Bencic and Vekic clash in Wuhan in a solid opening-round battle
The 13th seed, Belinda Bencic, faces wild card Donna Vekic in the first round of the Wuhan Open 2025. The Swiss has had an inconsistent season. She captured the Abu Dhabi title with a comeback win over Ashlyn Krueger but otherwise suffered early exits. Her highlights include a career-best Wimbledon semifinal, where she lost to Iga Swiatek in straight sets, a quarterfinal run at Indian Wells, and a fourth-round appearance in Madrid.
She retired mid-match in Rome due to an arm injury and later withdrew from Roland Garros. Across 43 matches this season, Bencic has fired 66 aces, won 65.4% of first-serve points, 44.1% of return points, and converted 46.6% of break points.
Bencic d. Mirra Andreeva 7-6 7-6
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 9, 2025
Belinda reaches her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2019.
After being down a break 2-4 against Cocciaretto in the 3rd round, she hasn't looked back.
✅1st Wimbledon SF
✅2nd Slam SF
✅38th top 10 win
Inspiring tennis.
🇨🇭❤ pic.twitter.com/tEKrBJ0Y0z
Vekic has had a modest season, currently ranked No. 71 after falling from No. 17. Highlights include a fourth-round run in Melbourne and third rounds in Indian Wells and Madrid, but most tournaments ended early. Injuries and coaching changes disrupted her rhythm, with lingering physical discomfort since last year’s Olympics. In 33 matches, she has fired 110 aces, won 66.8% of first serves, 41.2% of return points, and converted 49.3% of break points.
Donna Vekic walks into Arthur Ashe Stadium for her US Open night match. pic.twitter.com/jwPoeaMtUB
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) August 29, 2025
Belinda Bencic leads their head-to-head 4-1 against Donna Vekic. The Croatian’s sole victory came at the 2019 French Open in straight sets. Bencic claimed the other four encounters, two before and two after Vekic’s win. These included their first meeting in 2014 at Birmingham and most recently in 2022 at Tallinn, both won in straight sets.
| Year | Event | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tallinn | Quarterfinals | Belinda Bencic | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2019 | US Open | Quarterfinals | Belinda Bencic | 7-6(5), 6-3 |
| 2019 | Roland Garros | Round of 32 | Donna Vekic | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2014 | New Haven | Qualifying R1 | Belinda Bencic | 7-6(2), 6-2 |
| 2014 | Birmingham | Round of 64 | Belinda Bencic | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Belinda Bencic | Category | Donna Vekic |
| 15 | Current Ranking | 71 |
| 421-220 | Career W-L | 386-299 |
| 30-15 | YTD W-L | 12-21 |
| 9 | Career Titles | 4 |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 0 |
| 1 | YTD Titles | 0 |
Bencic’s superior form and head-to-head advantage give her the edge, but Vekic’s resilience and fighting spirit make her a dangerous opponent, though the season hasn’t been kind to her so far.
Brilliant Bencic does it again 🤩
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2025
Belinda Bencic defeats Mirra Andreeva 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to reach her first ever #Wimbledon semi-final – and she does it in some style! 💥 pic.twitter.com/KfjjZv0RrU
Prediction: Belinda Bencic in straight sets
Belinda Bencic (-320) enters as the strong favorite, but Donna Vekic (+250) has the tools and past history to make this a competitive encounter, if she finds her rhythm.
Here are the betting odds according to FanDuel:
Belinda Bencic: -320
Donna Vekic: +250
Here are the odds for total games as well as total sets for both players (sourced via FanDuel):
Total Sets Under 2.5: -250
Total Sets Over 2.5: +175
Total Games Under 20.5: -125
Total Games Over 20.5: -110
Set 1 Winner Bencic: -235
Set 1 Winner Vekic: +172
(According to FanDuel: FanDuel offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use FanDuel to ace your betting game in all sports!)
Mandatory Image Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
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mma I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.
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