Belinda Bencic handles Arantxa Rus in straight sets at US Open

 

Belinda Bencic was in fine form during her opening round match at the US Open. 

Belinda Bencic handled her opening round match at the US Open very well on Tuesday. The 11^th seed always handled her end of the court, giving little to left-hander Arantxa Rus, who went down in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Court at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. 

The two met three years ago in Luxembourg where the Swiss star took care of Rus, allowing her just three games in a straight-sets result. The reigning Olympic champion took a week off before going into Cincinnati, where she made it to the last eight before bowing out. With another week of rest to prepare for the final slam, the 24-year-old had her eyes looking into the second round having a successful experience against her Dutch opponent. 

The 11th seed opened her sixth appearance in the tournament with a break of Rus before backing it up with a hold in the second. Rus got on the board but still sat two games down of Bencic, whose offense was in check. The Dutch star got within reach in the fifth, but then trailed the Swiss after she continued to hold from her end of the court. The service holds continued and by the ninth, Rus managed to get back within a game. The Olympic gold medalist responded with a 40-0 opener in the tenth before taking the set in 39 minutes, allowing Rus a point in the final game. 

Both had a double fault but it was the 11^th seed who won 93 percent of points from the first serve. Playing well at the net and carrying a strong second serve gave her the edge needed to be in a great spot going into the second stanza. This time it was Rus opening service and locked in the victory to start things off. Bencic responded with four unanswered serves that leveled the score and made the statement that she was well in control. 

They held the next two games, but when Bencic played for the fifth, she upped the ante to break Rus and back it up for a 4-2 lead. With the leverage in hand, the 11^th seed worked hard to get the break but Rus brought together terrific defense in the business end of the set. With deuce in play, the Dutch player fought to deny her opponent a chance for the AD point on one occasion through the four breaks in total. On her third AD point attempt, Rus shut down the chance for Bencic to get a double break and sat a game down after seven. 

The near eight-minute fight from the previous game didn’t take much away from the 11^th seed as she flew through her service to score a shutout and play for the match on Rus’s service. The 30-year-old denied her opponent that chance and sat a game down, hoping to extend the set further. The 11^th seed wouldn’t let her get that far and was set up with an error that brought up match point. The 24-year-old delivered an unreturnable serve that moved her into the second round after an hour and a half on court. 

“She makes it really hard to play against her with the typical lefty game,” Bencic said of the toughness Rus brings to the court each time. “I’ve played a lot of left-handed players the last couple of matches so I was a little prepared.” She’ll prepare for her next match when she takes on Martina Trevisan in the second round on Thursday.