Swiss 18-year-old rising star Belinda Bencic battled past Sam Stosur 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 to get through to the quarter finals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open at the Ariake Colliseum in Tokyo.
Bencic, who won her first two WTA tournaments in Eastbourne and Toronto, bounced back from a set down to edge Stosur in a thrilling match. The Australian player clinched the first set with 7-5 at the tie-break in 56 minutes. During the early stages of the second set Stosur earned a double break point chance as Bencic was serving at 2-2 15-40. Bencic held her nerve by claimg four straight points to hold her serve before getting the break in the following game.
The young Swiss player reeled off eight of the next nine games to take the second set with 6-3 and opened up a 4-0 lead in the decider. Stosur bounced back winning the next three games to claw her way into the match to 3-4. Bencic held on and served out on her first match point to win the third set with 6-4 after 2 hours and 16 minutes.
Bencic converted on three of her six break point chances. Stosur hit 13 aces and earned six break point chances, but she converted only one of them. It was the first time Bencic beat Stosur in her career.
“It was a difficult match. Sam was serving great today. I had a lot of trouble when I was returning The third set was difficult too. I had 4-0, then it was 4-3, so it got a bit tougher. It was just one break I lost there. I am happy I could stay calm and serve it out in the end. I am very happy with this win”, said Bencic
Bencic set up a quarter final clash against Garbine Muguruza who beat Barbora Strykova 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 45 minutes. It will be their first ever head-to-head match. The young Spanish player fended off 11 of the 14 break points she faced.
Angelique Kerber fought back from a set down to edge Madison Brengle 5-7 6-1 6-0. The German was broken three times in the first set, but she bounced back in the second and the third sets where she dropped just one game.
Kerber will face Number 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki, who needed 82 minutes to beat young Croatian 18-year-old qualifier and Nottingham WTA International champion Ana Konjiuh 6-2 6-2. The Dane, who lost in the second round of the US Open against Petra Cetkovska, dropped her serve after leading 40-0 in the first game, but she broke straight back en route to winning the opening set with 6-2. Konjiuh held her serve in the first game of the second set, but Wozniacki got a double break in the fourth and in the eighth games en route to winning the match.
