WTA Betting: Back Halep to prevail against Jankovic and clinch the title

Halep looks set for glory in Indian Wells...

With Serena Williams pulling out, Abelson Info preview the BNP Paribas Open 2015 final between Simona Halep and Jelena Jankovic...

Serena Williams didn't even make it onto the court for her semi-final against Simona Halep, a knee injury preventing the world number one from taking part.

While she is expected to return in Miami next week, her Romanian rival will now look ahead to the final on Sunday having had a chance to rest up and recompose herself.

Halep did insist that she was excited about the prospect of facing the American in the semi-finals even as early as when the draw was made, but inside she will undoubtedly be delighted that she's made it through to the final in whatever circumstances.

However, it won't easy for her to claim another WTA title, as standing in her way is Jelena Jankovic who has enjoyed an impressive revival this past fortnight.

The Serbian ace battled past Sabine Lisicki in the other semi-final as she fought back from a set down to advance at the expense of the German who we thought would have enough to see off the veteran.

The former world number one wasn't to be denied and she now looks ahead at possibly capping off a successful week with a trophy to show for her efforts.

Jankovic already has one Premier Mandatory title to her name by winning in Indian Wells back in 2010, she has 13 WTA titles in total and will be confident of her chances of adding to her collection given her recent form.

Nevertheless, it will be an extremely difficult test for her as she trails Halep 3-1 in their head-to-head, with the world number three winning their last three meetings.

The last encounter came at the Australian Open last year, and although Halep seemingly has the drop on her rival, it is worth noting that all four of their matches have gone the distance.

Both players have had a difficult time of it in the tournament so far, but Jankovic has really racked up the miles after going through three-set matches in all but one of her outings.

Whether or not that catches up with her on Sunday remains to be seen as the win over Lisicki would have taken a lot out of her as Halep sat back and looked on.

The Romanian starts as the overwhelming favourite to win, but we're confident that this will at least be competitive given the pair's history over the years.

Both are in good form, and both will be desperate to clinch a title with Williams out of the picture. While there is little value in the match odds, look to the set betting and games markets for the favourable odds with Halep prevailing.

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