Rybakina vs Bencic Prediction 7 February 2025

What do Elena Rybakina and Belinda Bencic have in common? Both have been champions of the current tournament. Additionally, both ladies have missed numerous competitions recently for various reasons, which is also considered in our prediction for the semifinal match of the Abu Dhabi tournament.

Elena Rybakina

Rybakina approached the title defense not in the best condition, which is due to serious health problems as well as changes in the coaching staff. After a not-so-successful performance at the Australian Open (top-16), Elena ended her collaboration with Goran Ivanisevic. However, this has not led to positive changes yet. In Melbourne, the representative of Kazakhstan suffered from lower back pain, which did not lead to long-term consequences. Just now, the tennis player won a no-compromise fight against Ons Jabeur, converting less than half of the break points (four out of ten).

Belinda Bencic

Bencic moved through her part of the draw with utmost confidence, giving away just one set in three games. Belinda has not yet reached her peak after maternity leave. But she is definitely on the right track. Specifically today, the Swiss convincingly dealt with Marketa Vondrousova, not playing too well in serve games (one ace, four breaks, and less than half of the points won on the second attempt). Earlier, the athlete handed two "bagels" to Veronika Kudermetova, resolving all issues in one hour and five minutes.

Editorial Prediction

In this match, Rybakina, in our humble opinion, will not easily break Bencic's resistance. Elena's physical condition still raises some concerns, and we believe she will not avoid significant stress again. A victory for Belinda with a handicap of +3.5 is the best choice for the match.