Belinda Bencic clears Swan in straight sets at Wimbledon

Belinda Bencic celebrates her win against Katie Swan at the Championships Wimbledon. 

Belinda Bencic bided her time to remain steady and come out with a victory at the Championships Wimbledon Monday. The Swiss star held through the challenges of Katie Swan to win in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 on Court 2 at the All England Tennis Club.

The Swiss star skipped the grass-court run due to a hip injury that wasn’t at full recovery to resume competition. With her last full tournament at Charleston back in April, Bencic returned after three months to see if all was well. The world number 14 wanted to get back into the hunt, facing the British star for the first time. Swan went into ITF tournaments to prepare for her sixth main draw appearance. She played one of three tournaments, making it deep into Surbiton. Having the home advantage, as she did in the tournament, Swan hoped to make the second round for the first time in five years.

Bencic got the match underway, holding serve against the 24-year-old, who followed suit by the same scoreline as her opponent. Bencic upped the ante, allowing Swan a single point before taking the lead in the third. Swan denied the 26-year-old a shot at scoring the first break, maintaining the service. She took her opportunity in the fifth to break the 14th seed, scoring it on a wide forehand error by the Swiss.

Bencic broke back to keep the score even at three-all, consolidating to hold serve and get back in front. The British number six held firm in the eighth, to move them into the business end, with no clear leader in sight. Bencic held serve in the ninth, putting Swan under pressure to do the same or drop the set. Swan chose not to go that route, making it a tug of war for the match lead after ten games. Bencic served Swan to love in the 11th, hoping that she could hold her opponent from forcing a tiebreak.

The two went to deuce in the 12th after Swan stopped a breakpoint, but on her first AD point, the Swiss star got it done to take the first in 54 minutes. Bencic dominated from the second serve, scoring 80 percent while drawing errors from the Brit. The Swiss star got the ball rolling fast in the second set, serving Swan to love. The Brit held serve in the second, maintaining her stance to match the Swiss.

After four holds of serve, Bencic made her move after the fifth. The Swiss set up a breakpoint on Swan’s service, placing a winner to the Brit’s right for the 4-2 lead. Bencic’s attempt to consolidate didn’t come easy, handing Swan points on an error to keep her in the hunt. The two played three breaks on deuce until a long return from the Brit ended the battle. Bencic gained her chance to play for the match in the eighth, widening the gap with three break points. Bencic delivered a forehand crosscourt during a short rally to cap her day in 1 hour and 35 minutes.

“I’m super pleased and of course aware that it was going to be a difficult task,” said Bencic. “I haven’t played in a while and am happy about playing again, and especially here at Wimbledon. It was my first time playing a Brit here, and really nice being back.”