Wimbledon ladies’ singles round one: Kvitova begins defence

Only WTA world number one Serena Williams is more fancied as a Wimbledon betting tip to take the ladies’ singles title than defending champion Petra Kvitova, who is 4/1 with Coral for a third Grand Slam triumph at the All-England Club.

The number two seed and tournament second-favourite starts her bid to retain the famous shield against Kiki Bertens, and Czech Republic player Kvitova encounters the Dutchwoman for the first time here in SW19.

Heavily odds-on at 1/9 to come through her Wimbledon opener, Kvitova clashes with an opponent that has never bettered the second round at the grass Grand Slam. Bertens is thus a massive 5/1 outsider.

Kvitova is better at 4/11 to beat Bertens in straight sets, and this looks likely given four or her last five opening contests here have been wrapped up without dropping a set.

Also scheduled to be in action on Tuesday are third and fifth seeds Simona Halep (20/1 chance for the title) and Caroline Wozniacki (33/1).

Romania’s Halep handles Jana Cepelova, and has nothing to fear from this Eastern Europe encounter as she smashed the Slovakian in straight sets at the US Open last year.

Handy Halep dropped just three games to Cepelova as Flushing Meadows, so to better her overwhelming odds-on 1/20 match price, take 1/6 on another victory without losing a set.

Denmark’s Wozniacki, meanwhile, faces a first-time clash with Saisai Zheng of China, but retired during the AEGON International semi-finals at Eastbourne. Was she saving herself for Wimbledon or does that indicate some injury?