Watch and bet on Clijsters v Zvonareva live at bet365
The winner of Clijsters and Zvonareva looks set to be crowned 2011 Australian Open champion
Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters are the two strongest players at this year’s Australian Open and it is somewhat unfortunate that they are meeting in the semi final in Melbourne. That is the luck of the draw, however, and instead both women must do battle on Thursday, knowing that they face a winnable final on Saturday, against either Na Li or Caroline Wozniacki.
Clijsters, due to her experience, is the 1.62 favourite at
Boylesports to beat Zvonareva, but the Belgian could well be worth opposing on Thursday as, despite straight sets wins over Ekatarina Makarova and Agnieszka Radwanska, the 27-year-old has, at time looked vulnerable in her matches in Melbourne.
Both of those women forced tie-breaks from the number three seed and Clijsters could easily have been down a set to Makarova, who threw away the opener, after being a break up and comfortable. Zvonareva, who is number two in the world, won’t make the same mistake as her compatriot did.
The Russian is something of a late developer on the WTA Tour as, having made an initial break-through in 2004, she lacked the mental strength to beat the top players and, thus, go deep in Grand Slams, until recently. Since adopting a new approach, Zvonareva has improved dramatically, reaching the finals of the last two major tournaments, Wimbledon and the US Open, and she is now confident that she deserves to be up there with the world’s best.
It is 2.5 at
Bet365 that Zvonareva beats Clijsters on Thursday and that looks like a good bet. Many will point to the fact that Clijsters beat the Russian in the US Open final last year, but sandwiched between that result are wins for Zvonareva at Wimbledon and the World Tour Finals, which suggest that the Belgian does not have a hex over her opponent.
Recommendation
Win Market – Vera Zvonareva (2.5,
Bet365)
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