Australian Open 2023: Aryna Sabalenka vs Belinda Bencic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (5) Aryna Sabalenka vs (12) Belinda Bencic
Date: January 23, 2023
Tournament: Australian Open 2023
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: A$76,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv
Aryna Sabalenka vs Belinda Bencic preview
The fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open will witness a blockbuster face-off between two reigning Adelaide champions as Aryna Sabalenka and Belinda Bencic clash on Monday.
Sabalenka, the fifth seed at the Melbourne Major, has made a fantastic start to the year. She began the season by winning her 11th career title at the Adelaide International 1 without dropping a set.
The Belarusian has brought that stellar form into the first Slam of the year. She has motored her way into the last 16, conceding just 14 games along the way. Sabalenka's third-round match involved a 6-2, 6-3 hammering of her former doubles partner Elise Mertens on Saturday that extended her winning streak to seven.
The World No. 5 will now aim to reach the last eight at Melbourne Park for the first time in her career.
Bencic, too, has had a similar trajectory as Sabalenka this year. The Swiss beat the likes of Garbine Muguruza, Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina to claim the seventh title of her career at the Adelaide International 2. It propelled her back into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time since October 2021.
The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist has now charged into the fourth round of the Australian Open with straight-sets wins in each match to record a 7-0 start for the year. The hard-hitting Camila Giorgi was supposed to be a dangerous opponent for her in the third round, but the 12th seed made short work of her for a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
The only set that the 25-year-old has dropped so far this year was against Caroline Garcia in Adelaide. With the momentum fully on her side, Bencic will hope to make her first trip to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open when she meets Sabalenka.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Belinda Bencic head-to-head
Sabalenka and Bencic are tied at 1-1 in the head-to-head. Sabalenka annihilated Bencic 6-3, 6-2 in their first-ever meeting at New Haven in 2018. But the Swiss exacted revenge in their very next showdown with a gritty 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(7) win at Dubai in 2019.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Belinda Bencic odds
(Odds will be updated once they are available)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Belinda Bencic prediction
Two winning streaks will collide in this match, making this contest a blockbuster affair. Sabalenka has been playing some brilliant power tennis since the start of the year and more importantly, she has been striking the ball with controlled aggression. Her third-round clash with Mertens saw the Belarusian rack up 32 winners against just 20 unforced errors.
Another positive aspect of Sabalenka's game this season is her improved serve. The World No. 5 has so far coughed up only a total of seven double faults in three matches at Melbourne Park.
Known for taking the ball early and hitting it flat, Bencic has found tremendous success so far this season Down Under. Her superb return game has been the architect of her wins in Australia. Against the explosive Giorgi, Bencic won 50% of the points, returning both the first and the second serves of the Italian.
She will need to emulate that level of returning against Sabalenka and move the Belarusian all over the court to find a breakthrough. Making quick forays into the net by pinning the fifth seed to the baseline could also pay her rich dividends.
But with Sabalenka in such great form, it remains to be seen how long Bencic manages to handle the pace and power coming from the other side. If Sabalenka continues to keep her unforced errors in check, she should have the edge in this battle.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.