Will the player from eastern Switzerland advance to the third round?
Since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, Belinda Bencic has been on the rise again. The former top-10 player already put together a strong run at the 2021 US Open last autumn, storming through to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the third time in her career.
The player from eastern Switzerland is now looking to build on this in Down Under, where she has reached the third round three times in a row before failing to make it. In the run-up to the second-round match between Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova, the odds are clearly in favour of the gold medallist from Switzerland
However, it has to be said that the American started with a lot of wind at her back in Melbourne. Amanda Anisimova won the Melbourne Summer Set 2 and, including the shaky first round win over Arianne Hartono, has won all six singles in 2022. Accordingly, betting on Belinda Bencic against Amanda Anisimova is complicated for the favoured Swiss.
It seems much more sustainable to us to bet that the match will tend to be short one way or the other and that a maximum of 20 games will be needed before the winner is decided.
Belinda Bencic – Statistics & current form
Current ranking in the world: 22
Position in the seedings: 22
After playing just 16 singles matches on the WTA Tour in 2020, the 24-year-old Swiss Belinda Bencic, who once won the girls’ singles at the French Open and Wimbledon Championships in the 2013 season, made an impressive comeback in 2021.
Not only was the former top-10 player a regular at the major tournaments again last season. She also recorded her greatest career success to date when she won the gold medal in the women’s singles at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
On the rise since gold medal in Tokyo
Afterwards, that very success gave Belinda Bencic a visible boost.
After failing to progress beyond the first week of the first three Grand Slam tournaments earlier in the 2021 season, and even failing in her opening match at Wimbledon, a strong run saw her through to the quarter-finals at the US Open.
In fact, the woman from eastern Switzerland has only won one of her twelve singles titles in the past year. Nevertheless, the athlete, who has already returned to 22nd place in the WTA world rankings, is undoubtedly on the up again, which her infection and forced break in December did nothing to change.
67 % of all break chances converted in the opening match
The aim now is to confirm this upward trend in Down Under, where Bencic reached the quarter-finals in the preparatory tournament in Sydney despite a supposed lack of training and was only defeated by Paula Badosa (WTA 9). After a commanding 2-0 opening victory over Kristina Mladenovic, she is now the big favourite.
The 24-year-old will benefit in particular from her quality in the return game. In her opening match against a very strong Frenchwoman, she also won 2-0 because she converted four of her six break points (67%).
Amanda Anisimova – Statistics & current form
Current ranking in the world: 60
Seeded position: unseeded
As an unseeded player, 20-year-old American Amanda Anisimova could undoubtedly have fared worse in the draw for the 2022 Australian Open.
In Arianne Hartono, she met a player in the first round who already had to win three matches in qualifying to qualify for the women’s singles. The lady from New Jersey proved her comeback qualities directly in the first game and came back from losing the first set to win 2-1.
Anisimova has won all six singles in 2022
Overall, this means Amanda Anismova’s slate is still bright white in 2022. At her preparatory tournament here in Melbourne, the Melbourne Summer Set 2, the American finally managed to win the overall title.
It was only her second ever singles title on the WTA Tour, with her first title win in Bogotá in 2019 coming at a minor WTA International. Accordingly, the first title at a WTA 250 tournament may have given a big boost to the American, who is on six wins from six singles in 2022 after her opening win at the Australian Open.
26 winners but also 39 unforced errors in the first round
With this strong record in mind, Belinda Bencic’s second-round win over Amanda Anisimova is by no means out of the question, especially as the 20-year-old impressed with strong figures in the first round, when she managed 26 winners and scored 83% of the time when she advanced to the net.
The fact that the American’s sometimes too risky game also has its downsides is reflected in the total of 39 unforced errors in the opening match, which she certainly cannot afford against a strong Swiss…
Belinda Bencic – Amanda Anisimova Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 1:0
Both ladies faced each other in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Mallorca Open. On grass, Belinda Bencic did not give Amanda Anisimova the slightest chance and won confidently 2:0 (6:2 and 6:2).
Belinda Bencic – Amanda Anisimova Tip
With Belinda Bencic against Amanda Anisimova, the overall prediction is clearly in favour of the player from eastern Switzerland, who will, however, have to be wary of an opponent who is still unbeaten in six singles in 2022. An advantage for Bencic, who is so strong on returns, is that Anisimova does not exactly shine with a strong serve. It is therefore conceivable that the favourite will break early and quickly take the wind out of her opponent’s sails
We expect the match to be short one way or another, especially as the Swiss is known for not having any answers on weak days.
We are therefore betting on under 20.5 games, for which betting odds of 2.25 are available on Belinda Bencic against Amanda Anisimova.
