Top-seeded Williams claimed a clinical 6-4 6-3 win to progress to the next round.
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Saturday’s defeat was just the second in 45 matches this season for Williams, who has won the first three grand slams of the year and will be favorite for a fourth when the U.S. Open kicks off at the end of the month.
She will try to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam sweep by winning the US Open, which begins in two weeks at New York.
The Romanian star closed out the match by shutting out Radwanska in the final game.
There was very little between them – for an hour and 35 grueling minutes on center court Halep and Errani put on a dazzling display of baseline tennis, showing off their rock solid groundstrokes and chasing down just about everything they could. Hopefully I can rectify that going into Cincinnati next week and then going into the US Open.
“I think I played really crappy today”, Williams said. With Halep serving for the win, Poland’s Radwanska hit her return into the net.
The world No. 1 was also asked if she would be a better rapper than Drake would be a tennis player.
Bencic, the young Swiss miss who earlier in the tournament ousted Canadian Eugenie Bouchard and two former world No. 1’s in Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic, clearly wanted more. She’s got so much natural talent and as recently as 2013 won six singles titles in a season, but the 23-year-old has been one-dimensional to this point in her career.
In other quarter-finals later Friday Rafael Nadal lost to Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-4 and defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was facing Andy Murray.
But Halep battled to 3-3 in the second set and then seized command, winning eight games in a row to reach the brink of victory. “I just felt off. Just gotta be more positive out there again”.
“I was very nervous in that moment”, Bencic said.
Halep was the first to book her spot in Sunday’s final, taking care of Italian Sara Errani in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates her victory against Serena Williams. Bencic found that out in Game Nine as her opponent fought back on deuce to take the win and threaten an extension of the set.
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Second seed Simona Halep beat Polish sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska but not before a scare in Toronto. Therefore, the fact that the 28 year old has bettered her quarter final showing here from two years ago is all the more surprising.
