They came as dark horses.  Petra Kvitova, the Czech with a blend of power and finesse so perfectly suited to the manicured lawns.  Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, the fast-rising star, who after reaching the semifinals of the year’s first two majors has proven that she has the goods on grass as well.  On Saturday, one of them will leave London the 2014 Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Champion.

On paper, this is a very mouthwatering final.  There are a number of intriguing elements at work, starting with their respective playing styles and game plans.  The pair of them are powerful shot-makers, possessing all-court games that enable them to get the job done from the baseline and at the net.  Their missions are essentially identical.  They need to gain the upper hand in the rallies first to protect their shared weakness, mobility, and once that control has been seized, never relinquish it. 

That means having a good serving day and walking a fine line between remaining aggressive but keeping the unforced errors low.  Both are capable of executing this recipe for success.  Bouchard takes the ball earlier than most players and is very stubborn about giving up territory along the baseline.  Kvitova, on average, hits her ground strokes at least 10-15 miles per hour faster than her opposition.  Plus, she has all of the advantages typically associated with being a lefty.   

It could be said that Kvitova also enjoys a few advantages when it comes to the mental approach to this match.  She will not make the mistake of underestimating Bouchard, but a part of the Czech may have been happy to see her advance at Simona Halep’s expense.  Kvitova has lost both of her prior two meetings against Halep, but she easily defeated Bouchard in their lone encounter last year in Toronto.  Additionally, Halep’s ankle injury aside, Bouchard is not known for her scrambling and is less likely to make Kvitova hit the extra ball.  And then there is the fact that Kvitova has been in this situation before.  Bouchard on the other hand is playing in her first Grand Slam singles final, a situation known to make some players freeze.

Of course, many might say that Bouchard is set to shine in her maiden singles final rather than come out looking like a deer caught in the headlights.  There is ample evidence to support this argument, too.  She produced an impressive result in Melbourne.  She did not buckle under the pressure of backing that up in Paris, and she has not folded under even greater scrutiny here in London. 

Furthermore, she has youth on her side.  Bouchard has catapulted up the rankings, and after reaching two majors semifinals and the final at Wimbledon, she must be optimistic that even if she does fall in the championship match on Saturday, a major singles title is bound to be in her future sooner rather than later.  Finally, she gets to wear the tag of underdog.  That was Kvitova’s position when she came here in 2011 and won the title over Maria Sharapova.  Now it is the Czech’s turn to bear the burden that comes with being the favorite, while Bouchard is free to swing away.

Whether or not Bouchard plays with that wild abandon or tenses up in this championship match remains to be seen.  Whether or not Kvitova will continue to pound away or crumble under the pressure of being the favorite is yet to be determined.  That is the beauty of live sports.  No matter how much or how little the strengths, weaknesses, and intangibles are discussed and dissected, they can never predict an outcome with absolute certainty.  But all of the elements point to the potential for this battle to be an exciting conclusion to the ladies’ singles competition.  Hopefully Kvitova and Bouchard will make that a reality.