Belinda Bencic confronted a little bit of bother in opposition to world No. 111 Aliaksandra Sasnovich in her Hong Kong opener, however nonetheless managed to get the job executed in two units 6-3 6-4, and attain the round-of-16 with out a lot issue.
Bencic, who’s seeded at No. 1 at this yr’s WTA 250 event in Hong Kong, saved two consecutive break factors early on earlier than claiming the primary break within the fourth recreation. Main 5-3, the No. 1 seed missed out on two consecutive set factors on Sasnovich’s serve, however managed to serve out for the set within the following recreation after saving two break factors.
After dropping the primary set, Sasnovich responded by opening an early 3-1 second-set lead. Simply when it appeared that the momentum could be altering, the top-seeded managed to get the break again within the fifth recreation, after which broke Sasnovich once more within the ninth recreation for a 5-4 lead. With an opportunity to serve out for the match, the Swiss did not miss out on that chance.
Within the Hong Kong round-of-16, Bencic performs in opposition to world No. 298 Wang Yafan.
Bencic registers her fifth consecutive win
By beating Sasnovich, Bencic – who triumphed ultimately week’s WTA 500 occasion in Tokyo – recorded her fifth win in a row.
“It is actually, actually particular. I had a full déjà vu second on court docket as a result of I actually had match level on the identical aspect of the court docket. I went for a similar serve. I used to be telling myself the identical issues. It was actually a déjà vu second. It’s nice to win right here once more. I really feel like Tokyo and Japan is de facto like my glad place in my profession, and only a place the place I’ve good success, and I wish to be right here,” the Swiss, who additionally gained the Tokyo Olympics a couple of years in the past, stated following her WTA Tokyo triumph.
