‘Lucky’ Bencic moves to quarterfinals
NEW HAVEN — It was an unexpected gift, and Belinda Bencic of Switzerland is treating it as a precious treasure.
The 21-year-old received a second tennis life at the Connecticut Open and she rode the opportunity into the quarterfinals Tuesday as she defeated Camila Giorgi of Italy, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m happy to get this second chance. It’s the first time I’ve gotten into a main draw as a lucky loser,” Bencic said. “I felt I had been playing better and better in the qualifying bracket.”
Bencic, now 9-11 in the WTA season, lost to Dayana Yastremska in the third and final round of the Connecticut Open qualifying bracket last weekend.
However, with World No. 1-ranked Simona Halep being the second of three player withdrawals from the main draw, Bencic had new life at the Connecticut Open.
And since she was taking Halep’s slot in the bracket, Bencic received a firstround bye.
In the 26-year-old Giorgi, Bencic was meeting someone she was 0-2 against lifetime. Giorgi had won three qualifying matches and topped fellow qualifier Ana Bogdan in the main draw first round Monday.
“There’s never a lot of rhythm in a match against Giorgi,” Bencic said. “She’s a power player. She hits a winner. Then she makes a mistake. The keys are you just can’t give her easy points. And you have to be very patient.”
Bencic has learned all about patience as she has fought to return from back, wrist and foot injuries since 2016.
Her rankings have gone from No. 43 in 2016 to No. 165 in 2017. This year, the 5-foot-9 Bencic — who started training at age 6 at the tennis school of Melanie Molitor (Martina Hingis’ mom) — has pushed her WTA singles ranking from No. 74 to No. 43.
The first set against Giorgi was choppy with six service breaks in the opening eight games. Bencic survived three advantages and five deuces to break Giorgi in Game 9 for a 5-4 edge. She then served out the set.
In the second set, Bencic was down 2-0 and won four straight games for 4-2. She held serve twice to complete the victory in 1 hour, 42 minutes.
Bencic has been coached by Vlado Platenik since Wimbledon.
“I lost match points when I was ousted in Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati the past two weeks. It’s frustrating but I have to keep working. I have to look at my form rather than my opponents’ rankings. At times I want the win too much,” Bencic said. “I’m feeling better on the court. My serve is better. I’m hitting more balls back. I’m mentally stronger out there.”
With the U.S. Open on the horizon, Bencic will face a big test in the Connecticut Open quarterfinals.
She will battle the winner of the match between No. 9 seed and defending champion Daria Gavrilova of Australia and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
“I’m looking brightly at the future,” Bencic said.