World number 12 Belinda Bencic will face up to the American challenge of the 19th-ranked Madison Keys in the first round of the 2021 WTA Doha Open on Monday, March 1, with the match likely to begin at around 11 am local time (12 noon BST or 7 pm Eastern Time previous day). Get the live streaming options of this Belinda Bencic v Madison Keys match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Belinda Bencic v Madison Keys Head to Head
These two played each other twice in 2015, winning one apiece and then they have never played again. Till now that is.
Keys won their second round match on the clay courts of Roland-Garros while Bencic was a straight-setter win on the grass of the Eastbourne Open.
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Bencic Improves to Make Adelaide Final
It has been a struggle for Bencic since her best performance at a Grand Slam came at the 2019 US Open. A semifinalist there, Bencic looked all set to break back into the top 10 and beyond but a strange 2020 saw her capitulate to some mediocre results.
On the WTA tour last season, Bencic made it only as far as winning two matches in a tournament as her best result. Add to that the fact she played in just one match after tennis returned following the pandemic break, and it looked like she would have to go through the grind yet again.
And when Bencic lost her opening round match at the first tournament she played earlier this year, at the Grampians Trophy, it would have gotten that much tougher.
Due credit then to Bencic for the manner in which she has dug herself out of that hole; first by reaching the third round at the Australian Open and then making it all the way to the final at the Adelaide International, where she also got the better of Cori Gauff.
The Doha Open is a slightly tougher competition in terms of the depth of opposition from the very beginning but the confidence from having overturned her poor form should help Bencic a lot.
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Keys Kick-Starts 2021 Campaign
Having tested positive for Covid-19, Keys wasn’t able to board the flight to Australia and as a result, she will kick-start her season with this opening round match here in Doha. What’s worth noting is Keys did not have the greatest finish to the previous season either.
Having made it to the final of the Brisbane International at the start of the 2020 season, Keys returned to feature in just three tournaments post the pandemic break.
At the Cincinnati Open she lost to Ons Jabeur in round one, made it to the third round of the US Open before going down to Alize Cornet and then fell in the opener at the French Open to Shuai Zhang.
Fortunately for the former US Open runnerup she has still managed to keep her place in the top 20 of the rankings thanks to the tweaked WTA rankings. What needs to be seen is how quickly can she shrug off her rustiness and get down to the business.
Against an in-form Bencic, things could take time getting use to for the American.
Bencic v Keys Prediction and Tip
Interestingly, despite this being Keys’ comeback encounter, bookmakers are finding it difficult to make Bencic an overwhelming favourite – she is 8/11 to 10/11 for Keys. We think Bencic should have the momentum to pouch this.
Tip: Bencic to win: 8/11 (bet365)
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The 2021 WTA Doha Open will be played from March 1 to 7. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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