Thirteenth seed Belinda Bencic will face wild card Donna Vekic in a compelling first-round match at the 2025 Wuhan Open. Bencic, currently ranked No. 15, enters the tournament after a season of mixed fortunes. While she secured the Abu Dhabi title with a comeback victory, her year has also been marked by several early-round losses. Key achievements include a career-best semifinal run at Wimbledon, a quarterfinal appearance at Indian Wells, and reaching the fourth round in Madrid. However, her momentum was hampered by an arm injury that forced a mid-match retirement in Rome and a subsequent withdrawal from Roland Garros.
Donna Vekic has endured a challenging season, seeing her ranking fall to No. 71. Her campaign has been disrupted by injuries and coaching changes, contributing to numerous early exits from tournaments. Notable performances include a fourth-round appearance in Melbourne and reaching the third round at both Indian Wells and Madrid. In 33 matches, Vekic has served 110 aces and won 66.8% of points on her first serve, compared to Bencic’s 66 aces and 65.4% first-serve win rate across 43 matches.
In their head-to-head record, Bencic holds a dominant 4-1 lead. Vekic’s sole victory came at the 2019 French Open in straight sets. Bencic has won their other four meetings, including their most recent clash in the 2022 Tallinn quarterfinals (6-4, 6-1) and a hard-fought 2019 US Open quarterfinal (7-6, 6-3).
Given her superior form and commanding head-to-head advantage, Bencic is the clear favorite. While Vekic possesses the resilience to challenge top players, her recent struggles suggest she may find it difficult to overcome the 13th seed. Bencic’s consistency will likely be the deciding factor.
The betting odds reflect this, with Bencic entering as a strong favorite at -320, while Vekic is the underdog at +250. The odds for the match to conclude in under 2.5 sets are -250, suggesting a straight-sets victory is anticipated.
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