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Match details
Fixture: (5) Belinda Bencic vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Date: 18 June 2021
Tournament: bett1Open 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Grass
Prize money: $565,530
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Belinda Bencic vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview
Fifth seed Belinda Bencic faces a tough challenge in the shape of World No. 34 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals of the bett1Open on Friday.
World No. 12 Bencic has had an underwhelming season so far, with her win-loss record standing at a disappointing 14-11. The highlights of her season include a runner-up finish in Adelaide and a quarterfinal appearance in Madrid.
Back on the grass, the former junior Wimbledon champion is hoping to cast aside her early-season setbacks and make a statement.
The Swiss started her campaign in the German capital with a fighting 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over local favorite Jule Niemeier. Bencic then cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Petra Martic in her next match.
Following her run to the semifinals of the Gippsland Trophy, Ekaterina Alexandrova failed to breach the quarterfinal hurdle in her next three tournaments, in St. Petersburg, Stuttgart and Strasbourg.
The 26-year-old will be desperately hoping for a reversal of fortunes now that she has reached another quarterfinal on the WTA Tour.
The Russian has notched up a couple of strong wins in Berlin which would have boosted her confidence ahead of her last-eight showdown with Bencic. After brushing aside compatriot Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2, Alexandrova upset second seed Elina Svitolina 6-4, 7-5.
Belinda Bencic vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head
Ekaterina Alexandrova leads Belinda Bencic 2-1 in their head-to-head. The Swiss won their very first meeting at Indian Wells in 2019, before Alexandrova exacted revenge on the grasscourts of Eastbourne later that year.
The Russian went on to claim another win in their most recent encounter in Stuttgart in April.
Belinda Bencic vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction
This will be a clash between two players that enjoy playing on grass. Bencic's flat groundstrokes have worked wonders on this surface in the past, taking her to the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships twice.
The surface aids Alexandrova's aggressive style of play as well. While her best result at SW19 is a second-round finish in 2016, the Russian has made the quarterfinals in grasscourt tournaments thrice.
Alexandrova is coming off one of her best performances of the year in the second round against Svitolina. She was solid on serve, winning 80.4% of her first-serve points and being broken only once.
The World No. 34 also relentlessly attacked the Svitolina serve, converting three of the five break points she earned. Her mental toughness was also on display as she saved as many as seven set points in the second set to ultimately show the door to the Ukrainian.
Bencic, on the other hand, barely survived her first-round duel with Jule Niemeier. She made improvements in her next match against Petra Martic, winning 82.9% of her first-serve points and saving all five break points, but she will need to raise her game several notches if she is to threaten Alexandrova.
The Russian has definitely been the more solid of the two players in 2021 and that could tilt the balance in her favor in crunch situations.
Alexandrova's prior experience of beating Bencic on this surface could also make a difference.
Prediction: Ekaterina Alexandrova to win in three sets.
