Belinda Bencic vs Jelena Ostapenko Prediction, Picks, Odds, H2H, Stats - 1/11/24

We have arrived at the opening round of the Australian Open and the first Major Tournament of the 2025 campaign features a full slate of Saturday affairs.

Belinda Bencic and Jelena Ostapenko enter the fray facing different circumstances as the Swiss native is making her back to the tour and the Latvian native is struggling to get on track.

The Swiss native opens the first round as a -200 favorite to reach the second round of the first Major Tournament of the season. 

EJ Garr’s prediction for Belinda Bencic vs. Jelena Ostapenko features odds at -102 which you can find below.

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Belinda Bencic vs Jelena Ostapenko WTA Australian Open Prediction: Swiss Native Back In A Major

• Prediction: Belinda Bencic -3.5 Games Handicap
• Best Odds: -102
• Bookmaker: Pinnacle
• Stakes: 3/10

Odds as of 7:00 am UK Time on January 11, 2024. Odds may now differ.

She’s back! After a year away from the sport Belinda Bencic returned last last season to get in shape for 2025. You should know that if you follow me here because I covered a few Bencic outings in her official return to tennis.

The new mom is nervous and excited to be playing in a Major Tournament after missing all four of the big events during her time off the court. Bencic won’t be in unfamiliar territory with 10 appearances at the Australian Open with a 4th-round finish in 2023. 

The former World’s #4 opens the week ranked 421st but Bencic will see that number rise with each outing in 2025. Of course, playing at that level might take some time but Bencic did exactly what she set out to do in returning late last year. 

Getting some time in live on-court action was the only real way to prepare for what’s to come, and landing Jelena Ostapenko sets up perfectly for success. 

Ostapenko might be ranked 17th entering the Australian Open but that number will decline as the season progresses. Jelena is 1 – 6 since August of last year and the Latvian native was off the court for two months as the season was coming to a close.

The simple fact that Bencic is the better player with a mindset to win is enough for me to invest in the Swiss native to have success today. The -3.5 spread with a -102 offer makes it easy to decide which way to go!

BELINDA BENCIC RECENT FORM

Belinda Bencic left the sport on September 11, 2023, to give birth and returned in October of 2024 at Hamburg last year.

Bencic finished 2024 with an 8 – 2 record and went 3 – 1 at Adelaide in the final tune-up for the Australian Open. The loss to Liudmila Samsonova leaves no shame for Bencic and it was still a valiant effort that went three sets before the loss.

The Swiss native is in an interesting Section 3 with quality opponents throughout the bracket so this will be the biggest test yet for Bencic in the first Major of 2025.

JELENA OSTAPENKO RECENT FORM

Jelena Ostapenko remained in the top 20 of the WTA rankings despite the heavy flop as the 2024 came to a close. Ostapenko only appeared in 9 matches since the loss at the Olympic Games on July 28 and is 2 – 7 over that span.

With a 31 – 19 record last year, Ostapenko completed a fourth straight season with a winning record. Jelena was 18 – 10 on hard courts and won the Adelaide title early last season as one of her two tourney wins in 2024.

BENCIC VS OSTAPENKO HTH –  STAT OF THE MATCH

Bencic and Ostapenko have split a win over two meetings on the WTA Tour. 

The first clash in 2018 was at Indian Wells and Ostapenko earned a three-set win over Bencic. 

In 2020, Bencic exacted revenge here at the Australian Open with a straight-sets win early in the event.

The winner of this clash will face either Veronika Erjavec or Suzan Lamens in the second round of the Australian Open. 

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