Belinda Bencic edges Zhu in three sets to enter US Open round of 16.

Belinda Bencic during a critical point of her third round match with Lin Zhu at the US Open. 

Belinda Bencic got into the round of 16 by the skin of her teeth at the US Open Friday night. The 15th seed played a roller-coaster match with Lin Zhu, winning 7-6(1), 2-6, 6-3 on Grandstand Court at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. Both players never held longer than a few games, making it a drama-filled fight from start to finish. 

The two met almost a decade ago in Tianjin when they were teenagers, with Bencic taking their only meeting in straight sets. The 15th seed took down her previous opponents in straight sets, dropping six games against both. It marked the seventh time in eight appearances that she made the round of 32. Zhu pulled off an upset of Azarenka in round two, denying three breakpoints to the former world number one. It marked her fourth top-20 win of the season, looking for another against the Swiss.

She returned well against Bencic’s opening serve, getting a breakpoint opportunity quickly. The Swiss star hit one towards Zhu but watched it land wide of the tramline. The 29-year-old almost had a clear path to a 2-0 lead, only to see Bencic strike back. The 15th seed forced deuce and crushed the AD point to level up. Serving was still a struggle for Bencic, who moved her opponent to deuce in the third. A lucky break came on a wide return from Zhu, enabling the first service hold.

Zhu followed suit for a two-all score but watched Bencic quickly held to regain the lead. During critical points, the 15th seed erred into the net, allowing Zhu to secure the service. She pressed the Swiss star for breakpoints, waiting for her moment to lock it down and take a 4-3 lead. Bencic refused to go down another game and broke back to remain in touch through eight.

The players held serve to the tenth, and the Swiss took the 11th. Three straight errors from Bencic in the final game handed Zhu a shot in the tiebreak but witnessed the first serve come together, gaining a sizable lead. The 15th seed reached set point at 6-1, smacking a crosscourt to draw an error out of Zhu, taking the first in 64 minutes.

The experience of playing under pressure got Bencic through a challenging set where she committed 28 errors. The 71 percent success from the first serve was her ability to be dominant under tense situations. When the second got underway, Zhu picked up her service game and pressed Bencic on serve in the second. It was the longest game of the match at that point, going six minutes and two breaks until the 15th seed had one under her belt.

The players held serve through five games, with Zhu gaining leverage on her hold of serve. She dug into the sixth, scoring the break and the first lead since the set began. The 29-year-old dictated points on serve in the seventh, drawing errors from Bencic. The Swiss star showed frustration as her returns didn’t get back across the court, allowing Zhu to easily back up her success.

A third set loomed over Bencic, who served to extend the set in the eighth, only to watch Zhu finish off the rallies on simple winners. She had set point in play, smashing it near the net to close out the second in 44 minutes. Bencic had 17 unforced errors and a bad second serve that opened the door for the Chinese star to put her destiny into action.

Zhu led the way through four holds of serve, but her opponent picked up momentum and control to secure her side of the court. In the fifth game, Zhu erred on service, bringing up breakpoints for the 15th seed. After a nine-shot rally, Bencic had the break on the long return, taking the lead.

Bencic backed up the break to widen the gap on Zhu and two games from the match. Finding enough rhythm and patience, the Swiss star watched her opponent throw together great ball striking. Bencic fought her to deuce, but the 29-year-old took the service hold by the smallest of margins. Gaining a break in the eighth was not in the cards of Zhu, who made crucial mistakes on points to give Bencic the hold of serve after three breaks.

Playing for the match, the 15th seed got ahead of Zhu earning two match points. She blew one straight into the net on a stretched forehand but held the last one after a long rally where Zhu hit the ball just behind the baseline. It was all said and done in 2 hours and 39 minutes in a match where the competition was so close, but mistakes changed how much the lead changed throughout.

“Tennis is usually a roller coaster,” Bencic said during her on-court interview. “Sometimes it's enjoyable, and sometimes it’s not, but I’m really happy with how I fought in the end.” Both tallied 206 and ran over two miles throughout their battle. With Bencic back in the second week, she’ll await the winner between Elena Rybakina and Sorana Cirstea on Sunday.