Belinda Bencic has been a minor revelation this year, returning from maternity leave in inspired form. The crafty Swiss brings a 18-6 record into this match, winning her first title in two years in Abu Dhabi.
2025 WTA Tour
WTA 500
Charleston Open
LTP-Daniel Island, South Carolina, USA (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Round of 32 Matches- 2nd-3rd April
2nd April
Belinda Bencic (17) 0.48 vs Sofia Kenin 1.6
She reached the 4th round of the Aussie Open and picked up a highly creditable quarterfinal finish at Indian Wells. The former Olympic Gold Medalist was smart to slowly reintegrate to tour life, playing a host of lower-level events towards the end of last year. Though a solid all-court operator, Bencic has certainly enjoyed her least amount of success on clay (the French Open is the only slam where she is yet to go beyond the 3rd round). However, she clearly has an affinity for these slick green-clay surfaces, winning the title in 2022 before finishing runner-up in 2023.
Sofia Kenin improved to 13-8 for the season following a 6-3, 6-4 victory over compatriot Bernarda Pera. She had a few serving jitters, coughing up six double faults in the match. The 2020 Aussie Open champ has had her struggles with injury and loss of form in recent seasons. But there were signs of a mini renaissance during the latest Middle East swing. Kenin reached the round of 16 in Qatar before an impressive quarterfinal run in Dubai (where she accounted for the trio of Vekic, Paolini and Kostyuk). But all that momentum came to a thundering halt in Miami, as an out-of-form Coco Gauff handed Kenin a dreaded double-bagel (ouch). Those are the type of results that can obliterate confidence. A runner-up at the 2020 French Open, Kenin has the mobility and shot-making ability to compete on these surfaces. Victory here would go a long way to exorcising some of those Gauff demons.
The Verdict: Bencic to win in three at 3.1- Kenin leads the head-to-head 1-0, winning an epic Mallorca final back in 2019. This could be a very tight clash. Sure, Bencic arrives in superior form and has exceptional tournament history. However, this will be her first clay-court outing since returning from maternity leave. Kenin looked excellent in Dubai, with that forehand working as well as I can remember. She could push Bencic if she can get that side to cooperate once again. I foresee a tight march, with Bencic’s slightly better variety giving her the edge in three.
