Naomi Osaka vs Belinda Bencic Prediction, H2H - 1/16/25

A pair of former top-5 players on the WTA Tour familiarize themselves again when Naomi Osaka takes on Belinda Bencic in the third round of the Australian Open.

Osaka is 6 – 1 to open the 2025 campaign and the current #51 is the favorite to land in the fourth round of the first Major Tournament.

Bencic is listed at 294th on the WTA Rankings but the Swiss native knows that’s just a number on her way back to the WTA Tour. 

EJ Garr’s prediction for Naomi Osaka vs. Belinda Bencic features odds at +134 which you can find below.

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Naomi Osaka vs Belinda Bencic WTA Australian Open Prediction: Moms On The Comeback Trail

• Prediction: Match Total Over 2.5 Sets
• Best Odds: 2.38
• Bookmaker: Betvictor
• Stakes: 3/10

Odds as of 7:00 am UK Time on January 16, 2025. Odds may now differ.

Naomi Osaka knows exactly what Belinda Bencic is going through making the comeback after becoming a mom. 

These two familiar faces know each other well having played six times but have only met once since the 2019 campaign. From 2018 through 2020, Osaka was listed in the top five of the WTA Rankings but the former World’s #3 only played in 85 matches from 2021 to 2024. 

A difficult childbirth was emotionally and physically draining on the Japanese native and she has publicly said she doesn’t plan on going through that process again. Bencic took a year off to have her first child and started her comeback late last season.

All the personal stuff will be put to the side for a big spot in the fourth round of the Australian Open and line setters expect Osaka to be the one that gets there. At -140, Osaka listed as the favorite at a Major Tournament is a mild statement and I am not buying any of it.

Bencic to win this match with a 2 – 1 score features odds at +375 and to that I say… SOLD!

I already expect a three-set affair and it will come down to which player has the mental fortitude to advance at Melbourne Park. Belinda Bencic will win this match but the +110 on the upset call isn’t offering enough value so go bigger!

The Bencic comeback will continue and Coco Gauff might be waiting for her!

NAOMI OSAKA RECENT FORM

Naomi Osaka went 4 – 0 at Auckland to open the 2025 campaign but the Japanese native couldn’t finish the final match. Osaka won the first set of the final and an apparent abdominal injury gave Clara Tauson the trophy.

Osaka has recovered but has already played two three-set affairs in the first two rounds of the Australian Open. How will she hold up after nearly four hours on the court after exiting the previous tournament with a title at stake?

BELINDA BENCIC RECENT FORM

Belinda Bencic started the comeback trail last season and you know this if you follow me.

Bencic is barely an underdog at +110 against a familiar opponent that she has had success against. 

Bencic finished 2024 with an 8 – 2 record and is 6 – 2 to open the 2024 campaign.

OSAKA VS BENCIC HTH –  STAT OF THE MATCH

This is meeting #7 between Osaka and Bencic and the first since 2022. 

Osaka won a three-set clash at the Miami Open in 2022 and that was the first meeting between them since the 2019 campaign.

Bencic beat Osaka in all three 2019 outings including a win at the US Open that season.

The Swiss native holds a 4 – 2 edge in the series and Osaka won the first meeting in 2013 and the last in Miami.

The winner of this match will face Coco Gauff or Leylah Fernandez in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

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