Belinda Bencic set for landmark rankings rise as stunning return continues
Belinda Bencic’s stunning comeback continues to gather pace, with the Swiss set for a return to the top 50 of the WTA Rankings after beating Coco Gauff in Indian Wells.
The Swiss, 28, battled from a set down to beat the world No 3 and third seed 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Wednesday’s Round of 16 clash to book a quarter-final versus fifth seed Madison Keys.
Bencic had lost to Gauff the last time the pair met, notably tiring during a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 loss to the American in the fourth round of the Australian Open back in January.
However, the former world No 4 looked in sharp physical shape in Wednesday’s victory, and she revealed afterwards that physical improvement was key as she continued her comeback from maternity leave.
She said: “Obviously tennis-wise, I still thought it was a great match in Australia.
“I just felt like she outplayed me in a way. You know, it was a very hot day, and I felt like in the end I was out of steam in Australia. Obviously, she was playing very good.
“What changed is that I just kept on working also on the physical side. I felt like in the last matches in tournaments, I kind of was able to play back to back, some three-set matches, and I am fresher every time, after the match.
“I’m not as tired or just the body is holding up much better, almost like it was before. So I’m really happy about that – I guess that’s what we were working on.”
Bencic welcomed her first child, a daughter named Bella, last April and made her return to tennis at an ITF W75 event in Hamburg last October.
The Swiss has progressed rapidly then, with a run to the second week of the Australian Open in January followed by an impressive path to a ninth WTA title in Abu Dhabi in February.
Bencic had already returned to the top 60 of the WTA Rankings, thanks to her astonishingly quick return to form, and is currently ranked 58th in the world.
However, the former Olympic champion is now set to crack the top 50, with Bencic projected to leap 13 spots to world No 45 in the WTA Live Rankings.
Bencic would be projected to jump back inside the top 40 should she beat Australian Open champion Keys in Thursday’s quarter-final and could be back inside the top 25 should she lift the title.
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Major accomplishments don’t stop there for Bencic, who received a wildcard into the main draw.
Since the tournament introduced a women’s event in 1989, she is just the sixth wildcard to reach the last eight.
Bencic follows in the footsteps of Elena Bovina (2001), Martina Hingis (2006), Serena Williams (2015), Bianca Andreescu (2019), and Caroline Wozniacki (2024).
She also follows in the footsteps of her compatriot Hingis by becoming just the second wildcard to beat a top-five player in Indian Wells.
Hingis beat second seed Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round back in 2006, ultimately progressing to the last four before falling to eventual champion Maria Sharapova.
