Abu Dhabi Open: Bencic vs Roger Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open as Belinda Bencic takes on Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinal on Friday, February 10, 2023.

Belinda Bencic has won nine of her 11 matches this season. But she faces a resurgent qualifier in Shelby Rogers. Who will prevail and advance into the semifinal of the Abu Dhabi Open?

Belinda Bencic’s first match since the Australian Open yielded a positive result. She was not expected to face an easy match against Marta Kostyuk who is one of the most improving players on the women’s tour. But Bencic dealt with all the questions posed by the Ukrainian immaculately to win the match in straight sets. It’s been a fantastic start to the year for the Swiss Olympic Gold Medalist, but can she keep it up once more as she looks to keep her perfect record against Shelby Rogers at Tour level?

Shelby Rogers, meanwhile, qualified for the main draw and hasn’t looked back. The American arrived at the Abu Dhabi Open with just one win in three tournaments Down Under. But Rogers, who has a knack for upsetting the favorites throughout her career, continued with that trend this week. First, she shocked 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and then looked in cruise control against Anett Kontaveit when the Estonian retired midway through the third set, allowing Rogers to advance into her first quarterfinal since August.

Belinda Bencic leads Shelby Rogers 3-0 in WTA Tour meetings. However, they haven’t faced off in almost two years. Bencic has looked in fine fettle since the turn of the year, winning a WTA title in Adelaide and reaching the second week of the Australian Open where she lost to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. Rogers has played out of her mind this week at the Abu Dhabi Open, beating the likes of Fernandez and Kontaveit. But she is unlikely to navigate past the Swiss here. Bencic reads the game so well and will look to utilize her depth to pin the American on the baseline and dictate proceedings.