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Match details
Fixture: (SUI) Belinda Bencic vs (KAZ) Yulia Putintseva.
Date: December 29, 2022.
Tournament: United Cup 2023.
Round: Group stage.
Venue: Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane, Australia.
Category: United Cup.
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $15,000,000.
Match timing: Not before 7:00 pm local time, 2:30 pm IST, 4:00 am EST and 9:00 am GMT.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | Australia - Stan Sport.
Belinda Bencic vs Yulia Putintseva preview
Tokyo Olympic champion Belinda Bencic will lock horns with World No. 51 Yulia Putintseva as Switzerland and Kazakhstan clash at the United Cup 2023 on Thursday.
Bencic will come into the United Cup on the back of a 42-18 win-loss record in 2022. Having started the season slow due to the after-effects of contracting COVID-19, the Swiss gained in momentum when the tour moved to North America. She made the semifinals in Miami and backed it up with her first claycourt title at Charleston.
The World No. 12 also finished as the runner-up in Berlin on grass. Bencic added a semifinal appearance in Tallinn and a couple of quarterfinal runs in Lausanne and Toronto before the season came to an end.
Although she was consistent, Bencic failed to progress deep in Slams, something she will look to change in the upcoming season.
A former World No. 27, Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva has a couple of titles in her kitty. The 27-year-old can pack quite a punch on her day, as evident from her three trips to Grand Slam quarterfinals, with the latest one coming at the US Open in 2020.
The 2022 season, however, wasn't really a memorable one for the World No. 51. She managed to amass a 26-21 win-loss record, with her biggest highlight being a run to the last eight at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto. Putintseva also made it into a couple of semifinals in Istanbul and Budapest, both WTA 250 tournaments.
Belinda Bencic vs Yulia Putintseva head-to-head
Putintseva has a slender 3-2 lead over Bencic in their head-to-head. The Swiss, however, won their most recent meeting 6-4, 6-3 at Doha in 2020.
Belinda Bencic vs Yulia Putintseva odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Belinda Bencic vs Yulia Putintseva prediction
Bencic comes into this contest as the higher ranked and the more consistent of the two.
The Swiss tends to take the ball early and hit it flat off both wings. She looks to push her opponents wide and open up the court by altering the pace and spin of the ball and moving forward to finish the point.
However, she needs to be wary of the fact that she has lost thrice to Putintseva. A hard-hitter, the Kazakh is blessed with a highly aggressive forehand and will try to suffocate Bencic with her power game. That said, she is also prone to making unforced errors under pressure.
If Bencic can remain calm and play her natural game, Putintseva might collapse into a heap of errors.
Pick: Belinda Bencic to win in straight sets.
