Wild-card Belinda Bencic yesterday claimed her second consecutive WTA 125k title at Taipei Arena, defeating Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands to claim the OEC Taipei Open crown.
The Swiss world No. 120, who due to injury missed about five months of the WTA Tour this season, won her 10th consecutive match by defeating Rus 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 in 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Bencic, who reached a career-high seventh in the WTA rankings last season before her injury worries, failed to save the only break point she faced, but converted four of 11 to claim her second straight title after defeating Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei at the Hua Hin Championship in Thailand on Sunday last week.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
With Bencic leading 5-2, the first set looked to be heading for a quick conclusion, but the Dutch player fought back.
Bencic, frustrated at not having been able to convert three set points, was broken for the only time in the match at 5-3, before Rus held her serve the rest of the way to force a tiebreak.
However, unforced errors on Rus’ first two service games handed Bencic a 3-0 advantage and the Swiss duly wrapped up the tiebreaker 7/3.
Bencic then cruised through the second set, a costly Rus double fault bringing up match point, before the Dutch player hit a forehand into the net to hand Bencic the title.
“I want to congratulate my opponent first of all — I think she played a great week, even in doubles, and it was very tough to play [Rus] today,” Bencic said after accepting the trophy.
In the doubles final, Veronika Kudermetova of Russia defended the title she won in Taipei last year, albeit with a different partner.
Unseeded Kudermetova and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus fought back from a set down to edge third seeds Monique Adamczak of Australia and Naomi Broady of Britain 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 10-6 in 1 hour, 22 minutes.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
KNICKS TAKE LEAD: San Antonio put on a 9-0 run to be up 95-94 with just over 2 minutes to play, but the rest of the game belonged to the New York Knicks It was past five minutes through the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday and the New York Knicks’ 11-game winning streak was in major jeopardy. The Knicks missed nine of their first 10 shots in the early part of the period and trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 14 points. They were floundering. Then something crazy happened. The Knicks found new life from an unlikely source: The Spurs. New York rallied to tie the game by the end of the period, gave up the lead briefly late in the fourth quarter, and pulled away late for a 105-95
RSS