Sydney Tennis Classic 2022: Barbora Krejcikova vs Belinda Bencic preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (3) Barbora Krejcikova vs Belinda Bencic
Date: 11 January 2021
Tournament: Sydney Tennis Classic 2022
Round: Round of 32 (first round)
Venue: Sydney, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $703,580
Match timing: TBA
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Barbora Krejcikova vs Belinda Bencic preview
Third seed Barbora Krejcikova is set to square off against Belinda Bencic in the first round of the 2022 Sydney Tennis Classic on Tuesday.
After being a successful doubles player for many years, Krejcikova finally made her breakthrough in singles last year. She won her first singles title at the Strasbourg Open and followed it up with a maiden Grand Slam win at the French Open.
Krejcikova's triumph at Roland Garros resulted in more consistent performances throughout the season. She won her third title at the Prague Open, qualified for the WTA Finals and reached a career-high ranking of No. 3.
Czech, Please 
🇨🇿 Czech, Please 🇨🇿
Barbora Krejcikova joins Hana Mandlikova as the second Czech women’s singles champion at #RolandGarros https://t.co/II5EEhG9IK
The Czech player continued to taste success in doubles, winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, a third Grand Slam title at Roland Garros and the WTA Finals with Katerina Siniakova.
The Sydney Tennis Classic will be Krejcikova's first tournament of 2022 and the Czech will be aiming to continue her winning ways across both disciplines of the game.
Belinda Bencic will also begin her 2022 season at the Sydney Tennis Classic. The Swiss had a decent 2021, reaching two WTA 500 finals in Adelaide and Berlin during the first half of the year.
The turning point for Bencic, however, was at the Tokyo Olympics, where she captured gold in the singles and a silver medal in the doubles. Following this, she lost at the quarterfinal stage of the next five tournaments she competed in. The Swiss ended her season at the start of October due to injury but returned to action in November to compete at the Billie Jean King Cup.
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Olympic Medalist* ☺️🤯
Singles&Doubles 🇨🇭 https://t.co/7ZCfsKnkTK
In December, Bencic took part in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi and tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home. This hampered her preparations for the new season and she was forced to withdraw from the Adelaide International last week.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Belinda Bencic head-to-head
Bencic and Krejcikova have played against each other twice before, with Bencic leading 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their most recent encounter at the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup 7-6(2), 6-4.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Belinda Bencic prediction
While both players possess versatile games and an aggressive outlook, Krejcikova is the more consistent of the two. She has the added advantage of her vast doubles experience, making her extremely proficient at the net.
Bencic will look to capitalize on her effective serve and powerful groundstrokes, taking the ball on the rise and taking time away from her opponent. The Swiss will also feel confident given the head-to-head.
Both players will be eager to start 2022 with a win. While Bencic has led the rivalry so far, expect Krejcikova to notch her first win over the Swiss.
Prediction: Barbora Krejcikova to win in three sets.