outside of the Top 10. Paszek is not an exception.

PREDICTION: Azarenka in 2 sets

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Petra Kvitova (8) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova (32)

Pironkova must be Bulgarian for “kryptonite” because there is no other explanation for why the greatest women’s grass court player of her generation would lose in two consecutive years to the same player, by the same exact score (6-2 6-3)! Last year Pironkova’s stunning win was one round later and she followed it by losing a hideous match against Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals.

The player in the other semifinal last year was Petra Kvitova who lost a high-quality affair to eventual champion Serena Williams. This year, Pironkova has to face the hard-hitting, fearless lefty who has the game to defeat anyone on the tour but didn’t quite believe in herself enough. This year she has the belief that she can do it, and she can.

PREDICTION: Kvitova in 2 sets