The opening day match was the first meeting between two players on a 2019 winning streak. In terms of the BNP Paribas Open experience, Pliskova held the upper hand. On Thursday, Pliskova had her chance to reach her third semifinal in the desert, but Stadium 1 was not her territory, though, as she spoke of the difficulty of her first 2019 appearance on center stage and “losing the balls”.
Pliskova kicked off the match with a double ace statement hold. But Bencic’s aggression owned the baseline and it was not long before the 22-year-old was up 3-1. Once Bencic had the lead, she never let go.