Wimbledon ladies’ quarter-finals: S Williams encounters Azarenka

WTA world number one Serena Williams has now gone odds-on at 4/5 with Coral to win the Wimbledon ladies’ singles title for the sixth time, and rack up 21 Grand Slam crowns in a storied career, after defeating older sister Venus in straight sets.

Serena is one of three American women through to the quarter-finals at the All-England Club, but her compatriots Coco Vandeweghe and Madison Keys have their work cut out for them.

While Williams faces familiar foe Victoria Azarenka, there are respective clashes with 6/1 tournament second-favourite Maria Sharapova (a Wimbledon winner in 2004) and former finalist Agnieszka Radwanska for Vandeweghe and Keys.

This year’s quarter-final draw at SW19 is completed by a battle between two clay court specialists in Garbine Muguruza and Timea Bacsinszky.

Serena Williams v Victoria Azarenka
Although Serena has not had it all her own way against Azarenka, none of the Belarusian’s three victories over Williams have come at Grand Slams. On the biggest stage, Serena holds a perfect nine wins, including two at Wimbledon.

Williams is thus firmly odds-on at 1/4 to eliminate Azarenka, and this price is bettered if you back her to win in straight sets as she did in SW19 in both 2009 and 2012 at 4/6.

Azarenka, an 11/4 match outsider, ended teenage Swiss sensation Belinda Bencic’s impressive run in the last 16, but this is a huge step up that Belarus’ best sporting export has previously always failed to make when it matters most.

It’s a first-ever meeting between fourth seed Sharapova and surprise US package Vandeweghe. The odds are on the side of experience, with the Russian 1/6 match favourite.