Osaka vs. Bencic – 4 key stats you need to know ahead of their Miami semi-final showdown
Tennis Majors, along with our partner Opta, gets you primed for the Naomi Osaka vs Belinda Bencic clash in Miami on Thursday
Naomi Osaka during her quarter-final match at the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium
Image Credit: Zuma / Panoramic
Miami Open 2022: Women’s Singles Draw | Results | Order of Play
It’s down to the final four in the Miami Open and while the first semi-final features players ranked outside the top 25, it promises to be an exciting match up between a four-time Grand Slam singles winner and the reigning Olympic singles gold medalist.
Noami Osaka and Belinda Bencic face off in the first women’s semi-final on Thursday. With both players hoping to get back to the top 10, there’s plenty to play for in terms of prize money, ranking points, and a possible showdown with the new world No 1 Iga Swiatek, who has been the most dominant player on the tour this year.
Let’s take a look at some of the key stats ahead of the Osaka vs Bencic clash
1. Bencic leads the head-to-head against Osaka by 3-1
While Osaka won the first meeting between the two at a lower-level ITF event in 2013, Bencic has won their last three encounters – all of which came in 2019.
That includes one win on clay in Madrid, and two on hardcourts in Indian Wells and the US Open. Three of their four clashes have been decided in straight sets (Madrid was the outlier going to three).
2. Osaka and Bencic hoping to become the second player from their country to reach the Miami Open final
So far, only one woman from Japan and Switzerland each have reached the final of the Miami Open. The winner of the Osaka vs Bencic clash will become the second from their respective country to play the for the title.
Osaka is the second Japanese player to reach the Miami semis after Kimiko Date-Krumm (1993 and 1995). Date-Krumm reached final in 1995, eventually losing against Steffi Graf. Meanwhile, Bencic is the third Swiss player to reach the Miami semis after Timea Bacsinszky (2016) and Martina Hingis (from 1997 to 2001). Hingis went on to win the title in 1997 and 2000.
3. Can Osaka become the lowest ranked player in history to reach the Miami Open final?
Although Osaka has been ranked No in the world in the past, the 24-year-old is currently ranked No 77. She is aiming to become the lowest ranked player ever to reach the Miami Open final. The current lowest-ranked player to reach the final at Miami Open is Kim Clijsters, who was ranked 38th in the world when she reached the final in 2005.
4. Hardcourts are Osaka’s strongest surface
16 of the 18 WTA semi-finals reached by Naomi Osaka have been on hard courts (the only exceptions in
Stuttgart 2019 on clay and Nottingham 2018 on grass).
Osaka has also won six of her last seven semi-finals on tour, excluding walkovers (her only loss came against Karolina Pliskova in Brisbane 2020).
Meanwhile, Bencic has won her last three semi-finals on the tour (Adelaide 2021, Berlin 2021 and the Olympics 2021).
