WTA Wimbledon second-round play begins on Wednesday. The top players advanced out of the first round, setting the stage for a second round featuring all the familiar big names. Will this be a tournament in which the high seeds make it to the quarterfinals and semifinals, or will we see something like Roland-Garros, in which a lot of surprises and unexpected matchups emerged in the second week of the tournament? This second round might show what kind of path this event will take. Are we going to get stability and dependability, or will we see the kind of chaos that emerged in Paris four weeks ago? LWOS has our best bet for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Wimbledon
Muchova – Zhang: 8:00 EST
H2H: 3-0
Karolina Muchova moved easily through her WTA Wimbledon first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova. It was a good start for a talented player who has made some good runs at major tournaments in the past but has struggled to stay healthy. Muchova will want to win matches quickly so that she isn’t on the court very long and can reduce her exposure to potential future injuries. Her opponent, Shuai Zhang, defeated former major champion Bianca Andreescu in the first round. How much does that win over Andreescu mean for Zhang? We are about to find out in this match.
Best Bet to Make
The WTA Wimbledon betting situation seems fairly clear here. Muchova is a better and higher-ranked player than Zhang. She won her first-round match easily, which should put her in a good position to play well here. Muchova is 6-1 in seven grass matches this year. Zhang is 5-3 in eight grass matches, which is good, but not as good as her opponent. Also, Zhang beating Andreescu doesn’t mean what it would have meant several years ago, when Andreescu was a much better player and a bigger threat at important tournaments. Andreescu was making her return to the main draw of Wimbledon after two years away from the main draws of major tournaments. So, that win doesn’t seem to have as much value as it could have had in a different set of circumstances. Muchova in straight sets doesn’t offer a high price, so Muchova on the game spread is the play here. Minus 5.5 games offers a strong price.
That being said, betting on Muchova -5.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Muchova -5.5 games @1.97 @1xbet
Sabalenka – Kessler: Time 8:00 EST
H2H: 1-0
Aryna Sabalenka moved smoothly through her first-round WTA Wimbledon match against Teodora Kostovic. She didn’t play a flawless match, but she won without much of any trouble, 6-2, 6-3. Her serve wobbled just enough to get broken, which enabled Kostovic to cover the 7.5-game spread. Tennis bettors will be interested in seeing if Sabalenka can win this match by a large margin. If she does, she might increase confidence among a lot of tennis bettors that she should be the favorite for Wimbledon after struggling a lot in the clay season. McCartney Kessler did something special in the WTA Wimbledon first round against Oleksandra Oliynykova. She won a double bagel: 6-0, 6-0. It was a virtually perfect performance. Now we get to see if it carries over into the second round.
Best Bet to Make
The fact that Kessler just won a 6-0, 6-0 match will get people’s attention. However, Oliynykova is not a great player overall and definitely not on grass. She looked overwhelmed against Kessler. How much meaning should we give to that result? Probably not too much. However, Sabalenka in straight sets doesn’t offer enough of a price for that to be our standalone best bet. You can put that into a parlay, and you can also put Kessler plus 6.5 games into a parlay at 1.52. Our best bet, however, is Sabalenka minus 5.5 games. She looked solid enough in the first round to suggest she can win a 6-3, 6-3 match and cash a ticket.
That being said, betting on Sabalenka -5.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Sabalenka -5.5 games @1.90 @10bet
Siniakova – Bartunkova: Time 9:00 EST
H2H: 0-1
This is a really fascinating WTA Wimbledon betting scenario. Katerina Siniakova beat Qinwen Zheng in the first round. She is ranked just inside the top 40. Nikola Bartunkova scored a very tough three-set win over Peyton Stearns in her first-round Wimbledon match and is ranked just inside the top 50, not too far behind Siniakova. While Siniakova is more experienced on tour, Bartunkova is viewed as a young rising star. She almost beat Aryna Sabalenka on grass a few weeks ago in Berlin but blew a big lead and lost the match. She won the first set against Stearns but then lost the second set and nearly lost that match as well. She did rebound, however, to win, and that show of guts might give her extra confidence for this match. Siniakova is a solid betting market favorite to win here. Should she be?
Best Bet to Make
The betting strategy here is layered for this WTA Wimbledon second-rounder. Siniakova moneyline is 1.56. Bartunkova plus 1.5 sets is 1.66. You could fold either or both into a parlay, but at those prices, you aren’t getting maximum value. Bartunkova moneyline is worth considering, since she has talent and has a playing style which is good for grass. Siniakova is probably a bigger favorite than she should be, so any bet on Bartunkova is offering value. However, our ultimate play is over 2.5 sets, because this feels like a fairly even matchup in which each player will do some things well but won’t completely dominate. Siniakova is smarter and might win a set for that reason. Bartunkova hits bigger and might win a set for that reason. Over 2.5 sets means you don’t need either player to dominate. Just the opposite. The situation fits the bet here.
That being said, betting on over 2.5 sets is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: over 2.5 sets @2.48 @unibet
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
