We are set to have a cracking contest as Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic lock horns in the finals of the Adelaide International 2 on Saturday.
The Olympic gold medalist has played some phenomenal tennis in the tournament so far. She came into the tournament on the back of a win against Yulia Putintseva at the inaugural United Cup and a loss in the same tournament against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
2022 turned out to be a topsy-turvy year for Bencic. However, she did manage to win her first title on clay at the Charleston Open by defeating Ons Jabeur in the final. Bencic also picked up a win against the legendary Serena Williams at the 2022 Canadian Open.
The 8th seed got off to a rollicking start at the Adelaide International 2. Bencic got the better of two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza in a one-sided contest. The Swiss star hit 10 aces and had a win percentage of 91 in the match. Bencic produced another fine performance to defeat Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. Against 2022 WTA Finals champion, Caroline Garcia, Bencic produced a dogged display to win the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Veronika Kudermetova pulled out ahead of her semi-final clash against Bencic, owing to a left hip injury. With all her impressive outings in the competition so far, Bencic will climb back into the top 10 of the WTA rankings after the end of the tournament. Bencic has also served well in the tournament so far and would hope to continue with the same against Kasatkina.
The Russian No. 1 has managed to overcome the nightmares of an exit in the first round at the Adelaide International 1. Kasatkina was ousted in the round of 32 of the Adelaide International 1 by eventual finalist Linda Noskova.
Kasatkina, who turns 25 on May 7, reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam event for the first time in her career at the 2022 French Open. She also reached a career-high ranking of world No. 8 on 24 October 2022. Kasatkina won 41 matches in 2022 and lost 22 with a win percentage of 65.1. This will be Kasatkina’s 8th hardcourt final at the WTA 500 level and above.
The 5th seed began her campaign in the Adelaide International 2 with a comprehensive win against Barbora Krejcikova in the round of 16. Kasatkina edged past another Grand Slam winner in Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals in straight sets 6-2, 7-5. In the semis, Kasatkina was supposed to take on Paula Badosa. However, the former world No. 2 pulled out of the encounter owing to a right thigh injury.
Daria Kasatkina has a slight edge over Belinda Bencic in the head-to-head record. The Russian star is up 3-2 in five encounters. Interestingly, all of their matches so far have been decided in straight sets. Kasatkina won their most recent encounter in the 2021 edition of the French Open in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Let’s see who wins their first title of the season. They have faced each other on the outdoor hardcourt on only one occasion. That match was also in Adelaide in 2020. Bencic won the match 6-4, 6-4. A win for anyone of the two players will do a world of good for her confidence ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.
Prediction: Belinda Bencic to win in three sets.
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