Petra Kvitova consolidates Wimbledon favouritism with perfect lead-in

Petra Kvitova did her favourite tag at Wimbledon no harm with a blistering display at Birmingham last week.

En route to the final she did not drop a set, nor did any player force her to a tiebreaker.

While Magdalena Rybarikova, a grass-court specialist, was able to take a set off of Kvitova in the final, ultimately it was the Czech player that prevailed to claim the Birmingham title.

Winning a tournament with just one dropped set is impressive form against any competition good enough to get into tour-level events. But in Birmingham this last week, Kvitova actually had a difficult draw.

She ousted home-country favorite Johanna Konta in the opening round. Kvitova followed that with victories over the feisty Daria Gavrilova and the resurging Julia Goerges. All compiled, those matches saw Kvitova win 36 games while dropping just 16.

Kvitova is the favorite to win Wimbledon 2018, having won the title at the All England Club twice before.

Bovada has recently shortened Kvitova to +350 in Wimbledon outrights. Meanwhile, Serena Williams, Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, and Simona Halep have all recently been lengthened.

Williams is idle right now and her fitness and form heading into Wimbledon is unclear. Muguruza, the defending champ at Wimbledon this season, went out early in Birmingham. Kerber also went out early this week, the German having contested the Mallorca draw. Halep, the World No. 1, is idle at the moment but the recent news with her is that she’s injured.

Halep at +1500 in Wimbledon 2018 outrights is not a bad price if her injury (Achilles) only requires a small amount of additional rest. But Kvitova is the one to watch with William Hill still offering +450. The way the Czech plowed through the semis and final this weekend in Birmingham, those odds are a risk to shorten.

She is in this week’s Eastbourne draw but don’t be surprised or dismayed if she withdraws or goes out early following her win in Birmingham. In fact, with the All England Club set to start in just over a week, Kvitova would be smart to take the week off.