WTA Kremlin Cup Semifinals Odds & Pick: Bencic vs Mladenovic

• The first semifinals match up at the WTA Kremlin Cup will take place Saturday at 6:00 am EST
• Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic will take on France’s Kristina Mladenovic
• Bencic came into the Kremlin Cup with the second-best odds to win the tournament

Saturday morning’s matchup between Belinda Bencic and Kristina Mladenovic will be the fifth time the two have seen each other. Bencic is the favorite heading into the match, and has been a favorite since the beginning, with her 2019 WTA Kremlin Cup odds  at+800.

2019 WTA Kremlin Cup Bencic vs Mladenovic

*Odds taken 10/18/19

Bencic’s Road to the Semifinals

Belinda Bencic is one step closer to claiming the last spot at the season-ending WTA Finals after her quarterfinal win. If Bencic wins against Mladenovic Saturday morning then she will have secured the eighth and final spot in Shenzhen, China. The No 3. seed was able to come back from a slow start and save two set points in the first set to win 7-6(8), 6-1 in an hour and 34 minutes.

In the second set, Bencic found herself down 4-1 quickly, and having to figure it out. A tight eight-minute game saw the Swiss dominate and dictate the game. Bencic would quickly turn being down 1-4 to lead 6-5 with her own break.

Tiebreak DRAMA!@BelindaBencic | #KremlinCup pic.twitter.com/U3LhGZmg66

— wta (@WTA) October 18, 2019

The first set of the quarterfinal match lasted an hour and five minutes, with the whole match lasting an hour and 34 minutes, showcasing how tight both players were playing. In the second set, Bencic won 10 out of 21 points and was able to take a 5-0 lead. She eventually had back-to-back aces and hit her 16th winner of the match to take the second set, and close out the win.

Mladenovic’s Road to the Semifinals

Kristina Mladenovic upset No. 2 seed Kiki Bertens’ in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup, and crushed Bertens’ WTA Finals hopes as well. In two hours and seven minutes, Mladenovic defeated Bertens 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. Entering her second semifinal of 2019, Mladenovic has beat her fair share of Top 10 players, including Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Elina Svitolina.

WHAT an angle from @KikiMladenovic !#KremlinCup pic.twitter.com/wnA7aWLm5J

— wta (@WTA) October 18, 2019

In a close opening set, both Mladenovic and Bertens played well by the net. Mladenovic was able to save a break point in the fourth game of the first set. The next game was all Kristina, who took advantage of Bertens’ errors early on.

The World No. 45 was able to dictate the pace of the game, changing angles and shots as the match went on. After letting Bertens fight back, and eventually taking that second set, Mladenovic adjusted and won 11 of 13 points.

And the winner is…..🇫🇷 Kiki@KikiMladenovic outlasts No. 2 seed Bertens 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 to reach her first #KremlinCup semifinals! pic.twitter.com/RIDJpRveEJ

— wta (@WTA) October 18, 2019

Head-to-Head

These two players will be seeing each other for the fifth time when they meet Saturday morning. They’ve also seen each other in doubles matchups as well. Despite their current world rankings, Mladenovic currently leads the series match up 3-1.

Bencic vs Mladenovic Stats

The last time the two saw each other was earlier this year at the Rome Masters in the round of 32 where Belinda Bencic took the match. Kristina Mladenovic took the early matches between the two when Bencic was fairly young, which could play into the fact that Mladenovic was able to beat her. As we can see as Bencic got older, she got stronger and her match record followed.

Despite their matchup record, the more relevant information is how they have been playing recently. And with Bencic having reached World No. 10 this past year, it proves the ability of the young Swiss tennis star. Mladenovic will put up a fight, it will likely go three sets, but the way that Bencic can adapt to a game, and at the same time, dictate the pace, allows her to win a lot of her matches.

Pick: Belinda Bencic -190