Marketa Vondrousova and Belinda Bencic will clash on Saturday, July 31, in the finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics women’s singles tennis tournament. It will mark their first Olympics finals and their meeting since May 2021, when Vondrousova won 2-1.
Marketa Vondrousova vs Belinda Bencic
When: Saturday, July 31 – 16:00 JST
Where: Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo, Japan
Weather: Clear, 33°C
Marketa Vondrousova and Belinda Bencic will meet in the final of the 2020 Olympics. Who’s going to win the gold medal? Oddsmakers say Vondrousova! The odds on the Czech Republic representative are currently 1.72.
However, Belinda Bencic certainly doesn’t care what online sportsbooks think. After all, she was the underdog in four of the five matches she’s played so far in Tokyo and upset the odds each time. So can she do it again? Let’s find out!
Vondrousova’s (Relatively) Easy Road to the Final
On her road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics finals, Marketa Vondrousova beat some real tennis superstars, including the WTA no.2 Naomi Osaka. She also won against Spanish international Paula Badosa Gibert (#29) and Ukrainian legend Elina Svitolina (#6).
Although an impressive run on paper, there’s something you need to know – Vondrousova was fairly lucky to win those matches.
Against Naomi Osaka (who was the odds-on favourite to win the Olympics gold medal before the start of the tournament), Vondrousova didn’t play particularly well. However, she still won, namely because the Japanese tennis star played especially poorly. She was genuinely terrible in that match, making 32 unforced errors.
Vondrousova also had the lady luck by her side against Paula Badosa Gibert, who retired after the first set, effectively giving the 22-year-old Czech a free pass into the next round.
Then, against Elina Svitolina in the semifinal of the Olympics WTA tournament, Vondrousova played fantastic tennis. However, it’s worth noting that her opponent seemed to lack focus throughout the match- still a solid win, but not a very impressive one.
Vondrousova’s opponents thus far have been shooting themselves in the foot, but we don’t think the same will happen with Belinda Bencic. If there’s a player who’s strong mentally, it’s the Swiss representative.
Bencic Wants to Surprise Oddsmakers (Once Again)
Belinda Bencic might not be one of the top players at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – she’s currently #12 in the WTA Rankings. However, she certainly is one of the tactically superior contestants. Bencic knows how to play big matches and is famous for never giving up, as she has proven time and time again in Japan.
An example of Bencic’s resilience is the match against Barbora Krejcikova. Bencic entered the match as a 3.00 underdog and lost the first set 1-6. When everyone thought her Olympic story was over, Bencic turned the game in her favour, eventually edging out the Czech with 2-1.
She surprised oddsmakers in that match, as well as in her other three outings – against Jessica Pegula (#27), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (#18), and Elena Rybakina (#20), who she beat on Thursday with 2-1 in her first official meeting with the Kazakhstani no.1.
Bencic also did well in the women’s doubles with her Swiss teammate Viktorija Golubic. The two have made it through into the Tokyo Olympics doubles finals. They will face off against Barbora Kerjcikova and Katerina Siniakova on Sunday, August 1.
Marketa Vondrousova vs Belinda Bencic Betting Picks
Belinda Bencic is guaranteed two medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – the question is which colour the medals will be.
Belinda and her duo are priced as heavy underdogs for their doubles finals against the Czech, and much of the same holds true for her singles finals. However, that hasn’t stopped us from backing Bencic en route to the finals, and it won’t stop us now.
She has defied the odds before and has proven herself as a worthy opponent to any player at the tournament. Bencic has the talent, the resilience, mental fortitude to take on anyone, is more experienced than Vondrousova, and is in fantastic form. Belinda Bencic to claim gold!
Prediction: Belinda Bencic to win – 2.20 William Hill
That concludes our 2020 Tokyo Olympics women’s tennis tournament coverage. For more betting picks and predictions, join our premium membership and start betting with us on tennis, football, golf, esports, horse racing, F1, and more!
