Simona Halep, a champion in 2019, is one win away from reaching her second consecutive Wimbledon final. Standing in her way is Elena Rybakina – a first-time grand slam semifinalist.
Will Halep overcome Rybakina and come through on her favorable odds? Will Rybakina serve up the huge upset and reach another milestone at the All England Club?
Read on as we preview this semifinal matchup between Halep and Rybakina, set to get underway on Thursday, July 7. We’ll bring you the latest Tennis news, stats, injury reports, and Tennis odds for this fascinating women’s showdown. Tennis Picks and predictions for you to consider.
Wimbledon Women’s Outrights
- Simona Halep +100
- Ons Jabeur +120
- Elena Rybakina +600
- Tatjana Maria +3300
Halep Racing To Victory?
Halep was unable to defend her title in 2020 because the Championships were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, a string of injuries sidelined the Romanian.
Now, in her first appearance since stunning Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the final three years ago, Halep is on the cusp of her second straight Wimbledon final. What’s more, the 30-year-old Romanian has emerged as the player to beat at +100.
Halep is the only grand slam champion still standing in the draw and she’s the only player to have reached multiple semifinals. The other three semifinalists are all first-timers. That fact gives Halep this distinct edge in the betting online markets.
Halep has coasted under the radar, until now. She’s through to the final four without dropping a set and playing some scintillating tennis. She was efficient in her win over fourth seed Paula Badosa, dismissing the Spaniard 6-1, 6-2.
She was equally efficient with her quarterfinal win over American rising star, Amanda Anisimova, 6-2, 6-4 in Wednesday’s round of tennis betting action.
Just a joy to be in the semifinals of Wimbledon! I embrace it. 💚 pic.twitter.com/YIFzM2F1ir
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) July 6, 2022
Rybakina’s Cakewalk To The Semis
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina fell into one of the most favorite sections of the draw and capitalized on it.
It’s not a player’s fault where they fall on the draw. One has to play the players that are before them. However, it doesn’t hurt when the matchups are favorable on paper or when the draw opens up even more.
Rybakina has avoided a seeded player in the first five matches of the tournament. She opened her tournament against lucky loser Coco Vandeweghe. Then, she saw off former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the second round and Qinwen Zheng in the third round.
The last two rounds pit the Kazakhstani against Petra Martic and Ajla Tomjlanovic. Rybakina got off to a nervy start in her quarterfinal match against Tomljanovic. She dropped the first set 4-6 but regrouped admirably to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-3.
A very nice result from Elena Rybakina 👍
She’s into the Wimbledon semifinals! pic.twitter.com/rA3eMbwalL
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) July 6, 2022
Halep vs Rybakina Head-to-Head
Halep and Rybakina have played three times with the Romanian holding the 2-1 head-to-head edge. Halep beat Rybakina at the 2021 US Open R32 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3. She also beat Rybakina in the 2020 Dubai Open final, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Rybakina’s sole win came in 2019 Wuhan, although it was through retirement when Halep bowed out of the match after losing the first set 4-6.
Halep vs Rybakina Betting Verdict
Past trends point to a competitive matchup, in this fascinating Wimbledon semifinal. Certainly, if Rybakina can play at a high level, she can take it to the Romanian.
That said, Halep is on a tear at the All England Club. She’s 5-0 in wins and 10-0 in sets. She’s on and off the court in record time (or so it seems) and in her last three matches, she’s dropped no more than six games per match.
If Halep taps into that otherworldly level, Rybakina will be hardpressed to make an impression, let alone win this match. Add to that the enormity of the occasion for Rybakina, and one has to like the experienced Halep.
