The quarter finals of Wimbledon come to a close on Wednesday when the other half of the draw is played out on the two show courts. That means that by the end of play we will know the identity of the semi-finalists.
We saw two huge shocks in the women’s draw on Tuesday so the two favourites will be on guard on Wednesday. Things have been more straightforward in the men’s draw but the big names will need to maintain focus.
Centre Court
Ons Jabeur vs Elena Rybakina
The opening match of what looks like a brilliant schedule on Centre Court on Wednesday is a repeat of the 2022 final as Ons Jabeur takes on the woman who denied her in dramatic fashion last year in Elena Rybakina.
This has been an interesting campaign for Rybakina. She looked a little off colour in her opening win over Shelby Rogers but having been battling with a virus for a month prior to that we probably should cut her some slack. Since then she has gone from strength to strength and as long as she hasn’t lost her rhythm having only played five games since Saturday she is going to be tough to beat. Jabeur was making her was through the draw serenely enough but then she announced herself as a major player against when she took Petra Kvitova to the cleaners in the last round, surrendering just three games in an emphatic success. This is a wonderful clash in styles with the variety of Jabeur up against the clean striking of Rybakina. The Kazakh has established herself as a big match player and I’d side with her but Jabeur deserves respect so this is one for me to watch rather than invest in.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Holger Rune
When the women are done two of the most exciting youngsters the game has seen will step out onto Centre Court when the number one seed Carlos Alcaraz takes on the Danish star Holger Rune for a spot in a first Wimbledon semi-final.
Alcaraz has looked pretty good throughout this tournament. Sometimes he has needed a period of play to work things out but when he has got into his groove he has proven to be hard to beat. Rune has been involved in a couple of cracking matches in this event so far and it would be a surprise if he doesn’t treat us to another one here. I’m a little surprised that you can get a backable price on over 36.5 games in this one. I don’t see these two playing out a boring straight sets match so with four sets we are able to get home with just one break of serve per set and we cruise home if a set goes the distance. Alcaraz doesn’t look quite as confident on grass as the other two surfaces while Rune looks to be getting better on it the more he plays on it. I like the over here.
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Court 1
Madison Keys vs Aryna Sabalenka
The women’s match on Court 1 sees the Eastbourne champion Madison Keys, who has largely gone unnoticed in the tournament to date, going up against the Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka, who is three wins away from a second Grand Slam of the year.
Keys has always had the potential to be a leading player on grass. Her big serve and heavy forehand should suit this surface perfectly but inconsistency has cost her dearly. She has found some of that over the last month and after rescuing a dour looking position in the previous round she might feel she can free up and go on the offensive here. Sabalenka has looked very ominous in this tournament it has to be said. She also has a game that should grass nicely and it wouldn’t be a surprise if she is hoisting the trophy aloft on Saturday. Keys has won the only previous grass encounter between these two and that might end up being significant but with the exception of a blip in the second round, Sabalenka has looked very good here and I would just give her the edge, although not enough of one to invest in the contest.
Daniil Medvedev vs Christopher Eubanks
The men’s match on Court 1 sees the number three seed Daniil Medvedev looking to make it through to a first Wimbledon semi-final when he takes on the surprise package and good story of the week in Christopher Eubanks.
Eubanks is riding the crest of a wave at the minute having won in Mallorca in the lead up to the event before winning four matches here, two of which were against top 15 players in Cameron Norrie and Stefanos Tsitsipas. This will be his toughest assignment because Medvedev is smart and has plenty of firepower to go at him with. This has been a smooth tournament for the Russian so far. Only Marton Fucsovics has taken a set off Medvedev this week and the former US Open champion had the luxury of an early day on Monday when his opponent pulled out after a couple of sets. Eubanks showed the good and the indifferent about his game in the win over Tsitsipas and then came out with a quote that he isn’t looking to play well for a whole match but just at the key moments. He’ll certainly need to do that here but I hate taking servers against Medvedev because he stands so far back that he neutralises a lot of them. Eubanks could volley his way to being competitive but he didn’t impress in that department against Tsitsipas. You would think sets would be close with both dominating on serve but there is just that hunch that Medvedev will tame the Eubanks delivery so I’m happy to leave this one alone too.
Tips
Back C.Alcaraz vs H.Rune – Over 36.5 games for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Betway
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