That gave the rising Swiss star and disciple of Martina Hingis and her mother, Melanie Molitor, a nice lead in the decisive set.
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Both players primarily stuck to a baseline game and used their strong returning skills to their advantage.
Belinda Bencic stunned Serena Williams in the Rogers Cup semi-finals, the Swiss prodigy taking down the world number one in three sets.
An upset didn’t look so likely early on – Williams stormed out to a 5-1 lead right out of the gates, and even though Bencic played herself into it nicely from there, closing the gap by two games before dropping the first set, 6-3, and staying even through 3-all in the second, it still seemed a longshot. He said he played tennis when he was younger.
Halep was obviously strained at times but still covered a lot of court during rallies.
Ana Ivanovic, a former world No. 1 and the tournament’s fifth seed, in the quarters.
Bencic earned US$456,000 for her second career WTA Tour title. She was broken back by the free-swinging Halep, and the Romanian took the subsequent tie-break.
The weather forced a crowded schedule for Tuesday, which will feature Westmount, Que.’s Eugenie Bouchard against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic on centre court to start the night session. I have no words for this.
Calling it a tough draw would be an understatement. “It’s an awesome feeling”.
Williams also had a rocky first set in her opening match against Flavia Pennetta, losing serve four times, but also pulled out a three-setter. But back-to-back breaks of serve sent it to another tiebreak, which Halep someone won.
“Every loss for me is a big learning session and a learning experience”, she said. But I just wasn’t playing well today. “It happens in tennis”. Bencic said in her trophy speech.
There was no question which player most fans were supporting on Sunday. I’m not disappointed because I lost the match.
Bencic closed out the contest on her first match point by hitting a forehand victor to the open court.
Bencic became the first unseeded player to win the tournament since 80-ranked Serena Williams did so in 2011.
You’d better believe it, Belinda. “But I’m in the final and everything that comes is going to be a bonus”. The Serbians ousted fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 6-3, 5-7, 10-3 on Wednesday. “And I’m not saying rap doesn’t, but I don’t know”. Then as 20th-ranked Bencic took the second we saw racquet smashes, multiple screams, F-Bombs and all of that good stuff that makes watching Serena have to fight and come from the brink so much fun.
OK, well that’s that, I thought. Double faults ruined the teen’s chance to open to a 3-0 that would have mostly likely been the final nail in the coffin. Halep won the break point firing a sliding shot away from Bencic to sit one game down.
But the injury clearly hampered her on Sunday. So I don’t know. Halep beat Sara Errani of Italy 6-4, 6-4.
The result might be unforgettable to Williams and her team as well, because it rings the same alarm bell that was briefly heard in the second set of the Wimbledon final.
Harsh. But not incorrect, certainly by her own standards, that level of unsurpassed excellence which many had reckoned would bring Williams a fourth Rogers Cup title, en route to the U.S. Open next month and all-but-assumed completion of a calendar Grand Slam – ownership of all four major championships in the same year.
“It’s a very big boost for your confidence”, she said. I had great victories. “Getting better with age, I hope”.
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“I can’t describe the feeling right now”.
