‘Nervous’ Belinda Bencic secures spots in both Shenzen and Kremlin Cup final

Belinda Bencic ensured she was the eighth and last qualifier for the WTA Finals in Shenzen as she beat Kristina Mladenovic to move into the final of the Kremlin Cup.
The Swiss star produced a fine performance in Moscow, needing just 95 minutes to gain a 6-3, 6-4 success and book her place at the end-of-season showpiece.
The 22-year-old sealed the eighth and last WTA Finals singles place by reaching the final in Moscow and out-performing Kiki Bertens, who lost to Mladenovic in the quarter-finals.
“I’m so happy I reached the top eight. It was a huge goal for me this season and so last-minute,” Bencic said on court in her post-match interview.
“I was so nervous before the match, but also reaching the final here (in Moscow) is amazing. I’m so happy.”
!
See you at the @SHISEIDO_corp @WTAFinals,@ashbarty @Naomi_Osaka_ @KaPliskova @Simona_Halep @Petra_Kvitova @Bandreescu_ @ElinaSvitolina @BelindaBencic pic.twitter.com/DScKvDCiyO
— WTA (@WTA) October 19, 2019
Russian Pavlyuchenkova squandered a match point in a second set tie-break, but came through 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-1 against the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova, who reached the last eight at Wimbledon last summer.
At the Luxembourg Open, German second seed Julia Georges overcame third seed Elena Rybakina, from Kazakhstan, 6-3 6-4 to set up a final showdown on Sunday against Jelena Ostapenko.
Latvian Ostapenko fought back to beat Russian sixth seed Anna Blinkova 3-6 6-3 6-2.
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.
Latest
-
News
Los Cabos: Cameron Norrie eye on third ATP Tour title of 2022
The British number one battled to a 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory in the semi-finals.
-
WTA Tour
Toronto draw: Stacked top quarter could be seeds graveyard
The Toronto Masters has no soft paths to glory.
-
WTA Tour
Citi Open: Emma Raducanu falls to Liudmila Samsonova
Fellow Brit Dan Evans also went down in Washington.
-
WTA Tour
Exclusive – Former British No 1 with an upbeat verdict on Emma Raducanu
Durie has backed the young Brit to find her form if she can steer clear of injuries.
-
Tennis News
Exclusive – Former British No 1 on whether Novak Djokovic should play at the US Open
Jo Durie believes it will be a ‘real shame’ if Novak Djokovic cannot play at the US Open.
-
WTA Tour
Naomi Osaka lauds Coco Gauff as a star on and off the court
Coco Gauff is already a big star according to Naomi Osaka.
-
WTA Tour
Emma Raducanu could climb to World No 8 in DC
A new career-high ranking might await Emma Raducanu next week.
-
ATP Tour
Rafael Nadal left with no choice but to withdraw from Montreal
No Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic at the Rogers Cup.
-
Wimbledon
Wimbledon responds to backlash against new stadium plans
Wimbledon hope to get the local residents on their side.
-
Tennis News
Andy Murray handed US Open lifeline with Montreal wildcard
Three-time champion Andy Murray gets a wildcard for Montreal.