Belinda Bencic vs Jasmine Paolini Prediction United Cup Tennis Picks 12/29/24

Belinda Bencic played a key role in earning Switzerland a first point in Group D as they defeated Team France. Bencic beat Chloe Paquet in straight sets in the opening match dropping just four games.

The match lasted about an hour and 28 minutes. In the victory, Bencic landed 64% of first serves and won 69% of first-serve points (25/36). The Swiss tallied 55% of second-serve points (11/20) and saved five of six break points on her serve.

Bencic won 57% of return points (31/54) and converted five of 11 break points. After a few hours, she joined forces with Dominic Stricker to win the decisive mixed doubles match to give their country a 1-0 lead in the group.

Jasmine Paolini Preview

Jasmine Paolini was in sensational form in 2024, rising from the ashes to become an established Top 10 player. Paolini is currently ranked World No. 4, her highest peak in the WTA rankings after making two Grand Slam finals last season.

She was an Olympic Gold Medalist (doubles) and was part of Italy's success at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup. Paolini pulled off decisive wins over Poland in doubles and in the final against Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova.

It was also the year she won her maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai. This is the second time she is participating in the United Cup. She won one and lost her other singles match last season.

Belinda Bencic vs Jasmine Paolini Head-To-Head

• Bencic and Paolini have met twice in their careers.

• Bencic beat Paolini both times in straight sets.

• They haven't played each other since 2022.

Belinda Bencic vs Jasmine Paolini Prediction

This is a matchup we didn't see last season but I'm sure we'll see plenty of next season. Bencic hasn't taken long to hit her stride after her maternity break and that could worry Team Italy a little bit.

2024 was a glorious year for Italian tennis and they have raised the bar so high that it will be extremely difficult to top it. That said, I think Bencic is the favorite on this surface. She shines on it with her bigger serve and flat ground strokes. And I also reckon it is about time that Paolini's durability wears off having played an astonishingly high number of matches in the past year (116 in total including doubles).