Wimbledon: Krejcikova favored in unlikely final vs. Paolini

 

[July 13, 2024]  The 2024 Wimbledon ladies' final will be played on the grass of the All England Club, but it will have a distinctly French Open flair.

The finals pit a pair of 28-year-olds best known for their exploits at Roland Garros, where No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini reached the finals last month and No. 31 seed Barbora Krejcikova won in 2021. Both emerged victorious from thrilling three-set semifinals on Thursday, and one will walk away with their first Wimbledon title on Saturday.

Paolini, who had never won a main-draw match in three previous appearances, is the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon finals.

It has been an astonishing rise for Paolini, who entered the year 4-16 in her career in Grand Slam matches but is now 15-2 in 2024.

While seeded lower, Krejcikova has a far more impressive resume on big stages. In addition to her 2021 title at Roland Garros, the Czech star reeled off victories over the top three players in the world en route to winning at Dubai last year.

Krejcikova, who has reached as high as No. 2 in the world, has won six of her past nine finals appearances.

ODDS & TRENDS

With one Grand Slam title on her resume -- albeit three years ago and on a different surface -- Krejcikova opened as the -150 favorite at BetMGM. Those odds have been trimmed a bit to -135, with Paolini backed by 66 percent of the bets and 65 percent of the handle as her odds have shifted from +125 to +115.

It has been an incredible run already for both players. Krejcikova began the tournament as a +12500 longshot while Paolini opened at +6600. The fourth-round exit by Coco Gauff was a big win for the book, where the American has been the biggest liability with 18.3 percent of the money backing her to win the title.

KEY STAT

Paolini is the first player in the 50-year history of the WTA rankings system to reach the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon after beginning the year ranked outside of the top five. The last player to reach the finals of both majors in the same year was Serena Williams in 2016.

THEY SAID IT

Paolini: "I'm trying just to focus on what I have to do on court, just enjoying what I'm doing because I love playing tennis. It's amazing to be here. ... It's a dream, you know."

Krejcikova: "I never thought I'd be playing for the Wimbledon title. A couple of years ago I was working with (the late) Jana Novotna, she won here in 1998, she was telling me about her journeys here.

"I was so far (away) when we had this talk and now I'm here and, wow, I'm in the final. I have so many beautiful memories. When I step on the court here, I'm just fighting for every single ball because that's what I think (Novotna) would want me to do."

RANKINGS IMPACT

Krejcikova is assured of rising into the top 20 in the rankings, and would return to the top 10 with a title. Paolini is already guaranteed to rise to at least No. 3 behind No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 2 Elena Rybakina, and she would pass Rybakina with a victory on Saturday.

HOW TO WATCH

The women's final is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET on Saturday.

--Field Level Media

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