Players who have had little trouble to this point meet in the 2021 Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday when No. 1 ranked Ashleigh Barty faces 28th-ranked Angelique Kerber in London. Barty's toughest match of the tournament was in the first round when it took her three sets to defeat Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-1. Since then, Barty has won in straight sets, including a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia in the quarterfinals. Kerber has had similar success, despite some troubles in the second and third rounds where she needed three sets to get the win.
William Hill Sportsbook lists Barty as the -225 favorite (risk $225 to win $100) on the money line, while Kerber is a +175 underdog in the latest Barty vs. Kerber odds. Other 2021 Wimbledon odds of note for this matchup include the game total being set at 21.5 and Barty listed at -3.5 for game handicap betting. Before making any Barty vs. Kerber picks, you need to see the Wimbledon 2021 predictions from SportsLine's tennis expert Gavin Mair.
A renowned women's tennis handicapper, he cashed in huge at the 2020 French Open. Mair picked Iga Swiatek to win (-163) and win in straight sets (+140), and he was right on both counts.
He also called unseeded Jelena Ostapenko (80-1) winning the 2017 French Open, Naomi Osaka (32-1) winning the 2018 U.S. Open and Bianca Andreescu (20-1) winning the 2019 U.S. Open.
Now, Mair has broken down the latest Wimbledon 2021 semifinals odds and released his coveted best bets for Kerber vs. Barty. He's sharing all of his picks and Wimbledon predictions at SportsLine.
Ashleigh Barty vs. Angelique Kerber preview
Mair has been impressed with how focused each player has been. Barty has been able to sharpen her skills over the past couple of years and she is seeing positive results. Since the start of 2019, Barty has played in seven Grand Slam events, reaching the fourth round or later in all but one of those tournaments. The only exception was this year's French Open, where she bowed out in the second round.
In her two previous Grand Slam events -- the 2020 and 2021 Australian Open, she reached the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively. Barty has developed a powerful forehand, which creates sharp angles on cross-court shots. She has also grown to enjoy playing on grass surfaces. Since returning to the game in 2016, she is 43-10 on grass, including 5-0 this year.
Kerber advanced on Tuesday with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 win over Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. That was on the heels of her fourth-round win over American Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-4. In her second-round victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo, she relied on her experience to down the Spaniard 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. She followed that up with a 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
Kerber has had a lot of success in Grand Slam events and since 2007, has compiled a 113-50 mark in Grand Slam matches. Kerber has been a mainstay in the rankings for much of her career and held the No. 1 ranking in September of 2016. She is 649-346 in singles with 13 titles, including three Grand Slams. Her last Grand Slam victory was in 2018.
How to make Kerber vs. Barty picks
Mair has revealed his full breakdown and has locked in a pair of best bets, including one that leads to a plus-money payout. Be sure to check out Mair's expert analysis before making your Wimbledon 2021 picks for the women's semifinals.
What best bet do you need to be all over for Barty vs. Kerber? And what pick could lead to a big return? Visit SportsLine now to see Gavin Mair's best bets for the 2021 Wimbledon semifinals, all from the tennis expert who has called long shot winners of three grand slam women's titles since 2017, and find out.
