Belinda Bencic wins rain delayed semi; returns to second straight Charleston Open final

Belinda Bencic keeps her focus during her semifinal with top-seeded Jessica Pegula at the Credit One Charleston Open. 

Belinda Bencic came out of the blocks so fast to make it a fast finish to the delayed semifinal at the Credit One Charleston Open Sunday. The defending champion sat 2-4 in the second set tiebreak against top seeded Jessica Pegula to take the match 7-5, 7-6(5) on the stadium court at the Family Circle Tennis Center. The match lasted two hours along with delays from the rain, setting up a second consecutive final that was seen last year.

The two met three times, with two coming in 2021 that were key wins for the Swiss. Bencic took down the American swiftly on the hard courts, which made it a three-match streaking for the top ten star. As defending champion, the 26-year-old handled Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets Friday, striking 14 winners and committing seven errors in total.

It was a shorter time on the court for the fourth seed, who needed all the energy against Pegula. The Buffalo native took down Paula Badosa in straight sets, nearly going three when she blew her service game to close things out. Facing Bencic, she had managed to win six games in each of their meetings of 2021, needing a change to come in her quest to make the final and continue her lead of wins on the tour.

Bencic knew the situation she had walking in on the court, double-faulting on the second point played. Despite the hiccup, the fourth seed battled to win four points straight to hold serve. Pegula made her opening serve look easy, tallying winners and an ace to set the bar for her opponent. She nailed the returns in the third game against Bencic, scoring the break on a winner well away from the Swiss.

Bencic was well responsive in the fourth, fighting where she could to potentially break back. Pegula saved one, but the fourth seed had great court positioning to level the score. She worked hard to consolidate in the fifth, catching the line and drawing errors from Pegula. Bencic stepped it up in the sixth, getting ahead on the score and achieving the double break. The 29-year-old felt uncertain about her offense, giving Bencic freedom to dictate a serve to love for a 5-2 stand.

In an effort to not drop a third game on serve, Pegula delivered tough shots that forced errors from the fourth seed. It charged up the crowd when the American completed the hold of service, but Bencic was on serve for the set. The ninth was not easy for the Swiss star as Pegula gave it her best in the rallies. Errors from Bencic brought them to deuce for the first time, with Pegula turning the tables. Two long returns saved the fourth seed, but errors from her end brought up a break-back point for Pegula. She won it after a seven-shot rally, sitting a game down.

Pegula made it five-all in a big shift of momentum, where Bencic made a silly mistake on return, losing her chances to get away clean. Pegula picked up breakpoints from errors on Bencic’s racket, but the fourth seed stayed competitive to force deuce. She hung on through two breaks to get back on track and work Pegula into submission in the 12th.

The American broke down on serve to get Bencic out of the first in 55 minutes after watching her three-game lead erased. While she had a rounded serve percentage of 56, the errors were as much as her winners. Pegula’s second serve was her biggest struggle winning 26 percent from it. Despite dropping the first, Pegula went after the fourth seed’s service, drawing errors to lead the set. Bencic matched the break to love in the second, but the third became a tug-of-war for the early lead. Bencic had to save the service game and went four breaks, with the top seed saving three more break points. An AD point gave her the short lead until Pegula leveled back at two apiece.

The fourth seed led the way in the fifth as both began to hold serve, keeping the games short while the rain fell. When it remained a stalemate after the 12th, a tiebreak went into effect, with Pegula gaining a two-point buffer. Bencic trailed two points after six points were dealt, and the American leading before play was suspended for the night.

On Sunday, Pegula resumed the game, gaining a 5-2 lead on Bencic’s error. The fourth seed cut into the margin after nine, sitting a point down to level. An error into the net set up Bencic to reach match point on a slicer that the American couldn’t get back over. The defending champ took it in relief to close out a short time on the court and make it into the final after just a few minutes.

“That was super weird,” said Bencic in her short time to complete the semifinal. “I prepared for the match to just got for it and try to be active because I already had a set, and I don’t really have much to lose, and glad the plan worked out.” It marked the first time in tournament history that Bencic and Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur faced one another in the final in consecutive years.