This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
The Wimbledon women's final will take place Saturday. We will have a first-time Wimbledon champion for the seventh consecutive running of the event, as the two finalists had never even been to the quarterfinals on the grass courts of the All England Club prior to this year. Both players have been to a Grand Slam final before, though, as Barbora Krejcikova won the 2021 French Open and Jasmine Paolini reached the French Open final just last month.
All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
All women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous grass court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities for the Wimbledon ladies' singles championship match.
Wimbledon Odds: Krejcikova vs. Paolini
Barbora Krejcikova (-145) vs. Jasmine Paolini (+115)
Most of the attention heading into the semifinals was on Elena Rybakina's bid to become the first multiple-time Wimbledon women's champion since Serena Williams in 2016, but instead we got Krejcikova's 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 upset win over Rybakina, as well as Paolini doing her best 2016 Serena impression by becoming the first woman since Williams to reach the final of both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Paolini didn't handle the moment well in her first Grand Slam final, falling 6-1, 6-2 to queen of clay Iga Swiatek at the French Open last month. Paolini has pulled off two improbable comebacks on her way to a second consecutive Grand Slam final, benefiting from Madison Keys getting injured while serving for the match against Paolini at 5-2 in the third set of their Round of 16 match, then outlasting Donna Vekic in a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) semifinal thriller. Both of the players who gave Paolini trouble were able to push the 5-foot-4 Italian around with tremendous power off the serve and groundstrokes.
Krejcikova doesn't have the raw power of Keys or Vekic, but she's an expert tactician who can dial up the power when necessary but also wins matches with variety. Krejcikova's extensive Grand Slam success in doubles has primed her for the biggest moments in singles. She has been past the quarterfinals in singles in only two Grand Slam events, but Krejcikova has won both semifinals and is looking to become a perfect 2-0 in Grand Slam finals as well by adding this Wimbledon title to her 2021 French Open triumph. Paolini is the far superior mover, so Krejcikova will try to get on the front foot early by dictating with her serve and attacking Paolini's vulnerable second serve. There isn't much to be gleaned from their head-to-head, as their only previous encounter came over six years ago on a hard court, but for what it's worth, Krejcikova won that much lower-stakes match 6-2, 6-1.
In a tournament that has been filled with upsets, it would only be fitting for the underdog to prevail in the final. Paolini is ranked 24 spots ahead of Krejcikova at No. 7, and the feeling of playing a Grand Slam final is still fresh in Paolini's mind from the French Open last month, so it's surprising that the surging Italian is actually considered the underdog here. Krejcikova handled the moment much better in her only previous Grand Slam final, but that was over three years ago. The contrast in styles between these fiery competitors should be fun to watch, and if Thursday's pair of semifinal thrillers were any indication, this year's Wimbledon women's final could well make up for its lack of star power with the compelling drama of a match that comes down to the wire.
Wimbledon prediction: Paolini def. Krejcikova 6-4, 6-7, 6-4
