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Match details
Fixture: (3) Belinda Bencic vs Anett Kontaveit
Date: 24 September 2021
Tournament: J&T Banka Ostrava Open 2021
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Ostrava, Czech Republic
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $565,530
Match timing: Approx. 7.30 pm local time, 5.30 pm GMT, 1.30 pm EST, 11 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Belinda Bencic vs Anett Kontaveit preview
Third seed Belinda Bencic has set up an exciting quarterfinal showdown in Ostrava against Estonia's Anett Kontaveit.
Bencic kickstarted her campaign with a 6-2 6-3 win over Sara Sorribes Tormo on Thursday, to make the last eight without much trouble. The Swiss has been in fine form the last couple of months and has now reached five consecutive quarterfinals.
That said, Bencic hasn't gone beyond this stage since her gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics.
Anett Kontaveit, meanwhile, has reached the quarterfinals without dropping a set. She was in complete control during her last match, dispatching Paula Badosa Gibert 6-3 6-4.
While the Estonian's season has been rather up and down, this is her fifth quarterfinal of the season. She seems to be getting better with every match in Ostrava, and would fancy her chances of causing an upset on Friday.
Belinda Bencic vs Anett Kontaveit head-to-head
This will be the second career meeting between Belinda Bencic and Anett Kontaveit, and the Estonian currently leads the head-to-head 1-0.
The only match they have played against each other was very one-sided, with Kontaveit thrashing Bencic 6-0 6-1 at the 2020 Australian Open. The two players were also supposed to meet at the 2019 US Open, but Kontaveit gave Bencic a walkover before the start of that one.
Belinda Bencic vs Anett Kontaveit prediction
Belinda Bencic will be keen to put up a good performance against Anett Kontaveit after her disastrous showing in their last meeting. Both players are good servers and like to take the ball early, so this will be a battle of who can take control of the rally right from the first shot.
But Bencic loves to redirect pace, especially when the shots coming at her are flat and hard - just like Kontaveit's groundstrokes. That might skew things in favor of the Swiss, who's also in slightly better form compared to her opponent.
Bencic had no answers to the Estonian in their previous meeting, but it is likely that she will have done her homework ahead of Friday's clash.
Prediction: Belinda Bencic to win in three sets.
