Ostrava 2021: Belinda Bencic vs Sara Sorribes Tormo preview, head-to-head & prediction | J&T Banka Open

Match details

Fixture: (3) Belinda Bencic vs Sara Sorribes Tormo

Date: 23 September 2021

Tournament: Ostrava Open 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Ostrava, Czech Republic

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: $565,530

Match timing: Approx. 6 pm local time, 4 pm GMT, 12 pm EST, 9.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Belinda Bencic vs Sara Sorribes Tormo preview

Winning the Olympic gold medal has been the highlight of Belinda Bencic's 2021 season.

Third seed Belinda Bencic will open her 2021 Ostrava Open campaign with a second-round encounter against Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo on Thursday.

After a rather inconsistent start to the season, Bencic has been in fine form the last couple of months. The highlight of her 2021 campaign has been her performances at the Tokyo Olympics, where she won a gold medal in singles and a silver medal in doubles.

However, the Swiss has fallen in the quarterfinal s of the last three tournaments she has participated in and will be looking to progress further than that in Ostrava.

Sara Sorribes Tormo at the 2021 French Open.

After being billed as a promising prospect for the last couple of years, Sara Sorribes Tormo has finally made her breakthrough.

The Spaniard won her first WTA title at the 2021 Abierto Zapopan Open, reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the US Open, defeated World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics and made the quarterfinals of two WTA 1000 events.

Her performances have propelled her to a career-high ranking of number 36. The Spaniard made a good start to her campaign in Ostrava, defeating qualifier Anastasia Zakharova 6-3 6-3.

Belinda Bencic vs Sara Sorribes Tormo head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between Belinda Bencic and Sara Sorribes Tormo, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Belinda Bencic vs Sara Sorribes Tormo prediction

Belinda Bencic will be looking to make another deep run in a tournament.

Belinda Bencic will be the slight favorite heading into this match. The Swiss has all the tools required to come away with the win; a strong serve complemented by powerful groundstrokes.

But Sara Sorribes Tormo is a tough opponent to play against given her counterpunching style and groundstrokes laden with topspin. The Spaniard is also known for her endurance and fighting spirit, having won two marathon contests after saving match points this year.

But if Bencic's groundstrokes start firing on all cylinders, she should be able to overpower the Spaniard and advance to the next round.

Prediction: Belinda Bencic to win in two tight sets.