Barbora Strycova is playing the best tennis of her career as the 33-year-old Czech pro prepares to face Serena Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday. The match begins around 10 a.m. ET from Centre Court at the All England Club in London. Strycova, who recently spoke of contemplating retirement, has dropped just one set en route to her first Grand Slam semifinal. And while she has not beaten Williams in three previous tries, Strycova came closest in their last matchup, falling 7-5, 6-4 in the Round of 16 at the 2017 Australian Open. That was the last major title Williams won, and she's now two wins away from securing her 24th Grand Slam crown. Sportsbooks list Williams as a -390 favorite (risk $390 to win $100) in the latest Williams vs. Strycova odds, with the latter getting +310 (risk $100 to win $310) as the underdog. Williams is favored by 4.5 on the game spread, and she's a -140 favorite to win in straight sets, among many other Wimbledon 2019 wagering options. Before you make any Williams vs. Strycova picks and 2019 Wimbledon predictions, see what red-hot British tennis expert Gavin Mair has to say.

Mair is the expert who called Naomi Osaka winning the 2018 U.S. Open championship at 32-1, and over the past two years, he's up an astounding 213 units on his picks to win tournaments and quarters. That means if you had simply placed $100 on each of those picks, you'd be up $21,300.

Before Wimbledon 2019, Mair told SportsLine readers to fade world No. 1 and pre-tournament favorite Ashleigh Barty despite her dominant form. The result: Barty was sent packing in the fourth round, eliminated by the world's 55th-ranked player.

Now Mair has dialed in on Williams vs. Strycova and locked in three best bets. Not only is he picking the winner, he's also betting on how many sets it lasts and how many games the first set will take. He's sharing it all only at SportsLine.

Mair knows Williams' troublesome knee has been pain-free for three weeks and the 37-year-old American showed in her rousing quarterfinal win that she can extend herself if needed. Williams is serving at speeds of up to 121 mph and has recorded a whopping 41 aces, tops in the 2019 Wimbledon women's bracket. 

Thursday will mark Williams' 12th Wimbledon semifinal. Last year, she lost in the final to Angelique Kerber, but she's in much better shape now, nearly two years removed from giving birth. Strycova, despite her recent surge, is still just the world's 54th-ranked player.

But just because Williams is a Wimbledon legend doesn't mean the American will roll over her Czech opponent.

Strycova has beaten four seeded players in her fairy tale Wimbledon run, and her composure in the quarterfinals was remarkable. Down 4-1 to hometown favorite Konta, Strycova rallied to win the first set in a tiebreak, then cruised 6-1 in the second set. Strycova also made the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2014, so she's very comfortable playing on grass.

"Her main assets on the grass are her ability to add spins and net play from the back of the court," Mair told SportsLine.

Mair is confident he has the Williams vs. Strycova winner, and he has three best bets on this must-see match. As a bonus, Mair is including two best bets for the other women's semifinal: Simona Halep vs. Elina Svitolina. You can only see his in-depth analysis and picks at SportsLine.

Who wins Strycova vs. Williams? How many sets does it go? And how many games will be played in the first set? Visit SportsLine now to see Gavin Mair's strong Wimbledon semifinal picks, all from the acclaimed expert who correctly predicted world No. 1 and pre-Wimbledon favorite Ash Barty would be eliminated early.