Beatriz Haddad-Maia downs Belinda Bencic in three sets

Beatriz Haddad Maia yells out positively during her match with Belinda Bencic at the National Bank Open. 

Belinda Bencic was cut short in a hard way at the National Bank Open Friday night. Beatriz Haddad Maia made it known that her skills had improved greatly, beating the former Toronto champion in three sets 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 on center court at Sobeys Stadium. It was her first win against the Swiss star and another step closer to a WTA 1000 title in Canada.

The two played the first WTA match of the season, and it was there that the Swiss took down the Brazilian in straight sets. In the eight months since then, Haddad Maia has won three WTA titles in her short time on tour. Having won five matches against the top ten players that yesterday included Iga Swiatek, Haddad Maia stands out as a dangerous opponent.

Though it took her three hours, the 26-year-old denied Swiatek’s 50th match win this season, putting her on a course to even up with Bencic. The Swiss’s path was surprising, taking down Williams and Muguruza with ease. Facing the left-handed hitter would prove a challenge for the 12th seed as well as making sure she could face the adversity that Haddad Maia now possessed.

Both had terrific starts to their service games, holding the other to just a point. In the third, Haddad Maia tried to go for the early break only to see Bencic defend well. When she leveled the score, her offense took care of business to hold back the threats from Haddad Maia. Bencic held the fifth and went for her moment to break in the sixth, playing deep return shots against the Brazilian. With the lead in hand, the 12th seed served to back up the break, drawing errors to sit up 5-2.

Bencic easily finished the opening set in 33 minutes, breaking Haddad Maia to love. She won 70 percent of points from the first serve and outscored the Brazilian 28-16 in the set. Knowing that her offense needed an increased output, Haddad Maia had the chance to make good of the remaining match.

The second set saw the Brazilian and Swiss hold their opening serves, but a break for the 26-year-old turned the tide that was on display. She backed it up for a 3-1 lead before Bencic found her way back to controlling her service. After six, Haddad Maia enjoyed having the break advantage on the 12th seed, giving her a chance at making it a fight to the end.

After eight, Haddad Maia continued to hold Bencic back, earning her chance to force a deciding set. The 12th seed felt the pressure, double-faulting to bring the score to deuce. Another double fault brought up set point for the Brazilian, who watched as a long return from Bencic clinched her the second in 46 minutes. The 26-year-old improved her first serve output, matching Bencic’s 73 percent scoring. The difference maker was the 17 unforced errors the Swiss committed, blaming the crowd.

She opened the decider with a two-game streak before being annoyed in the third when she told them to “shut up.” Expressing her complaints to the umpire during the sit-down didn’t bring changes, other than the score when Haddad Maia broke in the fourth. The Brazilian backed up the break to lead Bencic into the midsection of the third.

The Swiss found a way through her service, aiming for the body and waiting for the drives out of Haddad Maia’s reach. With the momentum back to level terms, the 26-year-old defended her service, battling Bencic where they went three breaks. After saving two breakpoints, Haddad Maia secured the seventh game. A huge break of Bencic put her up 5-3, needing the nerves to stay in check as she served for a place in the semifinal.

Forcing mistakes from Bencic was the order for Haddad Maia, who reached two match points. She lost one after a nine-shot rally, watching the ball go wide of the tramlines. Bencic forced deuce on a 16-shot rally that ended with her crunching a 26th winner. Unfortunately for the 12th seed, a long return brought the Brazilian a third match point, which she clinched with an ace ending a 2-hour 11-minute match.