Wimbledon Tip: Azarenka V Petrova

Nadia Petrova was under-rated against 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuckenkova last week and our tip on the underdog was duly rewarded by a comfortable 6-3 6-3 victory. Victoria Azerenka is a better player, but having never been beyond a quarter-final in any Grand Slam, she has plenty to prove still. In the previous round she was outplayed by Daniela Hantuchova for long periods but took control in the final set. She looked like a player who plays well when she has momentum but can struggle when under pressure.

Her Russian opponent on Monday looks well capable of applying that pressure. Petrova’s serve is considered one of the best on the women’s tour and she is comfortable coming to the net to finish off points. Not only has Petrova been to two Wimbledon quarter-finals of her own, she has also reached at least that stage in eight Grand Slam Singles events. She is clearly an all-rounder, and has been as high as number three in the world rankings before. Azarenka is currently number four, her highest position, but that can’t be enough in itself to justify the bookies making her a 4/11 favourite for this match. Petrova looks in better form and at 5/2 with Skybet looks like a great value bet once more.