British hopes at Wimbledon 2014 may have sunk with Andy Murray’s straight sets defeat to Grigor Dimitrov but not those of Betcirca followers! Having tipped the Bulgarian at 20-1, we are now just one match away from a 10-1 pay-out just for reaching the final.
Before getting too excited, Dimitrov’s next opponent is none other than Novak Djokovic. The Serb will probably spoil the party but Dimitrov was so dominant against Murray that he must have a realistic chance of going all the way to the final.
Seven-time winner Roger Federer will be delighted that he is playing Milos Raonic rather than Rafael Nadal, although the Canadian will give him a tough test. The odds are that it will be Djokovic and Federer in the final but Dimitrov will certainly do his best to avoid that scenario. Should he win, it could even be “The Young Federer” against the master himself. Djokovic is a shade of odds-on to win the tournament and 1-4 to beat Dimitrov so not a lot of room for hedging our bets.
We are also well placed in the Ladies with Simona Halep, one of our two pre-tournament picks at 18-1, now a best priced 9-4. Halep was more famous for her controversial breast reduction than her tennis prior to 2013 but has surged into the top ten and was a finalist in Paris. There is no Maria Sharapova to stand in her way this time and I am confident that she can beat Eugenie Bouchard in her semi-final.
Halep knocked out our other each-way selection Sabine Lisicki, thumping her 6-0 in the second set to end our 25-1 hopes. The danger is Petra Kvitova who has been impressive in reaching this stage. She won here in 2011 and was seeded 6 this year but has moved through relatively untroubled.
Her semi-final opponent is her compatriot Lucie Safarova but Kvitova has a great record against her, winning their last five meetings. Kvitova looks nap material for the final and she is still available at 7-4 to win the tournament. That is sufficient to give us a bit of insurance so a saver is advised at that price.
*Ante-Post
Grigor Dimitrov at 20-1*
Sabine Lisicki at 25-1*
Simona Halep at 18-1*
Each-way ½ odds, 1,2
WIN Petra Kvitova at 7-4 Paddy Power, Ladbrokes
