By Ros Satar
- Lily Miyazaki def. Margarita Betova 6-3 6-3
- Lily Miyazaki [Q] v Belinda Bencic [15]
- First Meeting
NEW YORK, USA – Lily Miyazaki notched up her first US Open main draw victory and faces Belinda Bencic in the second round.
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Lily Miyazaki [Q] def. Margarita Betova 6-3 6-3
Lily Miyazaki had worked hard to get her spot in the main draw, only dropping a set in her last match. But once in the main draw, it was Margarita Betova (Gasparyan as was) who looked the sharper, breaking for a 3-1 lead.
Miyazaki held her nerve to break straight back but galloped away with the rest of the first set, winning the next six games on the bounce. With plenty of chances to break for an early lead in the second game, Betova held on, occasionally showing off her single-handed backhand and showing why she had previously made it to the fourth round of a Slam (2016 Australian Open).
Betova failed to capitalise on her own chances to break and paid the price by being broken immediately to love. That was all Miyazaki needed, although she failed to close out on Betova’s serve, she made no mistake on her own.
Lily Miyazaki [Q] v Belinda Bencic [15] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Lily Miyazaki [Q] v Belinda Bencic [15] | H2H: First Meeting |
| US Open | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $81,500 |
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Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Lily Miyazaki (WR 198) | Belinda Bencic (WR 13) |
| Tournament Previous Best | Qualification (2022) | SF (2019) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 40.0 | 35.6 |
| Return Points Won % | 46.2 | 44.0 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 45.7 | 49.5 |
| Break Points Saved % | 61.9 | 57.6 |
| Total Points Won % | 52.1 | 52.9 |
Surprisingly there is very little between the Brit, who has also spent time on the OTF circuit this year, and Belinda Bencic, who made back-to-back quarter0finals in Washington and Montreal before bowing out of Cincinnati in her opening round.
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Playing Styles & Prediction
Admittedly Miyazaki met with little resistance from the returning Betova, Bencic will be an altogether tougher challenge. While Miyazaki will know a lot of the elements of the Bencic game, she did admit wryly in her on-court interview that Bencic probably knew very little about her.
She should good variety and problem solving in overturning the opening deficit, and in Bencic she will face a canny technician of the game. The Swiss will look to take the ball early and rob Miyazaki of her time, and it will be tough ask, but an interesting challenge for the Brit, and a chance to measure herself against one of the best players on the tour.
Prediction: Bencic in three sets.
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