Sloane Stephens vs Madison Keys
The French Open has been a delight for many die-hard tennis fans after a slew of surprise results gave way to a very interesting tournament for the Women’s Singles.
The tournament was loaded with talent, and not even the pundits at SBOBET Blog were sure how the latter stages of the tournament would pan out. While the French Open outright betting odds weren’t that bad for both Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, no imagined that they’d be actually squaring off in the semi-final.
These fantastic ladies will be surely keeping the tradition of strong American women making a splash in women’s tennis when the Williams sisters finally call it a day on their careers. These friends will surely give us a show that will have the biggest tennis fans talking for days!
Talking Points
First of all, I cannot reiterate enough that the women’s game is a lot more exciting than the men’s due to the fact that we cannot tell who will be lifting the trophy at the end of the day. Sloane Stephens claimed after her first-round win against Arantxa Rus that the tournament is wide open, and the tournament results have lived up to her claim.
2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko was booted out in the first round by Kateryna Kozlova. Venus Williams also made an early exit in the tournament. Her sister Serena had to bow out of the fourth round due to injury. Caroline Wozniacki also bowed out of the contest in the fourth round.
Stephens herself didn’t have an easy hike to the semis. She had a scare of a game against Camila Giorgi where she had to fight for every game in the third set until she won, 6-4 1-6 6-8. She then managed to overwhelm Anett Kontaveit and Daria Kasatkina with her powerful service game. She’s played so great of a tournament that Patrick McEnroe thinks she will add this Grand Slam to her already-impressive trophy cabinet.
Meanwhile, Keys has been nothing short of impressive in this tournament. Her preparation for this Grand Slam has been nothing short of a disappointment, making early exits in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome. However, her form picked up just in time and has been dominating. She hasn’t dropped a single set in the tournament so far; Yulia Putintseva was the closest one to steal a set away from the 23-year-old.
Moreover, the fact that her serve continues to hit unbelievable speeds is nothing short of impressive. Her fastest serve against Putintseva was recorded at 194 km/h, eliciting shudders of delight from coach Lindsay Davenport and the rest of the Suzanne-Lenglen Court crowd.
The fact that these ladies will show us fantastic service games is enough reason for people to tune in and catch this match.
History
The two Americans don’t have much of a history when it comes to battles on the circuit, but they have a deep connection that will surely affect how they play this match.
These two caught the imagination of many American fans when they battled in last year’s US Open final. The last time the Grand Slam had two home-grown stars grace the final was during the 2002 finals when the Williams sisters split the honours.
The final went in the way of then-underdog Stephens. While Keys managed to impose her will with her serves, it was the 25-year-old that managed to be more clinical with her attacks and returns. She then locked her opponent two years her junior into a long embrace to console her.
The two haven’t been shy to talk about their friendship, saying that their small age gap and that memorable 2017 final placed an unbreakable bond between the two young stars. They watch each other’s matches and give each other support.
Another thing that will make this match a lot more interesting is their preferences: Keys doesn’t love playing on clay while Stephens feel at home on the surface. However, things may have changed for the Rock Island, IL-born power server as she has swept all of her matches so far.
This match could go one of two ways. Both ladies could dominate their service games and we will be treated to a spectacle of bullet serve after bullet serve. The other possible result for this is that brilliant returns will be made and things will fall on a matter of endurance.
What are the Odds?
A look at the SBOBET tennis page will give you a seemingly interesting proposition. Stephen gets a nod on the Asian Handicap market with a -1.50 load for 2.33. Bookies probably gave her this ranking based on her WTA ranking and her recent performances in the prior clay-court tilts.
However, I wouldn’t put it past Keys to take her friend from Plantation, FL to an epic full-set match. The 23-year-old gets 1.59 for the same amount of boost. If you believe in Keys’ streak, however, the best betting punt to make is Keys’ 2.33 Money Line odds.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE TENNIS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
