Bencic starts season on winning note
adelaide — World number seven Belinda Bencic won her first match of the season on Monday, but there was agony for Alex de Minaur as the men’s top seed pulled out of the Adelaide International In Australia.
The Swiss 22-year-old beat good friend Daria Kasatkina of Russia 6-4, 6-4.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber, promoted to ninth seed when Petra Kvitova withdrew, dominated China’s Wang Qiang 6-1, 6-3.
Kerber, a former number one who took a long three-month off season, won the tournament in 2018 when it was played in Sydney, defeating Ashleigh Barty in the final..
“In the first set I was playing well, but the second was really tight,” the 18thranked Kerber said.
“This is my first win of the year, I’m happy about that. I hope I can play like today in the next rounds.
“I want to win a few more matches before going to Melbourne,” the 2016 Australian Open champion added.
Bencic, who lost her last two matches against the qualifier, overcame hot conditions at Memorial Drive as she makes final preparations for next week’s Australian Open.
She survived a first set against Kasatkina
featuring five breaks of serve and secured her second-round place with a break in the final game of the second.
“It was very difficult, but I like the heat and I’m happy to be here for the first time,” said Bencic, who soared up the rankings last year and won two titles, in
Moscow and Dubai, on her way to a career-best 49 main-draw match wins.
“Her game is really tough, it doesn’t match up with mine. I had to work hard.”
The 20-year-old Minaur took over as the No. 1 after the withdrawal over the weekend of Novak Djokovic.
“Obviously I’m not in the happiest mood but it’s something that happens. I aggravated a bit of an ab injury,” de Minaur said. “I’ve just got to do whatever I can to make sure my body recovers.”
He said his “sole focus” was to make sure he was ready for the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the season opens next week in Melbourne.
“At the moment we’re going to take it day by day,” de Minaur said. “It’s something that is not ideal and at this stage we are just looking at short-term goals and trying to get better each day (with) a lot of treatment. “I have seen the physios, I have seen the doctors and I will be continuing to do that for the whole of the week and hopefully I will be ready to play in Melbourne.”
De Minaur had been playing well heading into the Adelaide International, winning two singles for Australia at the ATP Cup tournament last week and taking Rafael Nadal to three sets. —