'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match details
Fixture: (22) Belinda Bencic vs Marta Kostyuk.
Date: 24 March 2022.
Tournament: Miami Open presented by Itau.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
Venue: Miami, Florida, USA.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,584,055.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Belinda Bencic vs Marta Kostyuk preview
22nd seed Belinda Bencic will lock horns with World No. 55 Marta Kostyuk in the second round of the Miami Open on Thursday.
Having tested positive for COVID-19 in December, Bencic didn't have the best of starts to the 2022 season. The Olympic champion's sharpness and energy levels looked compromised when she returned to the tour in January.
The Swiss' best performances of the season remain a couple of quarterfinal appearances in Sydney and St. Petersburg. Since her loss to eventual champion Anett Kontaveit in Russia, Bencic hasn't managed to win another match, losing her openers in Doha and at Indian Wells.
The World No. 28 arrives in Miami on a three-match losing streak, which she will be desperate to snap in the third WTA 1000 event of the season. But with the fast-rising Marta Kostyuk standing on the opposite side of the net in her first match, it won't be easy for the Swiss.
2017 Australian Open junior champion Kostyuk, meanwhile, has made a smooth transition to the senior circuit. The 19-year-old has already produced a number of mature performances at the highest level.
She made the fourth round of the French Open last year. At the Australian Open, she has twice been to the third round, with the latest one coming this season.
The Ukrainian reached three semifinals on the WTA tour in 2021 as she continues to make a rapid ascent up the rankings ladder. She broke into the top 50 in February this year, peaking at 49.
Currently six places shy of her career-best ranking, Kostyuk has come to Miami with a 9-6 win-loss record for the year. She showed tremendous fighting spirit in her 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 comeback win over Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round on Tuesday and will want to build on that victory.
Belinda Bencic vs Marta Kostyuk head-to-head
Bencic and Kostyuk have never squared off on the tour before, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Belinda Bencic vs Marta Kostyuk prediction
Bencic comes into this match with a lot more experience than the young Kostyuk. But with the Swiss struggling to string together wins consistently of late, she could be on the backfoot against a teenager with a fearless attitude and nothing to lose.
The slow hardcourt in Miami, too, might not provide Bencic with much assistance as she likes to take the ball on the rise and hit it flat off both wings. Bencic typically thrives on faster surfaces and now with her confidence level low, she could find it more difficult to navigate through her opening hurdle.
Kostyuk, on the other hand, will be pumped up after her gritty three-set win in the first round. The Ukrainian has a solid baseline game with aggressive groundstrokes and will look to attack Bencic right from the start.
If she can keep her unforced errors in check, she stands a solid chance of upsetting the 22nd seed.
Prediction: Marta Kostyuk to win in three sets.
