BNP Paribas Open Women’s Final
Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Elena Vesnina
No one saw this coming. Even hardcore tennis followers and sports betting pundits didn’t expect Elena Vesnina and Svetlana Kuznetsova to make it to this stage.
However, in a tournament which featured tonnes of online betting drama from the withdrawal of Serena Williams to the dismissal of Angelique Kerber, the meeting of these two unlikely finalists just seems to be the perfect curtain closer for the women’s category of the Indian Wells Masters.
Both stars might not be household names for the casual fan, but their battle is expected to set off fireworks to the California sky especially that this is the first all-Russian finale in the competition since 2006.
The higher seeded and World No.8 Kuznetsova will be the favourite to win the title and for a good reason. She has only dropped a single set so far – in her Round-of-32 match – and she has been on a tear since then, even taking down the seemingly unbeatable Karolina Pliskova in just two sets.
Her shot-making is also at its absolute best, as she displayed in her match with the Czech World No.3, and her tour renaissance doesn’t seem like a fluke with her all-around style remaining solid and in excellent form.
Nonetheless, if there’s one thing that Vesnina knows, it’s how to pull an upset and surprise the contenders. She encountered formidable opponents, including Kerber and Venus Williams, in the earlier rounds and she managed to oust them all to book her ticket to this stage.
She also has one of the most feel-good stories, reaching the Indian Wells finals this 2017 just a year after being the World No.86 and crashing out of the tournament’s first-round qualifiers. Thus, she will certainly be full of confidence and in high spirits entering this game.
Kuznetsova has already played in two BNP Paribas Open finals in 2007 and 2008, so her experience could spell trouble for her first-time finalist opponent. Nevertheless, Vesnina looked like that she has already shrugged off her inconsistency and if she can maintain her aggressiveness from the baseline, we could be in for a thriller.
Vesnina is the underdog with Money Line Odds tipping him at 2.66 while Kuznetsova is at 1.48, but if the former plays to her strengths, she could be a solid choice on Asian Handicap +1.50 @ 1.66.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
