Wimbledon 2018 Ladies Final Preview – Serena Williams v Angelique Kerber
Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber will contest the ladies Wimbledon Final on Saturday, in a repeat of the 2016 showpiece which saw Serena triumph in straight sets. Will it be a case of “Repeat” for the seven-time Wimbledon Champion or “Revenge” and a first Championship on the grass of SW19 for the German former world number one?
Williams, in just her fourth tournament since returning to the WTA circuit after the birth of her child, has been in remarkable form when you consider she has been away from the game for 16-months, just 10-months since she gave birth!
Her path to the final has at times appeared too easy, despite not always being on top of her game, then Serena at 80% has always been enough, the quarterfinal clash with Camila Giorgi, her only scare after losing the first set.
This provided the perfect wakeup call as she breezed past Julia Goerges in the semifinal in just one hour and ten minutes and into her 10th singles final.
Her game has been solid throughout the last two weeks with her serve being a really strong point, that said she has yet to face an opponent of the caliber of Kerber during the tournament.
Serena Williams vs Julia Goerges SF Highlights
The German has been pretty exceptional herself during this campaign and appears to be returning to the sort of form we saw in 2016, which saw her win the Australian Open, Stuttgart and the US Open. During the season she also reached an additional five finals only to fall at the last hurdle.
Her exceptional season saw her being elevated to the top of the rankings, and also saw her defeat Williams in the final of the Aussie Open.
However, revenge was sweet for the American as later in the year she turned the tables on her opponent in that 2016 Wimbledon final.
Williams has a 6-2 winning record against Kerber, but in Slam finals it is one-a-piece.
The American will be looking to cap a remarkable comeback, with victory not only giving her an 8th Wimbledon title but will also draw her level with Margaret Court’s record of 24 slams in a career.
Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko SF Highlights
SPORTSvox.com Predictions
Williams of course starts as favourite, and like so many big matches before, they are generally hers to lose and not the opponents to win. The best chance the German has is if she makes few unforced errors, mixes up the pace of her shots and moves Williams around the court as much as she can.
Tough to see anything other than a Serena Williams win as she continues to make her own piece of history as the greatest player the women’s game has ever seen.
