Improving Ashleigh Barty could surprise champ Muguruza

Starts 11.30am Monday

With Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens capable of dominating the first and third quarters of the draw, punters may well be looking to quarters two and four for alter­native interests to go deep into the tournament.

Serena Williams is likely to make a serious nuisance of herself in the fourth quarter and the presence of the long-time world number one could deter section punts on seeded players Madison Keys, Magdalena Rybar­ikova and Agnieszka Radwan­ska as well as unseeded talents Katerina Siniakova, Petra Martic, Bernarda Pera and Anna Schmiedlova.

But the second quarter, headed by Garbine Muguruza, is a more competitive heat and it could be worth taking on the defending champion and Indian Wells heroine Naomi Osaka.

Ashleigh Barty is improving at a considerable rate of knots and the Australian should fear nobody after her title-winning run in Nottingham a fortnight ago.

Barty was undone by Serena Williams at Roland Garros – she was a little in awe of the American in Paris – but will not have to worry about the seven-time Wimbledon champion for the purposes of quarter punting.

Muguruza is a high-class operator on grass as she showed at Wimbledon last year, but that does not mean she is necessarily safe against a performer of Barty's talent.

With the exception of Osaka, Barty is arguably the most upwardly mobile of the seeded players in quarter two – and given that she saw off the Japanese 18th seed 6-3 6-4 in the Nottingham semi-finals she appeals more at the available prices.

Angelique Kerber, runner-up at Wimbledon two years ago, is a cracking performer on grass and could take plenty of stopping in her section of the draw. But early outings against 2010 All England Club finalist Vera Zvonareva, Ana Konjuh and Osaka mean things may not come easy for the two-time Grand Slam champion.

Recommendation
A Barty to win second quarter
1pt 8-1 Sky Bet

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