Bencic beats Vondrousova, gets gold for Switzerland

TOKYO — A Swiss tennis player won gold in singles at the Olympics and it’s not Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka.

Belinda Bencic accomplished something Saturday that her better-known fellow Swiss players never managed.

And she’s not done yet. The 12th-ranked Bencic beat Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 at the Tokyo Games for the first major title of her career and she’ll also contest the women’s doubles gold medal match on Sunday.

Bencic and Swiss partner Viktorija Golubic face the top-seeded Czech team of Barbora Krejcikova and

Katerina Siniakova.

“It’s unbelievable to have two medals, to have one gold and the other still to be decided,“Bencic said. “I will give all the energy that I have left in me.”

Federer and Wawrinka

won gold together in men’s doubles in 2008 then Federer lost the 2012 singles final to Andy Murray at Wimbledon.

Not even Martina Hingis, the Swiss player who Bencic’s career was inspired after, claimed an Olympic title. Her best result was silver in women’s doubles in 2016 with Timea Bacsinszky.

Melanie Molitor, Hingis’ mother, coached Bencic as a junior.

“I think I accomplished it for them,” Bencic said. “They did so much in their careers. I don’t think I will ever be able to accomplish what they did. So it’s for Martina and Roger.”

Marc Rosset was the only previous Swiss player to win gold in Olympic singles, in 1992.

Neither Federer nor Wawrinka entered the Tokyo Games.

Bencic’s previous best result was reaching the semifinals of the 2019 U.S. Open.

Seth Wenig / Associated Press Belinda Bencic reacts after defeating Marketa Vondrousova to win the gold medal on Saturday.