Petra Kvitova won the 2017 WTA Birmingham title over the weekend, defeating upstart Ashleigh Barty in the championship final. The result appears to have had an effect on the betting odds in the antepost market for Wimbledon 2017. Previously Karolina Pliskova was considered the odds-on favorite to win the Wimbledon title this season across the board with the sportsbooks. However, numerous popular betting sportsbooks now make Kvitova the slight favorite.
Karolina Pliskova still favored with bet365
That's not to say that there are not some firms that still don't have Pliskova as the favorite.
Popular sportsbook bet365, for instance, has the younger of the two Czechs as the favorite at this point. However, Stan James, 888Sport, and Paddy Power are some large firms that make Kvitova the favorite. Meanwhile, there are sportsbooks, like William Hill, that make both players co-favorites at this time. Clearly, there is division regarding who the favorite should be heading into the tournament.
Petra Kvitova winning the Birmingham title is very significant for assessing where she's at in terms of her playing level. Previously she could be viewed as being on the comeback trail following the time off she had to take due to the horrific knife attack that she suffered in her apartment in late 2016.
But if she's playing well enough to win a tour-level title then clearly she is playing at a high level. She has won Wimbledon twice before and she is, in fact, one of the only former champions that will be on the field this season. Venus Williams, who last won the tournament way back in 2008, will be the other former champion expected in the draw.
Meanwhile Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, each former champions as well, will not contest the draw for differing reasons.
Wimbledon starts July 3rd
Wimbledon 2017 is really just around the corner now. The tournament starts next Monday and qualifying is already underway. There is a minor event in Eastbourne being played this week, but that tournament doesn't have much potential to sway opinion on who will do well at the grass-court Grand Slam.
The top two seeds in the event are Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber. Kerber may the World No. 1 and a finalist from a year ago. However, her slump in 2017 has made her an afterthought for Wimbledon success. Meanwhile, Simona Halep has not enjoyed success at Wimbledon as of yet that can compare to the results that she has enjoyed at the French Open.
