Belinda Bencic is maturing nicely on the WTA 1000 Tour, and she could be ready to have a serious challenge for a Grand Slam. With the French Open around the corner, the Swiss is looking to cause an upset in the French capital.
Can Bencic Go Far in Paris?
The anticipation is building for the French Open, which will be the second Grand Slam tournament of the season. Looking at the latest French Open betting market, Bencic is an outsider to win the event. Punters can get tennis betting odds of +3300 for the 26-year-old to come out on top in Paris.
She was knocked out in the third round at Stade Roland Garros in 2019 and 2022. She was 14th seed in last year’s championship but suffered a disappointing third-round exit. After making a strong start as she eased past Hungarian Reka Luca Jani in straight sets in round one, Bencic failed to keep the momentum going and lost at the third hurdle. Can she go further this time around?
Excellent Few Years for Bencic
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Bencic won Olympic gold in the women’s singles and picked up a silver medal in the women’s doubles, teaming up with comparison Viktorija Golubic. That was the start of something good, as Bencic would go on to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open.
Bencic picked up her first WTA title on clay last year when she won the Charleston Open. She impressed in the early rounds and went on to face fourth seed Ons Jabeur in the final. Bencic caused an upset at Family Circle Tennis Center in South Carolina, beating Jabeur 2-1 to get her hands on the trophy.
She would go on to reach the final of the German Open, this time losing out to Jabeur. She also beat Tereza Martincova, Serena Williams, and Garbine Muguruza to reach the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open.
2023 has also been a good year for the Swiss star. She won in Adelaide at the start of the year before reaching the Round of 16 of the Australian Open in the first Grand Slam of 2023. Bencic then went all the way at the Abu Dhabi Open in February to win the eighth title of her career.
Can Swiss Star Improve on US Open Semi?
Bencic’s best performance in a Grand Slam was at the US Open in 2019. She saw off the likes of Mandy Minella, Alize Cornet and Anett Kontaveit in the early rounds before beating Naomi Osaka in the fourth round. Bencic got the better of Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals to reach the last four of a major for the first time.
Bencic showed in the 2019 performance in New York City that she is certainly capable of mixing it up with the best in a Grand Slam. She has had a few disappointing majors since, but after some excellent form of late, can she finally win a Grand Slam tournament in 2023?
