Olympic champion Belinda Bencic moves into US Open quarter-finals and will play British teenage sensation Emma Raducanu… with both players yet to drop a set all tournament
- Belinda Bencic beat Iga Swiatek to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open
- She will face British teenage star Emma Raducanu for a place in the last four
- Bencic is full of confidence after winning gold at the Olympics over the summer
- The 24-year-old reached the last eight in New York when she was just 17 in 2014
Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic continued her stellar summer by defeating Iga Swiatek to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open – where she will now play British teenage star Emma Raducanu.
After failing to serve out the opening set, the Swiss 11th seed came out on top of a 26-point tie-break and maintained her record of not having dropped a set all tournament with a 7-6 (12) 6-3 victory.
Her 18-year-old British opponent in the last eight is also yet to lost a set.
Belinda Bencic kept up her impressive form as she beat Iga Swiatek to reach the last eight
She will face British star Emma Raducanu next in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows
‘It was very important the first set,’ said Bencic. ‘It’s mentally important because when you lose a set like this, it’s very frustrating. A little bit bitter.
‘Then I started to focus on the next set and tried to go up again quickly, so I put pressure on her again.’
Flushing Meadows has been Bencic’s most successful grand slam venue and this is the third time she has reached the last eight, with her best result a semi-final run two years ago.
She said: ‘I was 17 when I made my first quarter-final, so that also kind of gave me this idea. I definitely feel like it’s just adding to the experiences.
‘Now I definitely learn how it is to be in the second week, how to manage these quarter-finals, semi-finals. I also feel the Olympics helped me a lot in this.
Bencic has shone at the US Open in the past and is yet to lose a set at this year’s tournament
The 24-year-old is full of confidence after winning gold at the Olympics earlier this summer
‘I played big matches there, as well, and I kind of know now how it feels to go deep in a tournament, and an important tournament. It definitely feels good.’
Swiatek is the only woman to reach at least the fourth round at each slam this year but the French Open is the only tournament where she has gone further.
The Pole, who admitted to struggling with the pressure of expectation earlier in the tournament, said: ‘For sure it was really tough but she plays great tennis right now.
‘So I’m pretty happy with my performance, because I came back in the first set and it was pretty hard to use the chances that I had and win the set balls because she was playing just great.
‘I’m just mad a little bit that I didn’t come back in the second set and I drifted away a little bit.’
Swiatek battled hard in an incredibly tight first set and paid tribute to Bencic after the match