Saturday's Ladies Wimbledon Singles Final will feature two women who both are very hungry for a grand slam title. Petra Kvitova won her first grand slam title back in 2011 at Wimbledon, but hasn't won a grand slam since. She is eager to show that her grand slam title in 2011 wasn't an aberration but a sign of things to come. For 20 year old Eugenie Bouchard, she is trying to breakthrough to win her first grand slam title after reaching the Semifinals of the French Open and Australian Open. As do many of us who follow the game of tennis, she feels like it is only a matter of time before she wins a grand slam, and she hopes Saturday will be the day she gets it done.
(credit: telegraph.co.uk)
After paying close attention to how both women have played over this fortnight at Wimbledon, I think that what we'll see on Saturday will be a hard fought contest that likely goes three sets. With that being said, I do have a favorite to win the match, and that would be Petra Kvitova. I'm not picking Kvitova merely because of her experience, but also because of the improvement I have seen in her game during Wimbledon. The number one thing I've seen as an improvement in Kvitova's game is her fitness. She appears to have dropped at least 25 lbs, which has resulted in her moving much more swiftly on the court. I will be the first to admit that I have not been on the Petra Kvitova hope train over the years. I have said that she will never win another grand slam and that she is a "one-slam wonder". However, it should be noted that the number one reason I felt that way was because I found her fitness to be sub par. She appeared to be overweight and sluggish as she moved around on the court. But now that she has dropped the weight and is moving much better, her shot making abilities along with her dangerous left-handed serve makes her a threat to win any grand slam title and not just Wimbledon. The improvement I've seen in her game has made me a believer in her again and I expect her to win her second grand slam title on Saturday.
(credit: keepitchick.com)
That doesn't mean that I don't see good things about Eugenie Bouchard's game. The number one thing about her game that has been really solid is her net game. In her Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches, Eugenie Bouchard converted 21 of her 26 points at the net, and that is something that bodes well for her on the grass. In addition, she has a tremendous amount of confidence and focus. When a fan fainted in the crowd during her Semifinal match against Simona Halep, Bouchard didn't let that phase her at all, and she stayed focused on the task at hand. When you hear her interviewed, you can tell that though she is a really beautiful and charming young lady, she means business on the court and she is all about winning. Her attitude, focus, and play on the court will definitely win her a grand slam in the near future, but I don't think Saturday will be the day.
Ultimately, I think Bouchard still has some more growing pains to go through. This is her first grand slam final, and we are yet to see how she handles the pressure. I expect her to handle it well, but knowing that Kvitova has been here before is huge along with the fact that Kvitova has greatly improved her fitness and movement. The bottom line is I see Kvitova getting it done, but it won't be an easy win. It'll be a tough battle with momentum swinging in favor of both players at times. It'll definitely be a match worth watching.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy
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