Katie Boulter vs Belinda Bencic Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | First Round

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Belinda Bencic takes on Katie Boulter in the Australian Open first-round.

Start date/time:

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN

How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Katie Boulter vs Belinda Bencic ticket information

Katie Boulter vs Belinda Bencic prediction

Katie Boulter is now outside the top 100 of the world rankings after a poor 2025, with her form taking a huge drop after a surprise defeat in the second-round of Wimbledon to Solana Sierra. She competed in Auckland at the start of the year, winning her first-round match against Yuliia Starodubtseva in straight sets. However, she would then go on to lose to Elina Svitolina in the next round, with the Ukrainian going on to win the tournament.

She is handed a tough draw as she faces Belinda Bencic in round one. The Swiss was undefeated in singles for Switzerland at the United Cup. She beat the likes of Jasmine Paolini and Elise Mertens on her way to the final of the competition. Bencic continued her unbeaten streak with an impressive win over Iga Swiatek, but Switzerland would lose the title to Poland. Nevertheless, Bencic was named the MVP of the tournament.

Bencic heads into Melbourne with a string of strong wins under her belt and Boulter is likely to encounter problems from the beginning here.

 Katie Boulter vs Belinda Bencic tip: Belinda Bencic to win 2-0