Keystone
Belinda Bencic has reached the semi-finals of a WTA tournament for the first time since February. The world ranking twelfth from Wollerau wins against Jekaterina Alexandrowa on grass in Berlin.
Bencic had to fight for more than two and a half hours in the German capital until her 6: 4, 4: 6, 7: 6 (7: 4) victory against the 34th Russian Jekaterina Alexandrowa was confirmed.
The switch from sand to grass, which she longs for year after year, has been achieved by Bencic. For the first time since February she is in the semifinals of a WTA tournament. For this she had to go over three sets in the quarter-finals, as in the first round against the German Jule Niemeier.
At 4: 4 breakball blocked
Bencic could always react against Alexandrowa when it was necessary. In the last set she fended off a break ball at 4: 4 and then acted confidently in the tie-break.
«I lost focus a little in the second sentence. But I’m glad I was able to react, ”said Bencic, who made too many mistakes for a while after winning five games in a row from 2: 4 in the first round to 1: 0 in the second.
step forward
By reaching the semi-finals at the first WTA 500 tournament in Berlin, Bencic has already taken an important step forward after their results had been disappointing in the last few months.
Bencic can reach her eighth final on the WTA tour and the third on grass on Saturday against either the Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet (WTA 63) or the Spaniard Garbiñe Muguruza (WTA 13).
