Wimbledon 2015: Thursday All England Club Schedule and Bracket Predictions

No. 1 Serena Williams will face and defeat No. 4 Maria Sharapova for the 17th time in a row on Thursday. Sharapova hasn't beaten Williams in 11 years. Conventional wisdom says the day when she will once again beat Williams has to come sooner or later. While that might be true, that day won't come anytime soon.

Per Simon Cambers of the Guardian, Williams said this of her opponent in Thursday's semifinal:

“I love playing Maria. I think she brings out the best in me. I think I bring out the best in her. I thought we had a wonderful final in Australia. It was very entertaining, she played really well.”

I'd love playing someone I beat the living daylights out of too.

At 33 years old, Williams is playing as well as she ever has in her career. She looks dominant and most of all poised. Per this tweet from ESPN Stats and Info, Williams' 16-match win streak has featured mostly dominant performances in favor of the top seed:

Sharapova and her hardcore fans would love to see the trend bucked, but with Williams having blown past sister Venus Williams and a tough test against Victoria Azarenka in the last two matches, she looks poised to complete the Serena Slam with her fourth consecutive Grand Slam title.

Thursday's Schedule

Play Starts at 8 a.m. ET

• No. 20 Garbine Muguruza vs. No. 13 Agnieszka Radwanska
• No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 4 Maria Sharapova

 

Who Will Williams Play?

No. 20 Garbine Muguruza has beaten No. 13 Agnieszka Radwanska twice this year already. Both of those matches came in January when Radwanska was struggling badly to find her game. She's seemingly righted the ship and has looked like a legitimate top-five player again.

Radwanska is clearly the more experienced player having reached the Wimbledon final back in 2012 and the semis at the 2014 Australian Open. Muguruza is an up-and-coming player, but this is the furthest she's ever been in a Grand Slam event.

Up to now, I'd been leaning toward Radwanska, but I've had a change of heart. Muguruza has battled past Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber to get to this point, not to mention another up-and-comer in Timea Bacsinszky in the quarterfinals.

The 21-year-old is seemingly ticketed for elite status in the next year or two. This year's Wimbledon will be her breakout performance as she reaches her first Grand Slam final.

 

Williams Wins it All

Muguruza will have to settle for a berth in the final. She has beaten Williams once in her career. That win came at the 2014 French Open. She also took a set from the top seed at the Australian Open this year, so there's reason for optimism on her part.

While this match may not be as easy as some expect, Williams will prevail because of her power and overwhelming Grand Slam experience. Get ready to watch Williams add yet another championship in her extraordinary career.