Belinda Bencic delivers knockout of Magda Linette at Wimbledon

Belinda Bencic clcnehes her fist during a third round match against Magda Linette at the Championships Wimbledon. 

Belinda Bencic didn’t have a clean match but made it to the fourth round of the Championships Wimbledon Friday. The Swiss star struggled to consistently dominate but got through in straight sets against Magda Linette 6-3, 6-1 on Court 14 at the All England Tennis Club. Bencic, whose right arm was taped up, struggled to be 100 percent on the day but found a way to dig out the victory.

The Swiss star had a tough time finishing her second rounder, nearly seeing the end come against Danielle Collins. With two wins at the AEC, Bencic avoided an early exit and had her eyes set on making it through to the fourth round. She faced Linette for the first time after the 23rd seed defeated Swiss teammate Jill Teichmann. The Pole went the distance against Barbora Strycova, spending more than three hours on the court. Linette added her first career victory in third-round matches in majors this January, hoping to look for a second against the 14th seed.

The Polish number two opened service, holding Bencic back from a threat of deuce. The 26-year-old opened the gap on serve, only to see errors kill her chance for a clean game. She allowed Linette into the battle, going three breaks until a winner and a forced error made it a one-all start. The pace remained slow as neither player gained a foothold of their serves. The two fought one another on deuce for a third straight, where Bencic clinched the first break of serve.

The Swiss star consolidated in the fourth, despite playing deuce for a third time. Linette remained the only player to have secured a serve in regulation, but in the fifth, Bencic got one herself. The 31-year-old put her game into a higher gear, blanking the 14th seed in the seventh to sit a game behind. Errors from Bencic opened the door for Linette to threaten a break, but a winner helped her force deuce. After a break, the 14th seed contained the serve to widen out to a 5-2 lead.

Bencic got into place perfectly against Linette, who wasn’t putting her best out on court. The 23rd seed went down in a break to love, ending the first in 45 minutes. Despite committing five double faults, the 26-year-old did well on points won from the first serve, winning 81 percent. Both sides of Linette’s game were underwhelming despite having fewer errors than her opponent.

When the second got started, the Polish star got ahead of the Swiss on the score, looking to start things with a break. Bencic defended on deuce, going two breaks before holding Linette back. Bencic picked up the pace to pressure the 23rd seed on the scoreboard, clinching the break and a two-game buffer. The 26-year-old had another challenging service game in the third, but it went to a break before she clinched it.

Bencic took a commanding 4-0 run, playing point by point before gaining the double break. On serve in the fifth, the 14th seed couldn’t get it done in regulation and forced deuce for an AD point chance. The Swiss star made it look easy attaining that feat to take a five-game winning streak, putting all the pressure on Linette to avoid being shut out in the match.

She struggled to find a firm setting, handing the Swiss match points. She managed to save one, then closed the gap with an ace down the center line. A bad slice from Linette brought up a second chance for Bencic, who watched it come straight at her to return to deuce. After three games, an error from Bencic handed Linette the lone victory to keep her going.

Frustration grew inside the Swiss star, who wanted to get it done on serve in the seventh. Bencic gained three more match points, losing her third and the serve to love. On her fourth match point, the 14th seed managed to close it out and make the fourth round after a challenging day on the court that took 1 hour and 26 minutes.