Simona Halep and Belinda Bencic will go head to head in the quarterfinal of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Thursday evening. The match will start at around 7 pm local time (3 pm BST).
Looking to watch (and bet) on the Halep v Bencic live streaming online? Go to Unibet > Tennis > Live Streaming here* .
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
[maxbutton id=”5″ text=”Watch (& Bet on) Halep v Bencic Live” ]
Halep v Bencic Head to Head
The two players have met only twice on the tour so far, with the head to head tally currently tied at 1-1. They last met in 2015 Rogers Cup, where Bencic defeated the Romanian No. 1 to win the biggest title of her career.
Bencic Looking Quite Impressive
After struggling greatly with her form over the last couple of seasons, Bencic has finally managed to find her rhythm, at least to a certain extent. The young Swiss started this season with a semifinal run in Hobart and a brief stint in the Australian Open, where she reached the third round.
While in St. Petersburg she lost in the qualifiers, she more than made up for it by taking her nation through to the next round in Fed Cup. She won both of her ties against the Italian players Sara Errani and Camila Giorgi in straight sets.
Impressively enough, the 2018 Luxembourg Open runner-up has carried the same momentum to Dubai. She won her opening matches against Lucie Hradecka and Stefanie Voegele in straight sets. She then met the formidable Aryna Sabalenka in the third round and defeated her in three sets.
Halep Closing in on the First Title of the Year
In this competition, Halep has won all of her matches so far in straight sets. Starting with Eugenie Bouchard in the opening round, she moved on to defeat Lesia Tsurenko next with 6-3, 7-5.
After starting the year on a disappointing note, the reigning Roland Garros champion managed to find her form in the Middle East swing. Last week, she played in Doha where she was the runner-up after losing to Elise Mertens in the final. This week, she has already reached the quarterfinal and looks primed to go the distance here.
At the same time, she is without a coach, once again – a factor that may prove to be decisive as she reaches the penultimate rounds. It is to be seen how she fares in the coming weeks in such a scenario.
Halep v Bencic Predictions & Tips
This is going to be a brilliant match to watch. With the sole exception of her defeat to Serena Williams in Melbourne, Halep’s other defeats came at the hands of youngsters like Ash Barty and Mertens. Needless to mention, Bencic will fancy her chances here, especially considering that the Romanian is not entirely invincible.
It wouldn’t be surprising if this goes to three sets and for that, Bet365 are offering 7/4.
You can watch & bet on Simona Halep v Belinda Bencic on Thursday, February 21 here . The match is scheduled to take place at 7:00 pm local time.
Be the first to comment