Pennetta to ensure Vinci heroics in vain by taking US Open title
Published:
With all bets on an Italian winner of the women’s US Open 2015 now off, only one of Roberta Vinci and compatriot Flavia Pennetta will be left to wave the Tricolore inside Arthur Ashe stadium come Saturday night.
Much like the men’s final line up of a year ago, this match up is far removed from the showpiece the tennis world was expecting to witness in New York, especially given the presence of unseeded Vinci.
The world number 43 pulled off one of the biggest shocks in tennis history in ending Serena Williams’ 33-match Grand Slam unbeaten streak and four-year reign at the US Open, by ending hopes of ‘Calendar Slam’ on Friday.
Having never been passed the quarters of a Grand Slam previously herself, world number 26 Pennetta is also punching slightly above her weight, though the trail of top seeds she’s left in her wake in the Big Apple, make her a very worthy finalist.
Pennetta is also the 2/5 favourite to claim her maiden major ahead of 11/5-chance Vinci, and despite the latter’s monumental victory over Williams, there’s reason to believe shocks have finally ran their course in the tournament.
The overall head-to-head record is very evenly split, but it’s 33-year-old Pennetta who shades it over her 32-year-old countrywomen 5-4.
Crucially, Pennetta has cruised to victory in their two most recent meetings, dropping just seven games, with the last of those triumphs coming in this Grand Slam in 2013.
In fact none of their last half-dozen clashes has even required a third set, adding a sizeable dollop of appeal to the 2-0 scoreline in Pennetta’s favour, at 1/1, and the 4/9 about exactly two sets being contested.
But Vinci just defeated Serena Williams! This is true, but then she might well have peaked too early in what was a draining physical tussle as well.
No one can take away her most defining career moment to date, though the draw had been immeasurably kind to Vinci up to that point.
The only seed faced was Eugenie Bouchard, who was forced to quit their fourth-round match through injury.
Pennetta has accounted for number two seed Simona Halep and 5th seed Petra Kvitova in stark contrast and the marginally older of the two Italians is therefore fancied to prevail in clinical fashion.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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