Wimbledon Women's Final Preview and Pick
By Ricky Dimon
(1) SERENA WILLIAMS VS (21) VERA ZVONAREVA (OVER/UNDER 20.5 GAMES)
As expected, a Williams emerged from the top half of the draw to reach the Wimbledon final. But another Williams-Williams title match is not in the cards, because Venus crashed out in the quarters. Instead, Serena is going up against a first-time Grand Slam finalist in Vera Zvonareva.
While a blowout would not be surprising, it's also not a foregone conclusion. Serena is undefeated in matches and also sets so far this event, but she has not been completely destroying people. Maria Sharapova, Na Li and Petra Kvitova all played at least one close set against Serena during the second week.
Speaking of not losing sets, Zvonareva made a clean sweep of her first four matches. The Russian then dismissed both Kim Clijsters and Tsvetana Pironkova in three to book a spot in the final. Previously one of the biggest headcases on tour, Zvonareva made a major statement about her mental game in both the quarters and the semis.
To be sure, though, a Grand Slam final is a lot different than a semi. How Zvonareva handles the situation is a huge question mark, and she cannot afford to get off to a start like she did against Pironkova on Thursday. If Serena gets out to a lead, she will be off to the races and curtains for the underdog.
Pick: Under 20.5 games