Karolina Pliskova vs Belinda Bencic Prediction: Two high-powered opponents

The WTA scene is cruising towards the deep stages and this has been another terrific Grand Slam as expected. There have been a bunch of upsets but some of the favorites have ticked along as expected. This has been a fun ride thus far but trust me it is only gonna get more enticing. It will surely be enticing when Czechia’s Karolina Pliskova takes on Swiss Belinda Bencic in the Round of 32.

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Pliskova marches into the game after defeating compatriot Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-2 in an expected outcome. She registered 65% first serve and had an impressive 91% on the first serve, earning a 39-27 service points and 21-12 receiving points edge. Karolina defeated Magda Linette in a tiebreaker thriller during the first round, which meant that this was a change of pace for her. She has hit 13 Aces combined in the first two games thus far. Can she keep the momentum ticking?

Belinda enters the game after defeating Sorana Cirstea 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. She was down in the second set too but this comeback win is bound to improve her confidence. In that game, Bencic relied on breaking Sorana’s serve, coming up with a 52-28 receiving points advantage, while losing the service points battle 50-68. This was the second straight third-set game for the Swiss stalwart. She has been in a bit of a rut this year but these two wins have been against top notch players.

Bencic and Pliskova have met once and Belinda won the sole battle between them. This win was during 2019 Indiana Wells Masters Quarterfinals that lasted three sets.

Karolina has been searching for a deep run this year and the same applies to Bencic. Bencic has struggled with her serve which has made it tough for her to fend off opponents early, but she also faced two quality opponents in a row. While Pliskova didn’t have easy draws either, she chimed in with a decisive serve game both times. Bencic will need to do better in terms of serve, which has been a problem this year. I believe Pliskova will put on an Aces galore and will avenge the 2019 loss against Belinda. This can go to three sets though.