Wimbledon 2016 ladies’ singles semis: Kerber could thwart a Williams sisters final

All-time great Serena has won all four of her previous encounters with Vesnina in straight sets, so there is more to like about the 4/11 on offer for a 2-0 win than an overwhelming odds-on outright price of 1/12.

Vesnina was 50th in the WTA world rankings before Wimbledon got underway, but she is set to halve that and be up to 25 on the ladies’ tour. That should be enough to see her seeded for the next Grand Slam, the US Open, but the Russian is a massive 7/1 match outsider to slay Serena.

Williams has come out the blocks a little bit slowly in some matches she’s played in SW19 these past 10 days, so a first set scoreline of 6-3 (4/1) or 6-4 (5/1) could well be on the cards.

The former has been the result of the opener in two of Serena’s last three victories over Vesnina, while both sets finished with the latter scoreline in Williams’ previous Wimbledon battle with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Angelique Kerber v Venus Williams

Kerber’s clay court campaign continues to look like a blip, given how awesome she was in Melbourne earlier this season and she has rediscovered that rich vein of form for the grass Grand Slam, defeating dangerous fifth seed Simona Halep.

Meeting Venus five times before and winning all three meetings in 2012 across as many different surfaces, including the London Olympics tournament that was played at the All England Club, ladies’ fourth seed Kerber is odds-on 2/5 favourite for victory.

It’s not just the Aussie Open winner who is enjoying a renaissance at Wimbledon, though. Venus is 36, and sent plenty of younger legs packing en route to the last four.

At a tempting 2/1 to reach the final, the elder Williams sister is not without merit. If punters aren’t sure who to back, then there is value in taking over 2.5 sets during that match at 11/8 with the last three meetings all going to a decider.

When previously paired on grass, Kerber needed tiebreaks to defeat Venus, and the 12/5 on offer for their latest encounter to include one of these also appeals.

Siding with Kerber to come through in three sets is an awesome 11/4, and for all her experience you have to wonder just how much is left in Williams’ tank?

Related

You’ll find full coverage of both the Wimbledon men’s and ladies’ singles throughout the championships on the tennis page.

Coral’s top tip: An attractive 11/8 on Kerber v Venus Williams going over 2.5 sets is our recommended best bet.