Donna Vekic vs. Jasmine Paolini Odds
Moneyline: Paolini -185, Vekic +145

Spread: Paolini -2.5 Games (-125), Vekic +2.5 Games (+100)

Total: Over 22.5 Games (+100), Under 22.5 Games (-125)

Paolini is having a dream season in 2024. The Italian is now a top-10 player in the world and is knocking on the door of making back-to-back Grand Slam finals. If somebody told you this would happen a year ago, you’d think they were absolutely insane. But that’s especially true of this run at Wimbledon. Paolini had never won a main draw match at Wimbledon before this year, and she really hadn’t played much on grass. Now, Paolini has rattled off five wins in a row on this surface. She is also 7-1 on grass on the year, and she boasts wins over Katie Boulter, Bianca Andreescu, Madison Keys and Emma Navarro. It might seem a little weird that Paolini’s game has translated so nicely to this surface, but the reality is that her elite brand of defense is an asset anywhere. And she’s a little more than just a counter-puncher, as she can rip shots from the forehand side and is also good at the net. However, Vekic is a tremendous grass-court player herself, so I don’t see this being easy for for Paolini.

Vekic hasn’t had much success at Wimbledon in her career, but she is one of the more proven WTA players on this surface. In fact, Vekic went to a grass-court final in Berlin in 2023, losing to Petra Kvitova in a competitive two-set match. She also was in the finals of Bad Homburg just a few weeks ago, where she was unable to defeat Diana Shnaider in a three-set battle. Vekic is just a rock-solid server and hits some clean shots from the baseline, where she hits flat balls with a lot of depth. Also, like Paolini, Vekic is a good player at the net.

All in all, this should be a very good tennis match, even if it might look like one that Paolini should win. So, my favorite play here would be to back Vekic to win a set. I know Paolini has turned in some stellar performances this year, but it would take absolute perfection for her to roll Vekic on her best surface. Honestly, I think the Croatian is a live ‘dog here, but I’m a little scared of going against Paolini again. She has burned me all season long.

Bet: Vekic +1.5 Sets (-175)

Barbora Krejcikova vs. Elena Rybakina Odds
Moneyline: Rybakina -475, Krejcikova +350

Spread: Rybakina -4.5 Games (-110), Krejcikova +4.5 Games (-110)

Total: Over 21.5 Games (-110), Under 21.5 Games (-115)

Barbora Krejcikova vs. Elena Rybakina Predictions
While the game spread is definitely an option in this semi-final showdown, I’d rather plus-money odds on Krejcikova to win a set. These two have not met since 2022, but Krejcikova is actually 2-0 against Rybakina in two career meetings. Both of those matches were played in fast conditions, too. The first of the two meetings came on a hard court in Australia, but that was in a match that featured a 10-point tiebreaker instead of a third set. So, I wouldn’t blame anybody for wanting to throw that out. However, the most recent of the two matches was in August of 2022, when Krejcikova earned a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 win on indoor hard courts in Ostrava. Krejcikova handled the Rybakina serve rather well there, and I just don’t see any reason she won’t be able to do the same in London.

Rybakina is undoubtedly coming off a masterful serving performance against Elina Svitolina. After Svitolina scored an early break in the first set, Rybakina locked in and was pretty much untouchable with the ball on her racquet the rest of the way. She just calmly stepped to the line and hit her spots, and Svitolina wasn’t able to get anything back. But I’m just not sure Rybakina will be able to repeat that performance again. And if she does come out and play an A+ match, I’m not sure she’ll be able to do it in two quick sets. Krejcikova has been doing a good job of getting returns back in the court, and I think she’ll frustrate Rybakina a little with her returning ability. Long rallies should also favor the Czech, who has all the variety in the world and a great feel for constructing points.

All in all, it’s just a little hard to imagine Rybakina wiping the floor with somebody that has beaten her twice. Krejcikova also knows exactly how to win matches at this stage in a tournament. She might have the same amount of majors as Rybakina in singles, but she has won seven Grand Slam titles in doubles. Krejcikova will also be playing with absolutely no expectations, so she should be able to come out and be free here. Meanwhile, Rybakina is a player that everybody is expecting to win now, and there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that. Perhaps that will lead to a tight set before she settles her nerves. If it does, Krejcikova will pounce.

Bet: Krejcikova +1.5 Sets (+125)