Bouchard and Kvitova clash for Wimbledon ladies’ crown

Sixth seed Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion, is odds-on with Coral at 4/6 to beat Grand Slam final debutant Eugenie Bouchard, because the Czech has gone the distance before and won her only previous meeting with the Canadian.

That was on a hard surface at the Toronto Masters in 2013, and Kvitova took it in straight sets. It’s 13/8 she takes a second SW19 title 2-0. Venus Williams apart, it’s been simple progress for the Czech, but Bouchard has reached the final without dropping a set, and it’s 5/2 that she keeps that up.

It is the Canadian that had the harder route to get there too. Bouchard, 6/5 to take a maiden Grand Slam crown, knocked two of the top ten seeds (and highest WTA ranked players) out to set up this clash. Kvitova, meanwhile, has hardly been tested, as she is yet to face any lady deemed to be among the best 20 in the world.

Bouchard, the 13th seed, will be a tough nut for the Czech to crack. Punters should not rule out a tie-break being needed to decide the opening set at 9/2. Kvitova is 9/1 to edge her opponent 7-6. Bouchard is 10/1.

Winning the first set is so crucial, as each of the last seven ladies’ champions took this. Bouchard has definitely built on her run to the semis of the French Open last month at Wimbledon, and took full advantage of the ankle injury suffered by Simona Halep to seal her spot in this final.

“I am really excited,” Bouchard said. “It is my first Grand Slam final and I will just go for it. I would never say I was surprised because I have put in a lot of hard work in and it has been a long time in the making. I am always wanting to better myself and I am focused.”