The men's tournament has been something of a disappointment so far at Wimbledon in 2019 as we have not really seen too many of the real epic matches that you come to expect at the Grand Slams.
While there have been some five setters, the four Semi Finalists have made serene progress through to the Semi Final, although the one positive is that we are now in a position to see three top matches on that side of the tournament.
Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer will take the headlines, and rightly so, but I also think the Novak Djokovic versus Roberto Bautista Agut match has some interest around it when you think how matches between those two have gone in 2019.
I will get back to the men's tennis in the thread for the Friday Semi Final matches, but this one is going to concentrate on the two Ladies Semi Finals which are being played on Thursday. The tournament feels like it is still wide open for all four players involved, but the experience and the comfort on the grass of Serena Williams makes it difficult to back against her.
Both Elina Svitolina and Simona Halep may feel they will not have a better chance of reaching the Final at SW19 than the opportunity in front of them and with Williams not looking completely at ease the winner of that Semi Final will head into the Final with some real belief.
Barbora Strycova has nothing to lose after contemplating retirement and overachieving to reach the Semi Final, but it will be interesting to see how she deals with a new exposure on what looks a very interesting Thursday on Centre Court.
The Tennis Picks went 6-2 in the Quarter Final Round and have improved the totals from the tournament which I have updated below.
You can also read my selections from the two women's Semi Finals being played on Thursday.
Elina Svitolina-Simona Halep over 21.5 games: When you look at the form that Elina Svitolina and Simona Halep have produced at Wimbledon over the last couple of weeks as well as the last few years on the grass then you can completely understand the position the layers have taken by making the Romanian the favourite.
She is a healthy favourite too and I do think Simona Halep has every chance to reach the Final here for the first time. This is already the best run Halep has put together at Wimbledon and she is a player that may only have one Grand Slam to her name, but who has been in multiple Semi Final and Finals at this level which should see her handle the pressure of the occasion.
The same can't be said for Elina Svitolina who has also seen Wimbledon as the worst of the four majors for her personally. With that in mind it is a huge surprise that the Ukrainian has finally made a Semi Final at a Grand Slam at SW19 and it will be interesting to see if that frees her up considering some of the collapses she has had late in the majors in the past.
One of the more memorable ones came at the French Open in 2017 when Svitolina was a set and 5-1 up against Simona Halep before collapsing to a three set defeat. That is always a fear around the Svitolina game that she will be overcome by nerves and produce a really low level of performance which can see opponent's take advantage and end up pulling away for a big win.
Since that Quarter Final loss, Elina Svitolina has been able to get the better of Halep. She had won three matches in a row against Halep before losing to her in three sets earlier this year on the hard courts of Doha, and Svitolina's numbers in those matches have seen her dominate the former World Number 1.
However in this tournament it is Simona Halep who looks to be playing at a higher level and I do think that will see her come through the match. I don't think it will be an easy match for her though and I do think the head to head is relevant enough to believe Svitolina will be competitive enough to help this Semi Final surpass the total games line.
The Elina Svitolina serve has not been in good form in the tournament and I do think Halep is going to have a lot of success there. However, the Ukrainian has been returning effectively and she has had enough joy facing the Halep serve to believe that both players will be capable of taking a set in this match. That should be enough to set them up for a potential cover of the total games line and even a tight two setter will give this selection every chance of being the right one.
Simona Halep is the better grass court player, but Elina Svitolina's confidence should be in a good place after finally breaking through the Quarter Final barrier at a Grand Slam. Hopefully this will be the first of two good Semi Final matches played on Thursday.
Serena Williams - 4.5 games v Barbora Strycova: A first Grand Slam Semi Final is a huge achievement for any player, but one that is 33 years old and contemplating retirement has to be given all the more credit. Barbora Strycova has become the oldest female player to reach a Grand Slam Semi Final and the Czech player feels she has nothing to lose in this match where she is a significant underdog.
It is a position she has enjoyed on her run to the Semi Final with upset wins over the likes of Elise Mertens and Johanna Konta and Strycova's slicing and dicing game could be one that troubles Serena Williams too. Much is going to depend on how well Strycova can serve and how quickly she can get to the net and force Serena Williams to find passing shots.
The game is a similar one to the Alison Riske blueprint which caused so many problems for Williams in the Quarter Final. Even then the American dug down deep to win the match in a deciding set and she is clearly very confident with Serena Williams admitting this is about as good as she has felt at any time on the Tour in 2019.
All of the pressure is on Williams who is trying to tie Margaret Court's twenty-four Grand Slams and as the clear favourite to win the title on Saturday afternoon. For the most part the serve has been working to keep Williams in front of opponents, but she will need to be much better on that side of her game on Thursday compared to where she was against Riske on Tuesday.
In the Quarter Final Williams only won 59% of points behind serve which is considerably down on the rest of the tournament. While Strycova has struggled on her return on the grass ahead of Wimbledon beginning, the Czech player has been in good form at the tournament and in their previous head to heads Strycova has been able to get into the Williams service games with some real success.
The problem for Strycova has been the fact that Williams has won more points on her serve than she has herself in each of their three previous matches. That last of those was back in January 2017 so may not be relevant to this match, but I do think Williams is someone who has the power to keep Strycova from closing the net if she is timing her returns.
Barbora Strycova has been serving very well through the five Rounds played at Wimbledon, but Williams has picked up her level on the return in the last two Rounds. That has to be a worry for the underdog who also has to make sure she can control her nerves and remember that all of the pressure is on the former World Number 1.
It might be the key reason that Serena Williams is able to win this match and I think she can be backed to cover this handicap mark. She would not have covered this line in her Australian Open win over Barbora Strycova in January 2017, but I do think Williams is returning well enough to find the breaks of serve to do that here.
I am expecting one of the sets to be very competitive, but I also think Serena Williams will be able to secure another with a wide margin between the two players. That may be enough to help the former World Number 1 reach yet another Wimbledon Final and also cover the handicap mark in this Semi Final.
MY PICKS: Elina Svitolina-Simona Halep Over 21.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Serena Williams - 4.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Wimbledon Update: 53-38, + 22.94 Units (182 Units Staked, + 12.60% Yield)
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