WTA Linz Open: free tip, tournament preview and where to watch

Where to watch

Tournament starts Monday
Live on Eurosport 1, from 11am Wednesday

Best bet

Belinda Bencic
1pt 5-1 bet365

Tournament preview

Kiki Bertens has accepted a wildcard into the WTA Linz Open as she attempts to make the season-ending WTA Tour Finals but the Dutch top seed has to contend with a tricky opener against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat her in straight sets in Osaka last month.

With that in mind, bookmakers have opted to make second seed and US Open semi-finalist Belinda Bencic the 4-1 favourite in Austria and it’s hard to argue that the Swiss is the one to beat from a kind draw in Linz.

Bencic, who was beaten by Bianca Andreescu in the last four in New York last month, faces a qualifier in her opening match and then meets either Elena Rybakina or another qualifier for a place in the quarter-finals. That contrasts not only to the tricky draw of Bertens and Pavlyuchenkova, but also to those of several of the other main dangers.

Julia Goerges faces a tough opener against Margarita Gasparyan, Barbora Strycova and Alize Cornet lock horns in a battle of combustible characters, while Kiki Mladenovic, Katerina Siniakova, Polona Hercog and Donna Vekic are all close together.

Rybakina is an improver who could spring a surprise but Bencic backers should fancy the chances of the market leader going far in a country bordering her native Switzerland.

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