Wimbledon Women's Betting: Back Kvitova to end Williams' stay

Expect Kvitova to pull off a gritty win against Venus.

The third round gets underway at SW19 on Friday, and Abelson Info take a closer look at the schedule as some big hitters prepare to face off...

The bottom half of the draw has already lost the likes of Azarenka, Errani and Stosur, but despite there still being a number of top seeds in contention, the draw is undoubtedly opening up for a surprise star to emerge.

Both Li Na and Caroline Wozniacki will be confident of making the fourth round with the latter facing qualifier Ana Konjuh, while the Chinese star will face a slightly more complicated afternoon's work when she takes on Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova.

Nevertheless, expect the second seed and world number 16 to set up an intriguing clash in the next round as the race for Wimbledon glory begins to heat up.

Elsewhere, two youngsters that we picked out to produce opening round upsets have gone one further by making this stage, and now Caroline Garcia and Michelle Larcher de Brito will be relishing the prospect of extending their stay in London.

After seeing off Sara Errani in a real battle in the first round, things were a little easier for Garcia last time out in her straight sets win over Varvara Lepchenko.

While she will now have to overcome another seeded player in Ekaterina Makarova, this talented young Frenchwoman is delivering on her early career promise and will fancy her chances of matching her opponent.

Makarova won their only previous meeting which was in Washington last year, and while Garcia was only able to win just two games on that occasion, a change of surface and upturn in form could ensure that this clash is a much closer affair.

Meanwhile, Larcher de Brito has already defeated Kuznetsova and Gajdosova, but this is where she will really need to bring her top form as she prepares to face one of our tournament tips in the form of Agnieszka Radwanska.

The Polish fourth seed has coasted through her opening two rounds, but if Larcher de Brito can summon the kind of inspirational tennis she displayed against Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon last year, anything could be possible for the Portuguese youngster.

Lauren Davis is also back in action on Thursday as the next crop of stars continue to shine this year, but it is understandable that most eyes will be fixed on Venus Williams as she looks to roll back the years ahead of facing Petra Kvitova.

The big-hitting Czech ace leads their head-to-head record by three wins to one, with Williams' only victory coming back in 2012 in Miami, although it is worth noting that the pair have never played on grass.

The world number 31 obviously isn't the same force that she used to be, but she will have enough hunger and pride to put on a show at what was once her second home.

While Kvitova looks in ominous form, all four previous meetings between these two have gone the distance, and we expect Williams to put up a real fight even if this will likely be her last outing at SW19 this year.

Recommended Bets:
Back Kvitova to beat V Williams 2-1 @ 3.814/5
Back Garcia to beat Makarova @ 3.02/1