Tennis: Bencic bounds into first-ever Grand Slam semifinal

Belinda Bencic reached her first-ever Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday, fending off Donna Vekic to win 7-6(5) 6-3 in their US Open last-eight clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The pair appeared evenly matched through most of the first set, as Switzerland's Bencic struggled for consistency on serve, firing off five aces but committing four double faults.

The 13th seed took command of the match in the second set, committing just four unforced errors compared to 17 in the first.

Croatian Vekic fired 28 winners during the match but failed to save critical break points against her, as an elated Bencic reached a new milestone in an injury-plagued career.

"Sometimes you all take it a little bit for granted," said the 22-year-old, who stunned world number one and defending champion Naomi Osaka earlier in the week. "When you can’t play you miss it so much.

"For me it’s a perspective change and I am enjoying playing tennis so much now."

Bencic next plays either Canada's Bianca Andreescu or Belgium's Elise Mertens, who face off under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium later on Wednesday.

"For sure Andreescu has a lot of variation in her game. Mertens is more like a wall-type of game. She's a great counter-puncher," said Bencic.

"Definitely I'm very curious who is going to win and adapt to the opponent in the semi-finals."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tennis: Defending champion Osaka falls to Bencic at US Open

Naomi Osaka was upset 7-5 6-4 by Belinda Bencic at the US Open on Monday as the Japanese lost her grip on both her title and number one status while the Swiss reached the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the second time.

Bencic got off to a bright start on a rainy day in New York, breaking the world number one under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, and her superior serving carried the day as she won 82% of her first serve points.

Momentum swung firmly in the 22-year-old Bencic's direction in the second set when Osaka double faulted to hand the 13th seed a 3-2 lead and the top-seeded Japanese, who appeared to struggle with a troublesome left knee, was unable to recover.

Bencic improved to 3-0 this year against the 21-year-old Osaka, who came through an emotional straight sets win over 15-year-old American Coco Gauff in the third round on Saturday.

Osaka's defeat means Australia's Ash Barty, who lost in straight sets to China's Wang Qiang in the fourth round on Sunday, will regain the world number one spot from the Japanese.

Osaka said that although she was disappointed with Monday's result she still considered her trip to New York a success.

"Right now I have this feeling of sadness, but I also feel like I have learned so much during this tournament," she told reporters.

"The steps that I have taken as a person have been much greater than I would imagine at this point.

"So I hope that I can keep growing. I know that if I keep working hard, then of course I'll have better results."

BIG CHALLENGE

Bencic, who also reached the U.S. Open quarter-finals in 2014 when she was just 17 but has struggled with injuries in recent years, said that taking Osaka's powerful serve early and keeping her energy up was the key to winning the match.

"I was so excited to come on the court, the challenge could not be bigger so I had to be on top of my game," she said in an on-court interview.

"I'm really pleased with how I played and how I managed my nerves in the end," she added.

"I'm not the person with the most winners or aces, I had to play it a bit like chess with tactics on the court."

Despite the lack of a big serve, Bencic played fluently, finishing with 29 winners to just 12 unforced errors and breaking Osaka three times.

Osaka's loss comes the day after top seed Novak Djokovic fell to another Swiss, Stan Wawrinka.

Next up for Bencic is a meeting with Croatia's 23rd seed Donna Vekic, who beat Germany's Julia Goerges 6-7(5) 7-5 6-3 on Louis Armstrong Stadium court earlier on Monday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tennis: Federer wins record third Hopman Cup in dramatic fashion

Roger Federer has become the most successful player in Hopman Cup history after leading Switzerland to a 2-1 win in an enthralling final of the mixed teams tournament in Perth Saturday.

In what is tipped to be the final edition of the unique tournament, the best was saved for last as Federer became the first player to win three Hopman Cups, teaming with Belinda Bencic for the duo's second consecutive title.

For the second year in a row, the Swiss beat the German pairing of Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber by claiming a deciding mixed doubles rubber loaded with drama.

It was Switzerland's fourth title overall, behind only the United States with six. Federer first won the Hopman Cup back in 2001 when he teamed with Martina Hingis.

The 37-year-old gave the Swiss the early ascendancy with a straight sets win against Zverev, before Kerber squared the tie by beating a dogged Belinda Bencic to set up the mixed doubles decider.

Federer was a dominant figure in an extraordinary doubles match as the Swiss claimed the abbreviated format 4-0, 1-4, 4-3 (5/4) to clinch the title.

Fittingly, it was Federer who served out the match in the third set tie-break, having been unable to do so earlier in the set, when after an extended rally Zverev dumped a backhand into the net to hand the Swiss victory.


- High-octane -


In the men's singles, Federer bounced back from a November loss to Zverev in London to beat the big-serving German 6-4, 6-2 and make it a clean sweep of his singles matches in Perth for the second year running, less than two weeks before he defends his Australian Open title.

It was a high-octane match, with plenty of big serves and clean winners, but Federer was able to answer everything the 21-year-old threw at him.

He broke Zverev in the 10th game of the first set and then tightened the noose on the German, with two more breaks in the second set.

Federer, who also beat Zverev in three sets in last year’s Hopman final, clinched the match with a typically crisp forehand volley.

He was pleased to maintain his unbeaten singles record during the week, during which he never dropped his serve.

"I am happy I was able to maintain the good, high quality tennis I showed all week," he said.

"It is good to finish on a singles performance like this, I was able to come up with some good serve and volley and it all worked out today."

World number two Kerber appeared set for an easy win in her singles match against Bencic, taking the first set and then claiming an early break in the second.

The German served at 5-4, but the match took a sudden twist as Bencic broke back, only for Kerber to immediately break again.

For a second time Kerber was unable to serve out the match, as Bencic forced it to a tie-break.

Kerber had two match points at 6-4, but Bencic again hung on grimly and won the next two points.

It wasn't until Kerber's third chance that a backhand winner secured the 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) win.

Critical was Kerber's ability to convert all four of her break points during the match, while Bencic was only successful on two of seven.

Kerber praised Bencic's tenacity, saying she was always a determined opponent.

"She was fighting until the last one (point)," she said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Sizzling Serena comes back with bang

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams exploded any doubts about her form on Tuesday as she swept into the Australian Open second round on her return to Grand Slam action.

The American, with a record 23rd major title in her sights and watched by her new fiance, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, thumped dangerous Swiss teen Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-3.

Williams has barely played since her shock defeat in the US Open semi-finals in September and she made, by one count, 88 unforced errors in her second-round loss to Madison Brengle at this month's Auckland Classic.

But she came through a tight first set against Bencic before dominating the second set in what turned out to be a convincing victory on the centre court.


"It was one of the toughest first-round matches I've ever played," said Williams, who had a 1-1 head-to-head with Bencic, 19, before Tuesday's encounter.

"Right now I've got nothing to lose. Every match, every tournament I'm playing for fun," she added.

Williams, who can break Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles if she wins in Melbourne for the seventh time, next faces Lucie Safarova, who had a charmed life in her win over Yanina Wickmayer.

The Czech survived nine match points before winning 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1 against the flummoxed Wickmayer, who said she was feeling "definitely not good" after letting slip so many opportunities.

"It's not fun," said the Belgian, adding: "I think she served very well on certain points and other points I didn't go for enough.

"But I think it's normal when you have match point and you want to play it a little bit safe. Then after, you realise it's not the best option."

Men's world number three Milos Raonic, a semi-finalist last year, enjoyed an uncomplicated start to his campaign when he beat Germany's Dustin Brown 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

And German hotshot Alexander Zverev credited a racquet-smashing tantrum with sparking his revival as he came back to beat Robin Haase 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

"Sometimes it's good to let it out and I started to play my best tennis again after that (racquet smash) in the fourth set," Zverev said.

Women's fifth seed Karolina Pliskova, whose win over Williams at the US Open ended her 186-week stint as world number one, smashed Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 6-0.

And Britain's Jo Konta, riding high after her victory at last week's Sydney International, beat experienced Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-2 to reach the second round.

source: news.abs-cbn.com