Belinda Bencic wins first WTA title of '23 in straight sets at Adelaide International

Belinda Bencic celebrates an easy win of the Adelaide International

Belinda Bencic made winning a championship look easy at the Adelaide International Saturday. The world number 13 clinched herself a spot in the top ten, defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 6-2 on center court at the Memorial Drive Tennis Club. The fifth seed had too many unforced errors, which allowed Bencic to have a smooth run to victory.

Both players received walkovers in lieu of the final, which was a rare occurrence in the sport. Spain’s Paula Badosa suffered a thigh injury not only took her out of the Adelaide 2 tournament, but also the Australian Open. Veronika Kudermetova pulled out with a left hip injury suffered in her quarterfinal that led her to withdraw against Belinda Bencic.

With the free rides into the final, it set up the two for a sixth meeting and the first in a final. Kasatkina carried a 6-5 record, having won five of her last seven finals played. Bencic lost nine of 15 career finals but shows 4-5 on the hard courts that included winning the gold medal in Tokyo.  

The Swiss had a golden start to the match, breaking Kasatkina to love on redirects. The wind picked up on the court, making it difficult for the fifth seed to find comfort in her game. Bencic took the win in stride, making the adjustments to stand strong against Kasatkina. It led to a 3-0 run for the Swiss, who quickly consolidated the double break, painting a winner to close out the fourth.

Kasatkina’s game was not going to plan, suffering a third break to Bencic, unable to get her return game into gear. On the verge of being bageled in the sixth, she tried to fight Bencic, but the eighth seed gained a set point, painting the line away from her opponent, taking the first in 25 minutes. Bencic’s offense was completely on point, scoring 93 percent from the first serve, while her opponent won only six shots from her game. With that and a bad return, a major shift had to occur.

Bencic opened the second set with a fourth break of Kasatkina, followed by a hold to back it up. Carrying an eight-game streak, the eighth seed watched Kasatkina pull things together and lock up a hold of serve, sending cheers from the fans. Despite a snap of her winning streak, Bencic regained her momentum in a competitive fourth game that went to deuce, taking the victory on serve. Bencic made it 4-1 with her second double break of Kasatkina, sitting two games from the championship.

The Swiss continued her impressive service, hitting the returns that rounded out her success against the struggling fifth seed. In her last attempt to extend the match, Kasatkina erred twice but fired a winner and an ace to level the score. Kasatkina was first to reach game point, but Bencic rallied to force deuce and bring up match point on a good read of Kasatkina’s drop shot attempt. She blew what was to be an easy match-point win, opening the door for the fifth seed to fight and capture another hold of serve.

It was all in the hands of the Swiss star to get it done in the ninth on her second match point. A backhand down the line beat Kasatkina to hand her the title in one hour and seven minutes.

Belinda Bencic takes down Caroline Garcia in three sets at Adelaide International

Belinda Bencic celebrates a point during her quarterfinal with Caroline Garcia at the Adeliade Interational. 

Belinda Bencic played a tight battle in three sets to come through at the Adelaide International Thursday night. The Swiss star went the distance against Caroline Garcia, who she targeted at the start and finish, to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 on Centre Court at the Memorial Drive Tennis Club.

Bencic’s win over Anna Kalinskaya wasn’t as swift as she wanted, coming from a break down to make it to the last eight. The Swiss star’s serve went sour more than in her three-set win over Garbine Muguruza in the opening round. The opposition didn’t get better against Garcia, who maintained her aggressive style of tennis that took down Katerina Siniakova in three sets.

Despite having 39 errors, the 42 winners and 14 aces made up for the struggle against the Czech. In their second match with one another, Bencic looked to gain another win over the Frenchwoman, and post her fourth career semifinal in Australia.

Garcia opened with a stronger service than Bencic, but the Swiss scored the first break in the third for the lead. She went on to consolidate for a 3-1 lead over Garcia, who struggled with her service, finding herself trailing in the fifth. Bencic held her ground for the double break and kept Garcia to a single point while serving in the sixth. With a 5-1 stand for Bencic, the fourth seed had one chance to begin the recovery.

Overcoming a short deficit on serve, Garcia force deuce, etching a second win to extend the set. Bencic put the cork in Garcia’s plans, taking the eighth game with ease closing out the first in 32 minutes. Despite having eight winners to Bencic’s five, the second serve dragged the French star’s performance.

Garcia turned things around in the second set, holding serve through five games, with two of them coming by way of a shutout. Bencic continued to pursue the fourth seed until the fifth, when Garcia forced deuce and pulled off the break. Holding the score at 4-2, the fourth seed blanked Bencic on serve in the seventh, inching closer to forcing a decider.

Bencic served to keep the set moving, allowing Garcia a single point in the eighth. Once the fourth seed returned to service, she blasted shots across the court and set up two set points before putting Bencic away with a straight winner down the side ending 35 minutes. Garcia was flawless from the first serve, which hiked up her success from the second. Bencic’s second serve fell to 38 percent despite having just three errors.

It was anyone’s match going in the third, but Garcia had the service in place, following Bencic’s lead. The fourth was key for the eighth seed to a break after overcoming a 15-40 deficit. She forced deuce and held the AD point to lead 3-1, but consolidating proved difficult. Garcia refused to fall three games down and pushed Bencic around to sit a game behind with the break back.

The fourth seed leveled the score, staying with Bencic through eight games as they closed in on the business end of the match. Bencic won the ninth in a shutout, putting Garcia in a spot to hold or find her tournament hopes dashed. The Frenchwoman found herself in a battle for control as Bencic forced deuce in the tenth, making the AD point critical for both players. After two breaks, Bencic took her first AD point attempt and rallied with Garcia until a slice from the fourth seed sealed the Swiss a spot in the semifinals after 1 hour and 53 minutes.

“The key to win was to hold the serve for sure,” said Bencic.  “We both serve great, and it's tough to return against Caroline, so it was a battle of who could do it better, but I think in the end it was really about the serve.” Bencic will meet against Veronika Kudermetova, who she has a long history dating back to juniors in Friday’s semifinal.

Anna Kalinskaya finds easy win at Adelaide International

Jelena Ostapenko delivered another roller-coaster performance that took her down for the second time at the Adelaide International Tuesday. The Latvian suffered service issues that gave Anna Kalinskaya room for comfort and a 6-3, 6-4 score on Court Two at the Memorial Drive Tennis Club.

The Latvian thought she had the 2023 season going in the right direction after beating Karolina Pliskova. Unfortunately, her stunning defeat to Irina Camelia Begu last week led to her being broken six times in the round of 16 matches. She dropped 13 in the early round last season, hoping to put that behind her and get on the best foot. Kalinskaya worked her way into the main draw, winning both her qualifying matches to make it in the draw. Though she’s never met Ostapenko before, she managed to beat some tough opponents in Sasnovich and Riske to get there.

The 24-year-old opened the scoring with a shutout of Ostapenko, who nearly blanked in return but watched Kalinskaya score a point on serve. The Latvian overcame her start to the match by holding serve, getting in front of the action in the fourth. It slipped out of her control, allowing the qualifier to get the lead back, play to deuce and hold serve. Points were going against the 25-year-old, who was at the mercy of the umpire to judge close points.

It continued to be a see-saw competition through six games until a break by Kalinskaya upped her advantage and held serve in the eighth. Ostapenko struggled to overcome her issues on serve and dropped another game, handing the set to the 25-year-old in 32 minutes. The qualifier did much better than the Latvian on first-serve success, winning 13 of 19 on returns and 10 of 15 serving. Ostapenko tallied 20 points of the 52 that were played through nine games.

Kalinskaya continued along her pace, taking a quick 2-0 lead over her experienced opponent, who wasn’t improving. Despite her efforts in the third, the 24-year-old marched to a 3-0 rout of Ostapenko. On her second attempt to serve with strength, the Latvian overcame a late breakpoint chance by her opponent, forcing deuce and holding on to the break.

A big statement in the fifth notched her second win, but it was a long road to a comeback for the former Grand Slam champion. She pulled off the comeback, leveling the score, but the seventh game became frustrating for Ostapenko. Blowing two breakpoints and being gifted one on a double fault from Kalinskaya, the Latvian failed to convert the score. Despite the lost chance to sit a break-up, the 25-year-old held serve in the eighth, hoping to continue with her aggressive tennis in the business end of the set.

Kalinskaya stayed on point, serving Ostapenko to love in the ninth. With a shot to serve for the match, the 24-year-old watched as the Latvian put the balls away from her. A double fault reeled its ugly head for Ostapenko, who handed the match with a second double ending 1 hour and 19 minutes on the court.