Which unseeded player will go through to the final?

Elina Svitolina is writing her very own fairytale these days at Wimbledon. The Ukrainian has become the first wildcard holder since Sabine Lisicki in 2011 to make it to the semi-finals of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament. This is the second time since 2019 that the former world number three is playing for a place in the grand final. Four years ago, Svitolina was defeated by the eventual winner Simona Halep. In 2023, the wife of Gael Monfils is aiming for her first ever Grand Slam final.

The mum of a nine-month-old baby only has one more step to go. However, this one could prove particularly complicated as the Ukrainian will face Marketa Vondrousova on Thursday, a very good grass court player who has even reached the final of the French Open in 2019 and, unlike her opponent, has already taken the aforementioned final step into a GS title match. Possibly that is also the reason why, in the run-up to the first semi-final Svitolina vs. Vondrousova, the tip on the Czech is being slightly lowered in odds.

Nevertheless, Elina Svitolina does not need to hide at all. On the one hand, she has already achieved more on the sacred turf in London than she could have imagined in her wildest dreams.

On the other hand, she proved in her quarter-final victory over world number one Iga Swiatek that in her current form she can take on any player. It is therefore possible that the more attractive value is hidden between Svitolina and Vondrousova in the forecast for the world number 76.

Elina Svitolina – Statistics & current form

Elina Svitolina has taken the hearts of many fans by storm in the last days of London. And this for many reasons and, above all, quite rightly. Especially the fact that the Ukrainian only gave birth to a baby in October last year (!) and returned to the tour in strong form only six months later commands the greatest respect from the spectators at Church Road.

Apart from that, it is also the humble and likeable manner that made the 28-year-old rise in the favour of primarily British tennis followers. After her surprising round of 16 victory over Viktoria Azarenka, she had to give up two tickets to a Harry Styles concert by necessity and extend her own stay in the English capital. Everything that comes is pure encore.

Mum, wildcard holder and Wimbledon semi-finalist

With this ease and immense self-confidence, the former world number three, who has meanwhile slipped to position 76 in the rankings and slipped into the main draw of Wimbledon thanks to a wildcard, may even dream of the really big coup. In our opinion, there are enough arguments to play the higher odds on Gael Monfils’ wife before the semifinal Svitolina vs.

This is supported not least by the fighting spirit that the 2019 Wimbledon finalist has displayed in the tournament so far. In three of her five matches, the right-hander, who returns many balls, is very nimble on her feet and plays her best tennis in important moments, had to go the full distance.

However, this is by no means a sign of weakness, as she has already had to overcome a number of top players in Venus Williams, Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and the high-flyer Iga Swiatek.

Markéta Vondroušová – Statistics & current form

Although Marketa Vondrousova only celebrated her 24th birthday a fortnight ago, she has been on the WTA Tour since 2014. In the last nine years, she has already experienced some highlights, but also some lows. Her two greatest successes were reaching the French Open final in 2019 and the sensational silver medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, when she also defeated a certain Elina Svitolina on her way to the final.

However, the Czech has not always been able to consistently maintain the very high level she has already shown at the top. As a former world number 14, she is currently only ranked 42. The tennis year 2023 did not necessarily indicate that the left-hander would suddenly play the stars from the sky at Wimbledon. At the Australian Open, she was eliminated in the third round, and at the French Open, Vondrousova had to pull out of the tournament in the second round.

Nobody had Vondrousova on the cards

But the married lady from Sokolov in the Czech Republic seems to feel particularly at home on grass. At least this season. While her best Wimbledon result so far was her second-round appearance in 2021, her semi-final appearance is already a great and above all unexpected triumph. With Kudermetova, Vekic, Bouzkova or Pegula, the 24-year-old has already taken out some good players, although we would classify Svitolina’s path as somewhat more difficult.

For the sake of completeness, it should also be mentioned that the left-hander was actually hopelessly behind in the third set of her quarter-final against Pegula from the USA before a break to close the roof played into her hands and the match took a crazy turn.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Czech can play herself into a frenzy against a player who produces only a few simple errors or whether her forehand in particular will start to stray again. We like the odds between Svitolina and Vondrousova that the Ukrainian will win. We don’t see the world No. 42 as a favourite in her second Grand Slam semi-final, even though she won her only GS semi-final so far in 2019 against Johanna Konta in two straight sets.

Elina Svitolina – Markéta Vondroušová Direct comparison / H2H record

Thursday will be the sixth time the two women have faced each other in a head-to-head clash. Elina Svitolina currently has a narrow lead with three wins. However, the last meeting was almost two years ago. Moreover, this will be the first meeting of the two on grass. The head-to-head should therefore be taken with a pinch of salt, although it should be mentioned that the Czech won the most recent two matches.

Elina Svitolina – Markéta Vondroušová Tip

Four women are left in the singles competition at Wimbledon 2023. While many experts expect the winner to come from the lower draw, two unseeded players have prevailed in the top half of the draw. Svitolina eliminated world number one Swiatek in the quarter-finals, Vondrosouva also surprisingly prevailed against number four Jessica Pegula.

In the first semi-final Svitolina against Vondrousova, the betting odds now suggest a contested match. There is no clear favourite. The form of the day will decide. Mentally, we even see the Ukrainian ahead, because as a wildcard holder and new mum, she probably feels even less pressure than her Czech opponent, who has already reached a Grand Slam final in 2019. Svitolina is still waiting for that.

We’re going for a bet on the Ukrainian between Svitolina and Vondrousova, and we’re getting a 2.12 tip at bookmaker Betano.