Belinda Bencic downs Shelby Rogers in three setter at Charleston Open

Belinda Bencic fires away at Shelby Rogers during their third round match at the Credit One Charleston Open. 

Belinda Bencic had to fight to stay alive at the Credit One Charleston Open Thursday. With a target on her back as defending champion, the Swiss took on hometown hero Shelby Rogers, who went the distance in a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 score at Credit One Stadium at the Family Circle Tennis Center. Bencic tallied her 18th win of the season in a battle that she expected to go down differently.

The Swiss felt right at home on the clay courts, taking care of her match swiftly against Canada’s Katherine Sebov. The fourth seed handled the challenge quickly to prepare for her seventh meeting against Rogers. The American had her hands full against fellow compatriot Katy McNally, going the distance before winning her way into the round of 16. While she hasn’t had luck against Bencic since their ITF days in 2013, the 30-year-old continued to try and wait for an upset to occur against the defending champion.

Bencic opened the match, getting into gear while fighting off Rogers at the same time. She converted a break in the second game, backing it up in the third with a serve to love. Her three-game margin was stopped by the American, who got a service game locked down in the fourth. Bencic got back to a three-game buffer, but another win from Rogers amped up the home crowd, who were trying to get behind the South Carolina native.

She fed off their energy that sent the fourth seed tumbling on offense. After losing on two chances to break Rogers, she watched the American break her to love in the seventh. The American sat a game down but managed to back up the break with a solid service game closing the gap.

Bencic tried to get back on track, but Rogers was well into the set, fighting through every point with the defending champ. The 30-year-old gave herself another break chance in the ninth but hit a return into the net. She gained another chance on a Bencic error, taking the victory and the lead away. On serve for the set, Rogers remained focused while the errors continued to count up for the fourth seed. The American outplayed Bencic for two set points smashing a shot away to close it in 51 minutes.

Though she had 13 errors in the set, her first serve was low, and the points produced were not enough to strengthen against the American. Rogers went in the opposite direction, tallying eight unforced errors to her 12 winners. Bencic caught hold of serve to start the second set, but frustrations in the second game caused her anguish with the score. The Swiss powered through to break Rogers, only to see the American level things after the fourth game.

When it looked like things were slipping away, Bencic battled on serve in the fifth, denying a late breakpoint for Rogers. She held after two breaks of deuce and remained in the lead after the seventh game. As the two reached the late stages of the second set, Bencic remained in the lead, but Rogers went after the fourth seed, stopping her from taking the set on her service. With a five-all situation, Bencic secured the 11th, serving the American to love. The 30-year-old couldn’t keep it together, erring on serve for the chance at a tiebreak, and instead handed the set to Bencic after 1 hour and 11 minutes.

The fourth seed enacted their fourth match against one another to go the distance after producing just more from the first serve. They both had the same number of winners, with the Swiss notching more errors from her side. She showed improvements in the decider, winning 12 of 14 points played in three games. Rogers rallied to serve Bencic to love, but the fifth went to the fourth seed, who kept the margin wide.

The American inched closer, but the defending champion held her ground on serve to sit a game from taking the match. Rogers was on the verge of gaining her third of the set, but the fourth seed forced deuce to keep her title defense in check. An error handed the Swiss star match point that Rogers saved on an ace. Bencic shot well to bring up a second match point that came on a shot from the American into the net completing a valiant effort that took 2 hours and 43 minutes to accomplish.