|
|
Post by Admin on Aug 16, 2015 13:11:50 GMT
World number one Serena Williams was sent crashing out of the WTA Rogers Cup after being upset by Swiss teen Belinda Bencic in a three-set marathon semi-final.   The 33-year-old Williams, a 21 Grand Slam winner, on Saturday suffered just her second loss of 2015 as the oldest and youngest players in the draw clashed in a tense two-hour, 28-minute showdown. Bencic, 18, stormed from behind to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, snapping Williams' 14-match win streak in Toronto to book her spot in Sunday's final against second seed Simona Halep. Bencic closed out the contest on her first match point by hitting a forehand winner to the open court. Bencic bent over and covered her face with both hands as she soaked in the biggest victory of her young career. |
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Aug 17, 2015 13:54:25 GMT
Late last August Belinda Bencic was a 17-year-old tennis prodigy who had just recorded a milestone win, defeating Angelique Kerber in the U.S. Open for her first victory over a top-10 opponent. This week she knocked off four of them — including the world’s first and third-ranked players — on the way to claiming the Rogers Cup, winning the final 7-6, 6-7, 3-0 over Romania’s Simona Halep.  The victory came when Halep was forced to retire in the third set, but that doesn’t diminish the immensity of Bencic’s accomplishment. Unlike the tournament’s top seeds, she didn’t receive a first-round bye, and each of the six players she defeated this week is a past Grand Slam finalist. And unlike nearly every other player on the planet this season, she found a way to beat top-seeded Serena Williams. Retirement or not, the win boosts Bencic to a new level of fame, acclaim and pay. Heading into this week Bencic had won $680,511 (U.S.) on the WTA Tour. Sunday’s victory earned her $490,200. And in stringing together wins against top 10 players, she completes her transition from rising star to elite performer.  |
|
