In a thrilling turn at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, former Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic delivered a surprising upset by defeating the third-seeded American, Coco Gauff, with scores of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday, clinching her spot in the quarterfinals.
At 28, and making a strong comeback after having welcomed her daughter Bella into the world just last April, Bencic showcased her tenacity by winning 69% of her first-serve points in this intense match that stretched over 2 hours and 20 minutes.
The Swiss player turned the tables from their encounter at the Australian Open in January, where Gauff emerged victorious despite losing the first set. Gauff, celebrating the eve of her 21st birthday as the reigning US Open champion, found herself broken at 4-4 in the final set right after leading 40-0.
After the match, Bencic expressed her exhilaration during an on-court interview, saying, “This is exactly why you train so hard all your life, to perform in such vibrant atmospheres. I was so nervous when you all cheered before the match; I felt chills and goosebumps.”
Gauff commenced her game with vigor but stumbled with five double faults in the opening set, three occurring in a single game. Despite these setbacks, she managed to secure the first set in 51 minutes as Bencic misplaced a forehand.
However, Bencic roared back in the second set, playing with full intensity. Even with brief medical breaks needed for foot and hand issues, she surged ahead to a 4-1 lead and claimed the set when Gauff netted a serve.
Before the decisive third set, Bencic took another medical timeout to attend to a blister on her hand. Gauff, who had been struggling with her serve throughout the event, clocked up eight double faults against Bencic and only managed four aces.
Bencic’s next challenge is against another American player, Australian Open titleholder Madison Keys, who executed a remarkable comeback with a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3 win over 19th-seed Donna Vekic.
The seasoned 30-year-old Keys, ranked third, stretched her remarkable winning streak to 15 matches, even after she trailed 5-3 and was just two points from losing in the second set.
Reflecting on her performance, Keys said, “After securing a tight tiebreaker, I felt a burst of energy. Sometimes, you can become overly pumped, so I aimed to play solidly from the start of the third game and maintain the strategies that helped me clinch that set.”
Keys harnessed her momentum from the tiebreak to break Vekic right at the start of the third set, eventually sealing her victory with a powerful forehand, which was met with raucous cheers from her supporters.
Elsewhere at the tournament, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka delivered a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Sonay Kartal. It was a tough match for Kartal, facing a top 10-ranked opponent for the first time. Sabalenka is now set to face Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals.
Contributions to this report were made by The Associated Press and Reuters.
