Australian Open 2023, Bencic and Pliskova reach fourth round: Stats
12th-seeded Belinda Bencic overcame Italian Camila Giorgi 6-2, 7-5 to reach the fourth round of the women's singles at the Australian Open on Saturday. Bencic will be up against fifth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who bested Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-3. Meanwhile, former world number one, Karolina Pliskova, beat Russian Varvara Gracheva 6-4, 6-2 in the third round in Melbourne. We look at the key stats.
Key stats from Bencic-Giorgi match
Bencic fired three aces to Giorgi's one. She conceded four double faults, while her rival's tally read five. Bencic converted five of her 10 break points. She collected a total of 74 points, including 40 from serves. She commanded 69% and 62% wins on her first and second serves, respectively.
A look at their head-to-head record
Bencic now boasts a 4-2 lead in their WTA head-to-head. The duo last met in the first round of Fed Cup in 2019, with the former winning in straight sets.
Bencic inks these numbers
As per WTA, Bencic is currently on a seven-match win streak, including a titular run at the Adelaide International 2. Notably, the honor pushed her back into the Top 10 for the first time since October 2021. Bencic is making her second trip into R16 of the Australian Open. Her previous appearance came in 2016.
Bencic will face Sabalenka in the fourth round
Bencic will be up against Sabalenka, who enjoys a 7-0 win-loss record in 2023. Both own a win each from their two WTA head-to-heads. Bencic won their last meet in 2019 Dubai.
Pliskova defeats Gracheva 6-4, 6-2
Number 30 seed Pliskova fired six aces to Gracheva's four. She converted 3/7 of her break points. She commanded a win percentage of 82 and 73 on her first and second serves, respectively. Pliskova pocketed a total of 63 points, including 36 from serves.
Pliskova seeks her fourth AO quarterfinal appearance
As per WTA, Pliskova earned her fourth career appearance in the Australian Open second week. She had lost in the third round of the Australian Open in both 2020 and 2021. Up next, she faces number 23 seed Zhang Shuai of China, who beat American qualifier Katie Volynets, 6-3, 6-2. Pliskova will have to overcome Zhang to reach her fourth career Australian Open quarter-finals.
Pliskova's emphatic record against Zhang
As per WTA, Czech Pliskova leads their head-to-head 7-0, with their first meeting dating back to 2012. Interestingly, they haven't played each other in almost five years.
