Is Halep going to make short work of it again?

2019 was the last time Simona Halep won a Grand Slam tournament. The Romanian celebrated her second GS title three years ago at Church Road in London. Now the former world number one even has the chance to repeat this triumph. Because the most prestigious tennis tournament fell victim to the pandemic in 2020 and the experienced Halep did not compete in 2021, it would even be a title defence for her personally in the English capital.

However, the 30-year-old still has a few hurdles to clear on her way to the grand final. In the quarter-finals, for example, Amanda Anisimova is waiting, a very talented US-American who has already defeated one of the favourites, Cori Gauff. However, it is doubtful whether the ten-year younger lady from New Jersey will be able to put the former champion in her place. It’s not for nothing that the odds on the Romanian are lower in the Halep vs Anisimova duel.

In the tournament so far, Simona Halep has been convincing all along the line and has only celebrated straight two-set victories. In particular, her performance in the round of the last 16 against Paula Badosa, who was also highly rated, left virtually no questions unanswered. If the current world number 18 can build on this performance, it would definitely be a surprise if a prediction on the 20-year-old pays off on Wednesday between Halep and Anisimova

Simona Halep – statistics & current form

Simona Halep has experienced many ups and downs in her career. The now 30-year-old right-hander has spent a total of 64 weeks at the top of the world rankings. She made a lasting impression in 2018 and 2019 in particular, when she won the French Open and Wimbledon and also reached the final at the Australian Open. However, injury problems ensured that the Romanian rarely reached her performance maximum in the past two years.

Now, however, the two-time Grand Slam winner seems close to her best form again. The demonstrable rise in form is definitely also due to the current surface, because the lady, who is already in a Grand Slam quarter-final for the 16th time in her career, felt particularly comfortable on grass. Over her career, Halep has a record of 49 wins to 19 losses on grass.

Halep is dominating at Church Road these days

Even more impressive is her run at Wimbledon. She has now won eleven in a row there. Ten of those eleven victories have come in two sets. That’s one of the reasons why our first approach is to bet on a 2-0 win for the favourite between Halep and Anisimova. Especially because she has won all her matches in two sets so far in the current edition. Only Kirsten Flipkens has won more than five games.

Those who saw the 30-year-old in her round of 16 match against Paula Badosa on Monday also know why the former champion is considered the most promising favourite to win the title after Ons Jabeur. The Romanian surrendered just three measly games against her Spanish opponent. 89% of points won after the first serve, only nine avoidable errors and almost twice as many rallies in total led to a 6-1, 6-2 victory that was hardly thought possible.

Amanda Anisimova – Statistics & current form

Amanda Anisimova has the chance to reach a Grand Slam semi-final for the second time in her career on Wednesday. In 2019, she already managed to do so at the French Open. In general, the US-American, whose Russian parents emigrated to the United States in 1998, can already look back on a very successful career despite her young age of only 20. She is currently ranked 25th in the world. Her all-time high in 2019 was even 21st.

The right-hander’s talent is undisputed. The 1.80-metre blonde has a very fast and powerful forehand, can thunder a good first serve into the court due to her leverage and seems quite mature in important moments despite her lack of experience. Anisimova therefore has everything it takes to be considered a future Grand Slam winner.

Anisimova must remain patient and minimise mistakes

However, she still has to come to grips with one major weakness: Sometimes her game is too wild and impatient. Many avoidable mistakes, also as a result of lack of concentration or bad footwork, are the logical consequence. The longer the rallies last in the quarter-finals, the greater the chances that a prediction between Halep and Anisimova will come true for Romania.

Of course, the US-American should not be completely underestimated, after all, she eliminated Cori Gauff, a co-favourite, 2-1 in her third round match after being down in the first set. In the second round against her compatriot Lauren Davis, Anisimova also had to go over three sets. In the first round against Yue Yuan as well as in the round of 16 against Harmony Tan, who defeated Williams, two sets were enough to secure her progress. Even in her clear 6-2, 6-3 win over the Frenchwoman, she committed 18 unforced errors – a figure that is likely to become a problem against Halep.

Simona Halep – Amanda Anisimova Direct comparison / H2H record

The first time this duel took place was a fortnight ago at the preparation tournament on grass in Bad Homburg. Halep prevailed with a commanding 6:2 and 6:1. In 2020, the two women met at a Grand Slam. At the French Open, Halep once again had the upper hand with 6:0 and 6:1. Anisimova’s only victory in three direct duels came in 2019, also at a Grand Slam, in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

Simona Halep – Amanda Anisimova Tip

Simona Halep and Amanda Anisimova are close together in the world rankings. The Romanian is currently ranked 18th, her American opponent 25th, but the odds are clearly stacked against her in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Wednesday. The former world number one and 2019 title holder is in outstanding form these days in London, ploughing through the tournament like only Ons Jabeur usually does.

Simona Halep has not dropped a single set so far. The 30-year-old dominates at will, hardly commits any errors, serves very well and can return many balls thanks to her almost perfect footwork. Paula Badosa was already unable to cope with her style. Anisimova is a similar type of player to the Spaniard and will therefore also have big problems.

Apart from that, it has to be said that the Romanian has more experience, is already playing her 16th Grand Slam quarter-final and already defeated her upcoming opponent a fortnight ago in Bad Homburg on the same surface in two sets. The young US-American makes too many avoidable mistakes and will therefore miss the second Grand Slam semi-final of her career.

We offer betting odds on the favourite to win 2:0 sets in the match between Simona Halep and Amanda Anisimova