The third round of Wimbledon continues with more fascinating showdowns!
I’ve found value on two of Saturday's matchups — Krejcikova–Bouzas Maneiro and Ostapenko–Pera.
Read on for my Wimbledon best bets.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing tennis matches and seeing tennis odds.
Wimbledon Odds & Wimbledon Best Bets
Barbora Krejcikova (-250) vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (+180)
6 a.m. ET
Barbora Krejcikova survived a tough battle against Katie Volynets to advance in London, beating the American 7-6(6), 7-6(5). Krejcikova is now 4-2 this season on grass, with the Czech 15-11 on the surface for her career.
Krejcikova's game suits the grass fairly well. She hits her spots on serve and plays with strong controlled aggression from the ground. The 28 year-old is a pretty good mover on the grass and can handle the rough bounces. She hits with excellent variety, keeping her slices low to the court and spreading the court well.
A two-time Wimbledon doubles champion, the Czech understands the right moments to move forwards and can put balls away at the net.
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro beat Cristina Bucsa 7-6(1), 6-3 in the second round after upsetting defending champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round. The 21 year-old is now 2-1 on grass this year, improving her professional-record on the surface to a nascent 5-2.
Bouzas Maneiro doesn't have a "traditional" grass-court game, but moves very well on the grass and can maintain her rally tolerance. It's tough to hit through the Spaniard, as she defends and counterpunches effectively. However, Bouzas Maneiro doesn't have any huge groundstrokes, nor does she have a big serve. Additionally, her heavy forehand sits up on the grass and her backhand, while flatter, is prone to breaking down under pressure.
Krejcikova just defeated a tough, quick baseline-centric player in Volynets. She had to be patient, maintain her rally tolerance and wait for the right moments to strike, which she did often enough to sneak out a straight-sets victory.
This type of match "practice" is so important when facing another baseline-centric player in Bouzas Maneiro, as the Czech is already used to successfully playing against an underpowered, yet consistent player.
Bouzas Maneiro was lucky to face a nervous Vondrousova and an incredibly favorably second-round draw in Bucsa. The fun is over though. Krejcikova has many more weapons in her disposal and won't be befuddled by the Spaniard's clay-esque game.
Finally, Krejcikova's grass Elo rating is 151.8 points higher than Bouzas Maneiro's.
Pick: Krejcikova -3.5 games (-125 via BetMGM)
Jelena Ostapenko (-500) vs Bernarda Pera (+333)
6:30 a.m. ET
Jelena Ostapenko has been on fire to start Wimbledon, dropping just six games thus far, including a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Daria Snigur. The Latvian has a 3-2 record in 2024 on grass with an impressive 51-23 professional-mark on the surface.
Ostapenko, when she's playing well, can completely overwhelm her opponents on grass. She doesn't have a huge serve, although she can get free points with her first serve, but her groundstrokes are lethal. The 27 year-old hits with extreme power from both wings, although she's a bit more steady with her backhand.
Almost every match will be on Ostapenko's racquet, it just is a matter of whether she's making or missing her groundstrokes. Opponents just don't want to make life even easier on the Latvian by giving away free points on their own.
Bernarda Pera came back to defeat Caroline Garcia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the third round. The American has a 6-2 mark on grass this season, vastly improving upon her 14-15 record on the surface as a professional.
Pera having grass-court success this year because of high-risk groundstrokes have been landing more often than usual. She has a flat backhand that, while inconsistent, cuts through the court nicely. The 29 year-old's heavy, lefty forehand is quite powerful, but it can sit up on the grass and opponents can rush her with her big windup from this wing.
Pera can move and defend fairly well on the grass, but they are not strengths of her game.
Ostapenko can always have an off day, but she's playing with confidence right now — and a confident Ostapenko is a scary sight.
Pera wants to be the one on top of the baseline dictating play, but Ostapenko should be able to yank her off the baseline and not allow her to be the aggressor in rallies — which is where the American is most comfortable.
This should allow the Latvian to pick on Pera's weaker backhand while also rushing her on her forehand wing.
In addition, Ostapenko has the fourth-highest grass Elo rating on the WTA Tour, 332.9 points above Pera's grass Elo rating.
