By Adrianna Outlaw | Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Belinda Bencic, who is 27-6 since the start of grass-court season, will face Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza in the Tokyo quarterfinals.
Photo credit: Pan Pacific Open
Belinda Bencic is unbeaten against Top 5 opponent this season. She's pretty tough against former Top 5 players as well.
Bencic defeated former world No. 4 Samantha Stosur, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, to advance to her fourth quarterfinal of the season at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Video: Niculescu Wins Awkward Point
Since the beginning of grass court season in June, the 18-year-old Swiss has posted a 27-6 record.
Bencic, who served up a double bagel in her opener, saved five of six break points against Stosur.
"Obviously it was a very difficult match," Bencic said afterward. "Sam was serving great today, so I had a lot of trouble when I was returning. And the third set was difficult too — I had 4-0, then it was 4-3 - so it got a bit tighter. But it was still just one break I lost there, and I'm happy I could just stay calm and serve it out in the end. I'm very happy with this win."
The eighth-seeded Bencic will meet third-seeded Garbine Muguruza for a semifinal spot.
The No. 3-seeded Spaniard swept Barbora Strycova, 6-3, 6-4.
"The first match you play at a tournament is always tough," Muguruza told WTATennis.com "You're nervous, and you want to make it into the third round, of course. So I'm very happy how I handled this match. I'm happy with how I played today."
It is Muguruza's first quarterfinal since her run to the Wimbledon final. Muguruza reached the Tokyo semifinals last year, losing to Caroline Wozniacki.
The top-seeded Wozniacki dismissed qualifier Ana Konjuh, 6-2, 6-2, in 82 minutes.
Wozniacki's wheels helped her pull off running winners like this one.
Wozniacki will play Angelique Kerber for a place in the final four.
The fifth-seeded German rallied to win 12 of the final 13 games in a 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 victory over American Madison Brengle.
Kerber has won six of 10 matches with Wozniacki, including a 6-4, 7-6 (5) win in the 2013 Tokyo semifinals and a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory in the Stuttgart final last spring.