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Elise Mertens vs Belinda Bencic Betting Tips & Live Stream – Bencic Brings the Edge in Indian Wells

moti-prakash
Moti Prakash
Editor
Last updated: Mon 09 Mar 2026 06:26
Elise Mertens is aiming to redeem herself following a tough loss in Dubai, particularly in her face-off against higher-ranked opponents at Indian Wells. Despite a strong season start, Mertens struggles with consistency. On the other hand, Belinda Bencic exhibits confidence with a promising start at Indian Wells. Holding a 3-1 third-round record at this venue, Bencic is in fine form, having won crucial matches earlier this season. As both players prepare for their showdown, Bencic appears better poised to advance, leveraging her past experiences and current momentum.
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Moti Prakash 09 Mar 2026
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  • Bencic advances to Round 3 at Indian Wells with a strong start
  • Mertens seeks redemption after Dubai struggle
  • Bencic outshines with confidence after key victories
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Belinda Bencic
Belinda Bencic in action against Storm Hunter in Indian Wells (credit: Getty)
Mertens has started well but still struggles against higher-ranked players, while Bencic looks ready to build momentum again.

Bencic Brings Desert Confidence

  • Mertens lost six of her last 20 matches vs Top 20 players. 
  • She lost three of four third-round matches at Indian Wells. 
  • Bencic holds a 3–1 record in third rounds at Indian Wells. 
  • She has a 22–6 record vs outside Top 20 players in the last year.

HTH - Tied at 1-1

Year Event Surface Round Winner Score
2026 United Cup Hard - Bencic 6-3, 4-6, 7-6
2021 Australian Open Hard 3R Mertens 6-2, 6-1

Mertens Seeks Redemption After Dubai

Elise Mertens defeated recent Merida champion Cristina Bucsa 6-2 6-1 in the opening round in Indian Wells. She won 81% of her first-serve points and converted five of six break points. 

Mertens had a frustrating loss in Dubai where she missed several chances to beat Coco Gauff in straight sets and reach a WTA 1000 quarterfinal for the first time since 2021. 

Apart from that setback, she has made a solid start to the season by winning three of her four matches at the United Cup and reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open.

Category Details
Nationality Belgium
Age 30 (17 November 1995)
Plays Right-handed
World Ranking 21
Career High 12 (26 November 2018)
Elo Ranking 19 (Rating: 1915)
Tour level titles 10

Bencic Cruises into Round Three

Belinda Bencic opened her Indian Wells campaign with a 6-3 6-2 win over Storm Hunter. She lost serve twice but converted six of the ten break points she created. 

Bencic started the season strongly by winning all five of her matches at the United Cup, including victories over Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini. 

However, she later suffered disappointing losses to Nikola Bartunkova at the Australian Open and Elina Svitolina in Dubai. 

She now heads into the third round with a 3-1 record at this stage in Indian Wells, with her only loss coming against Magdalena Rybarikova in 2016.

Category Details
Nationality Switzerland
Age 28 (10 March 1997)
Plays Right-handed
World Ranking 12
Career High 4 (17 February 2020)
Elo Ranking 11 (Rating: 1983)
Tour level titles 11

Verdict

Elise Mertens has made a solid start, but she still appears to struggle mentally against higher-ranked opponents, as seen in some of her recent results. Belinda Bencic, meanwhile, is steadily returning to her best level and looks well placed to continue her run.


Best Bet1: Belinda Bencic Match Winner @5/6 at Hollywood bets - 2 Units
Best Bet2: Over 20.5 Total Games @11/18 at bet365 - 2 Units
Best Bet3: Over 10.5 Highest Scoring Set Total @21/25 at Star Sports - 2 Units
Belinda Bencic
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Elise Mertens v Belinda Bencic

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