Originally Posted by
Honeybadger44
I'd say that odds are telling the story here. When Serena is at her best and books trust her to get the job done, they don't have any problems putting her in 1.20 range against pretty much any opponent. And here we are getting almost double. To me, that is a sign that books don't trust her entirely in this match/tournament.
I disagree with @SCI about "her backyard" theory. She didn't play 15 years in IW. So despite this tournament being played in her country, she is not that familiar with it.
But, as JC mentioned, there is always that danger with top players. Looking sloppy in earlier rounds of tournament and then stepping their game up later in the tournament. I got burned so many times by that.
Halep has a nice chance, but she has to keep her 1st serve % high. That's a must.