TENNIS – Swiss rising star Belinda Bencic beat Jelena Jankovic 6-3 6-3 of Serbia one day after battling past France’s Kristina Mladenovic in a near 3-hour match to reach the final of the WTA s’Hertogenbosch where she will face Camila Giorgi who beat Kiki Bertens 6-2 6-4. Meanwhile, in the ATP event, Nicolas Mahut took out Robin Haase 5-7 6-3 6-4 and will play David Goffin who beat Gilles Muller 7-6 6-4. Diego Sampaolo
Bencic broke Jankovic in the 3rd game of the 1st set and closed out on the set on her 2nd set point in the 9th game for 6-3. In the 2nd set, the younger player took command right away of the set as she pulled away for a 3-1 lead. Jankovic broke back in the 6th game to draw level at 3-3 but Bencic won the next 3 to clinch the 2nd set and the match 6-3 6-3. Bencic has qualified for the second final of her career. Bencic will take on Camila Giorgi who beat Dutch woman Kiki Bertens 6-2 6-4
“Everything worked well for me. I played a really good match. My serve could have worked better but it was a little bit windy, so it was tricky. Other than that I played really well against Jankovic, which is always difficult because she gets a lot of balls back and makes you hit hit an extra shot”, said Bencic.
Camila Giorgi prevailed over world’s number 132 Kiki Bertens who reached the semifinal without dropping a set in the whole tournament beating defending champion Coco Vandeweghe on the way. Giorgi broke serve in the 4th game of the 1st set and held her serve easily. She secured double break in the 8th game to take the set 6-2.
Giorgi broke early in the 2nd set to take a 2-0 lead. However, Bertens broke straight back in the next game. They remained on serve with Giorgi leading 5-4. Bertens was serving to stay in the match up 40-15 lead but she made three double faults in a row. Giorgi converted her match point after Bertens again double faulted. Giorgi won 6-2 6-4. Giorgi will try to win her first WTA title and be the second to have won this event as Roberta Vinci did back in 2011.
ATP 250 s’Hertogenbosch:
Nicolas Mahut fought back from losing the first set to beat Robin Haase 5-7 6-3 6-4 in the first men’s semifinal. Mahut is bidding to win his second title at this event having won it in 2011 against Stan Wawrinka. Haase got the break at 5-5 as Mahut committed 5 unforced errors. The Dutchman closed out the set on his serve to take it 7-5. Mahut broke Haase in the 6th game of the 2nd set and maintained this lead for 6-3 and force the match to a decisive set. Mahut rode this momentum into the 3rd set as he broke Haase in his opening service and consolidated the break for 2-0. Mahut again maintained this one break advantage to take the set and the match 5-7 6-3 6-4.
Mahut will face David Goffin who beat Gilles Muller 7-6(4) 6-4. Goffin avenged an earlier loss to Muller this year in Rotterdam. Neither player broke serve in the opening set though Goffin had 2 break points in the 9th game, which had he converted would had led him to serve out the 1st set. Thus the opening set was decided via a tiebreak where Goffin pulled away to take it 7-4 points. Goffin broke serve in the final game of the 2nd set for 6-4 as Muller made some careless errors serving to stay in the match. He sent two forehands long and put his forehand volley wide. This is Goffin’s fourth ATP finals. He is 2-1 thus far.
