Australian Open: Sabalenka vs Bencic Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Australian Open as Aryna Sabalenka takes on Belinda Bencic in the fourth round on Monday, January 23, 2023.

It will be a blockbuster fourth-round match at the Australian Open as in-form Aryna Sabalenka faces Swiss No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic. Who will reach the quarterfinals?

Aryna Sabalenka was the second favorite behind Iga Swiatek in the list of pre-tournament favorites. But her odds have shortened with her run to the fourth round, and with Swiatek’s shock exit on Saturday, she is now instilled as the potential outright favorite. Sabalenka though will have her first major test against Belinda Bencic, who like her, won a WTA title in the lead-up to the Australian Open.

Belinda Bencic, for her part, had bludgeoned her way into the fourth round, beating Viktoriya Tomova, Claire Liu, and Camila Giorgi without losing a set. Benic is one of the WTA’s in-form players coming to this year’s Australian Open, having won the Adelaide 2 title in comprehensive fashion. Will she outlast Aryna Sabalenka in an intriguing clash of styles?

Aryna Sabalenka and Belinda Bencic are currently tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. However, that head-to-head is unlikely to be a factor in the context of this match because they last played in the 2019 season in Dubai, Bencic winning that one in three sets. We still, however, expect this to be a closely-contested fourth-round bout. Sabalenka and Bencic have started the year in impressive fashion bagging titles in Adelaide and carrying that momentum to the Australian Open. So far, Sabalenka has been very disciplined in her approach and execution of tactics. She is playing with confidence and has cut down on unnecessary double faults. But Bencic will be a test of her title aspirations. And you’re always cautious backing Sabalenka, knowing full well she is a potential hit-and-miss. Still, if she pieces her game together like she has done all week, this match should be on her racket.