One hundred and twenty-eight women came to London seeking a Wimbledon crown, and now only two remain.  On one side will be a familiar face at this venue, American Venus Williams.  She is looking to keep the Wimbledon crown in the Williams's household by reigning victorious for a sixth time here in what would likely be her sweetest title of all.  On the other side of the net is Garbiñe Muguruza.  She made her slam final debut at this tournament two years ago, and at that time, she was not quite ready for the moment.  This time around she arrives a more mature player with one major title in the bag.  She is ready for a second crack at the title here.  The stage is set for a blockbuster final to determine which of these deserving candidates will get to walk away with one of the grandest prizes in tennis.

Most people are apt to favor Williams for the win.  She is such an appealing pick because her game – effective on most any surface – is particularly devastating on the grass.  She already boasts some of the most powerful strokes in the sport, and they are only further helped by the grass.  The same can be said of her serve, as well as her net play.  Furthermore, although she is one of the oldest remaining players on tour, she is still in the upper echelons when it comes to defense.  She covers the court beautifully, able to turn defense into offense in a heartbeat, and her court coverage also often goads her opponents to go for too much as a result.

In addition to her game, fans also must feel confident about the tenth seed's chances of having the mental fortitude to cross the finish line.  She has already enjoyed so much success at Wimbledon, which breeds an extra sense of belief, as does the fact that she has been playing so well this season, including a finalist appearance in Melbourne.  She also has won three of her four previous meetings against the Spaniard, so she clearly knows what it takes to get the job done against Muguruza.  All told, she has a tried and true record that makes her feel like a safe bet to go all the way here.

Of course, as likely as a Williams victory may seem, knowledgeable fans and Williams will be fully aware that the Spaniard is an adversary more than capable of derailing her title hopes.  Her defense may not be up there on the same level as the American's, but virtually every other part of her game is.  She has shown an ability to finish at the net, she goes big and flat from the ground and on serve, and her second serve is not quite the liability that Williams's is at times.  It could even be argued when strictly considering their games, the match hinges more on the racket of Muguruza than Williams.  After all, Muguruza essentially outhit Serena Williams to win the title last season in Paris, so it is not inconceivable that she could do the same to her sister here.

The greatest question mark in this match though will surround the mental fortitude of Muguruza.  She does not have a reputation for displaying nerves of steel, and she clearly struggled with the new expectations that followed her Roland Garros run last year.  That said, she has looked much more solid in 2017.  She did win her most recent meeting with Williams earlier this spring on the clay, and she has appeared the better player throughout this fortnight.  That she has been to this stage a couple of times and has secured a major should leave her better prepared psychologically than she was when she first appeared here in the final in 2015 as well.  If she can continue that run of fine form, then capturing her second major title on Saturday is well within her grasp.

All told, this could and should be a great final.  They both have impressive games, and if they bring their best, then it should make a fitting capstone to the women's tournament.  Either woman has a decent look at finishing the champion, but as alluded to earlier, with all that she has already accomplished on these hallowed lawns, Williams has to be the one favored to live up to her higher seeding and win a sixth Wimbledon crown.