Belinda Bencic scores upset over Iga Swiatek in straight sets at US Open

Belinda Bencic waves to the crowd after her hard-fought win in straight sets over Iga Swiatek at the US Open. 

Belinda Bencic found a way to be steady under tremendous challenges to make her way into the quarterfinal of the US Open Monday. A 23 minute first set tiebreak helped the Swiss miss defeat Iga Swiatek in straight sets 7-6(14), 6-3 on Louis Armstrong Court at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. It was a huge win for Bencic, who took a past result and brought together a huge upset. 

The two met at the start of the season with the Polish star controlling the match, allowing Bencic only four games in her straight-sets championship win. While it didn’t spell future problems for the 12^th seed, who wanted to add a slam to her Olympic gold medal, the 24-year-old needed her best to come against the former French Open champion. Swiatek played two sets more than Bencic as her quest to continue was challenged in the last two matches. With Bencic being a formidable opponent, the 20-year-old had to prevent the world number 12 from pushing the limits. 

Bencic took the lead on an early break that kept Swiatek back and allowed her to score the break. The Swiss star backed up the break with a good hold of serve, allowing the Pole one point in the second. Swiatek pulled out all the stops to hold serve and on deuce, she achieved every AD point (five) until the last one clinched her first win. Bencic answered the seventh seed’s efforts with a shutout for a 3-1 lead. 

Bencic tried to extend her lead to three games but despite a 0-40 gap, Swiatek struck back to force deuce and again play every AD point until she won. Bencic made sure that she remained focused and held her end of the court and stayed ahead. By the end of the ninth, Swiatek stayed within reach but had to break the Swiss to push the set deeper. Her fight allowed her to pressure Bencic into submission and get into a position on serving for the lead. 

Drawing errors from the 24-year-old helped her reach two game points and watch Bencic return into the net. The Swiss had a shot at forcing a tiebreak on serve but had to prevent a breakpoint for the set from Swiatek. With deuce in play, Bencic fired an ace down the T for the AD point and moved the two players into a tiebreak. The seventh seed got on the board first, but the next point went 15 shots before Bencic placed the ball for a winner. 

Swiatek went on to take the next three points while adding pressure to the 24-year-old. The Pole put a tough return into the net and suffered another on a popped ball off of it. A long return from the seventh seed made it five-all for Bencic, who saw the chance to take the lead and did it on a crosscourt slice that came back long. With her chance for set point, the 11^th seed blew it with a big error to make it six-all. They made it to eight points each with each player denying the other on set point. After 26 points played, it was the 11^th seed making it through on an error from Swiatek into the net ending an 84-minute battle. 

Bencic finished the set with a better output on first-serve points won and won more points near the net. Producing set points from her end did the trick during the critical moments to go into the second with her head held high. Bencic held serve with Swiatek following behind with a shutout in the second. In the third, Bencic beat herself up when she struggled to capture the hold of serve. After Swiatek forced deuce, she gained a breakpoint but was shut down from gaining the lead. 

Bencic took it home on the second break and followed it up with a break of the Pole. After the fifth, the 11^th seed got a jump on the score with a service hold that made it 4-1 in her benefit.  Swiatek had a hole to climb out of and did so while preventing Bencic from forcing deuce. Bencic made good to keep the Pole back and hold a critical service game that set her up to play for the match in the eighth. 

The seventh seed stopped her from getting it done on her serve, moving Bencic into serving it out herself. Back-to-back winners put her up to 33 on the day and match point in hand. Despite one shot going long, she clinched her spot in the last eight with a return from Swiatek landing into the tramlines to complete the upset in two hours and six minutes. 

“The set was so even so I think in the tiebreak it’s always about having luck so I’m very happy that I won the tiebreak otherwise it would be more difficult and got to start the second set more relaxed,” Bencic said after her match. 

She’ll try to bring some relaxation into the last eight where she’ll face the winner between Shelby Rogers or Emma Raducanu.