French Open champion Francesca Schiavone was upset on Monday in the first round as she lost vs. sportsbook odds to Russian Vera Dushevina in three sets. Schiavone was considered a dark horse contender in sports book odds at Wimbledon based on her win at the French Open but the sixth-ranked played in the world couldn’t even make it out of the first round.
Sportsbook odds favor the Williams sisters at Wimbledon. Serena is the top seed while Venus is the second seed. Venus rolled on Monday in her first round match while Serena was playing on Tuesday. Kim Clijsters was an easy winner on Monday as well as she beat Maria Elena Camerin and Justine Henin rolled over Anastasija Sevastova. It will be up to someone to beat the Williams sisters. Venus won the title in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008 while Serena won in 2002, 2003 and last year. Henin has won every major except Wimbledon so she could be a threat. If she can win Wimbledon she would become only the 10th woman to win all four Grand Slam events at least once.
The major upset on Monday was Schiavone losing to Dushevina vs. Wimbledon odds at the sports book. She was a quarterfinalist last year and after her French Open win, many predicted she would do well at Wimbledon. She played poorly on Monday though as she committed 38 unforced errors. Schiavone has not won a single match since winning at the French Open as she lost in the first round at Eastbourne last week.
The favorites in tennis odds at the sportsbook are the two Williams sisters. Neither of them played a tune up after the French Open but that has worked in the past including last year when Serena beat Venus in the final. The likely contenders that might have a chance to upset one of the sisters are the previously mentioned Henin, Clijsters and 2004 champ Maria Sharapova and French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur.
On the men’s side, there was nearly a monumental upset on Monday but top seed Roger Federer rallied from two sets down to defeat Alejandro Falla. Federer looked very beatable against Falla and he may not be the lock to win Wimbledon vs. the tennis odds at the sportsbook as he has been in past years.