betprepare.com

Bencic left a better overall impression in Eastbourne

The Swiss managed to make a come back after losing the first set to beat the brilliant Konta in the quarterfinals. She played a very good match an left a better overall impression than Wozniacki, who was far from her top game against Petkovic

Belinda didn't open the match against Johanna Konta in the best possible manner. She didn't feel well from the very start, which forced her to ask for medical assistance late in the second set. Up until that moment she was already able to display two very different sides to herself. She played the fist set poorly to win only two games to go on and leave Konta with a second set bagel. She got more consistent, forcing the opponent into taking more risk and proved to be much more confident in the key moments.

Granted, Konta's game dropped drastically in the second two sets. One of the reasons for it was Belinda's serve that was getting better as the match advanced. Even though Konta proved to be a tougher opponent for Bencic than Key or Bouchard, she was still not good enough to beat he. The Swiss finished the match with 27 winners and 12 unforced errors and put up a really good-quality performance once again.

- I don't think I was that bad in the first set, I just lost a few key points. I served better in the second and thrid sets. It was on the whole a tough match with great rallies. She forced me to struggle and I really have to admit that she has a very good serve and good depth in her shots from both sides - Bencic said.

Wozniacki failed to reach expectations in the opening stage of her match against Petkovic. She was inconsistent in the beginning but managed to find her first serve later on. She managed to win her service game for 6-5 and then convert the second break/set point to win the key game. That is when her forehand kicked in and she got much more consistent, which cannot be said for the German. Petkovic played a disappointing match in every aspect of the game. She tried to be aggressive but missed too many easy shots and volleys. Besides, she had a disappointing 6/14 efficiency on the net. Her serve that has quite a lot of spin also didn't do so well on grass and she managed to win only two of her service games in both sets. Wozniacki, on the other hand, sailed through the second set almost without any unforced errors but also showed that serve will be her problems against Bencic.

- It was a tough match, as it normally is when we play head-to-head. Andrea gets a lot of shots back in the court and plays an aggressive game. I think I was good at return and I think that turned out to be crucial. I'm happy with my game throughout the week and with my ability to keep it on a certain level. I'm happy to have even gotten this far on grass and I hope we'll do a good match tomorrow - Wozniacki said.

Yes, she struggled with lower back problems in the Petkovic match and is clearly not at her best. Besides, it's questionable which direction the match would go to if she didn't convert that key break point for 7-5. Bencic left a better overall impression and seems to be more trustworthy on grass. She beat Wozniacki at Indian Wells this season and clearly stands a chance here. 

I have to admit that the odds sets at this match don't make too much sense. Granted, Wozniacki is not that bad on grass but she has not yet displayed her best game ehre. She was horrible for the most part of the first set and then took advantage of Petkovic's bad day in the last 9 games. Bencic had a real test against Konte, who is getting better each next day. She had to build her points and look for shortcomings in Konte's game. She would find them eventually to bring the opponent down. Bencic had some health problems before that match but her problems are much smaller compared to Wozniacki's. The Swiss had problems in the head, which can be easily sorted out while Woznaicki struggled with back problems. Either way, even if Wozniacki was 100% fit I would still go with this bet anyway. Belinda doesn't make too many mistakes in rallies and she cannot be defeated only because of unforced errors. Bencic is too confident on grass and I'm sure she'll cover this handicap. I would not be surprised even if she wins.