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Match Details
Fixture: (15) Belinda Bencic vs (30) Sorana Cirstea
Date: September 3, 2023
Tournament: US Open 2023
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $65,000,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky Sports | India - Sony Sports
Belinda Bencic vs Sorana Cirstea preview
Belinda Bencic, the 15th seed from Switzerland, is set to square off against Romanian Sorana Cirstea, the 30th seed, in a much-anticipated round-of-16 match at the US Open 2023.
Bencic, currently ranked 13th in the world, navigated a particularly tough path to the fourth round. In her last outing, she faced a tough challenge from China's Lin Zhu. Although the match stretched for nearly three hours, Bencic displayed tenacity by taking the contest 7-6(1), 2-6, 6-3.
Bencic managed to win despite being broken four times and actually finishing the match with a slightly worse winner-to-unforced-error ratio than Zhu. It's clear that Bencic knows how to win when the pressure is on, which has been evident in her performance at the US Open in previous years.
She has reached the semi-finals once and the quarter-finals twice, amassing a total of 21 wins at this Grand Slam tournament.
Before her hard-fought match against Zhu, Bencic had more straightforward victories in the earlier rounds. She defeated Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-4, and overcame qualifier Yuriko Miyazaki 6-3, 6-3.
On the other side of the net, Sorana Cirstea enters the match fresh off a headline-making upset. In a three-set thriller that lasted just shy of three hours, Cirstea managed to topple fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina. The latter is a player who had been to the finals of the Australian Open and won the Indian Wells Open this year.
With that win, Cirstea made her way into the fourth round of the US Open for the first time since she debuted at the tournament in 2007. The match against Rybakina was a rollercoaster, featuring multiple lead changes, but Cirstea held her nerve to win 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
Cirstea’s earlier rounds also demonstrated her strong form as she beat American wildcard Kayla Day and Russian Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-3, 6-4, respectively.
Currently under the guidance of 2002 Australian Open men's champion Thomas Johansson, Cirstea is participating in her 17th US Open. She has had 15 main-draw entries and two in the qualifying rounds.
Belinda Bencic vs Sorana Cirstea head-to-head
This will mark the fourth meeting between Belinda Bencic and Sorana Cirstea. Cirstea currently leads the head-to-head at 2-1, with all their encounters taking place on hard courts. Their initial clash was at the Grampians Trophy in 2021, where Cirstea emerged victorious with a 7-5, 6-2 scoreline.
They faced off again in 2022 at the Western & Southern Open, with Cirstea winning a closely contested match 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4. However, in their most recent encounter at the US Open in 2022, Bencic finally got her win, defeating Cirstea 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Belinda Bencic vs Sorana Cirstea odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Belinda Bencic vs Sorana Cirstea prediction
In the forthcoming Round of 16 showdown at the US Open 2023, 15th-seed Belinda Bencic faces off against 30th-seed Sorana Cirstea.
While Cirstea might have the upper hand in their overall head-to-head at 2-1, it's crucial to note that Bencic won their most recent encounter at the US Open 2022.
Bencic has been in stellar form on hard courts, boasting a 24-8 record this season with two titles to her name. She's particularly strong under pressure, with a 49.8 percent break point conversion rate and 76.1 percent of her service games won on this surface.
In contrast, Cirstea's statistics lag behind Bencic's. She's won 73.8 percent of her service games but falls short in return games, with a win percentage of 32.3 percent.
Though Cirstea recently stunned the fourth-seed Elena Rybakina, her form has been inconsistent, which could be a liability against a more balanced player like Bencic.
Given that both have had fluctuating performances in their previous tournaments — Bencic bowing out in the Round of 64 at the Western & Southern Open and Cirstea in the Round of 32 — it may come down to who can maintain composure in key moments.
Bencic’s previous US Open experience and her more balanced statistics on hard courts make her a marginal favorite for this matchup.
Pick: Belinda Bencic to win in straight sets.
