Olympics 2021: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Belinda Bencic preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (13) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [ROC] vs (9) Belinda Bencic [SUI]
Date: 28 July 2021
Tournament: Olympics 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan
Category: Olympic Games
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Match timing: Approx. 1 pm local time, 9.30 am IST, 4 am GMT, 12 am ET
Live telecast: USA - NBC & Peacock TV | UK - BBC TV | India - Sony Liv
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Belinda Bencic preview
Roland Garros runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will lock horns with Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday.
Pavlyuchenkova has steamrolled her opponents this week, setting a record for the fewest number of games lost en route to an Olympic quarter-final. The Russian's big-hitting game has worked well in the hot and humid conditions in Tokyo and she is now just a couple of wins away from her maiden Olympic medal.
Bencic, meanwhile, has done well to recover from a disappointing grasscourt season. Playing in her first Olympic Games, the Swiss has scored wins over the likes of Jessica Pegula, Misaki Doi and French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Bencic was especially impressive in her third-round match against Krejcikova, battling back after losing the first set 6-1 to eke out a win.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Belinda Bencic head-to-head
Belinda Bencic leads Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4-2 in their current head-to-head. But the Russian won their most recent meeting in Dubai last year.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Belinda Bencic prediction
The gap in the world rankings notwithstanding, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova enters this contest as the slight favorite. The Russian has played some of her best tennis in recent months and is brimming with confidence.
Pavlyuchenkova has one of the best all-round games on the women's tour and she showcased that in her third-round match against Sara Sorribes Tormo. The 30-year-old dominated from start to finish, firing winners off both wings. She also made a number of successful forays into the net, winning 24 points in the forecourt.
Belinda Bencic, on her part, will need to come up with a way to go toe-to-toe with the Russian from the baseline. The Swiss is also an aggressive baseliner who likes to hit winners early in rallies. But she isn't the most consistent and can leak a fair few errors, especially off the forehand side.
Pavlyuchenkova will look to push Bencic on the backfoot from the get-go. If the Russian can continue to strike the ball as cleanly as she has all week and target Bencic's weaker forehand, she should be able to walk away with another big win.
Prediction: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win in two tight sets