Swiatek weathers Bencic storm in Wuhan advance
Under the lights of a roaring Wuhan crowd, Iga Swiatek claws past Belinda Bencic’s fierce comeback to claim her 125th WTA 1000 win, teeing up a tense quarterfinal rematch with Jasmine Paolini.
In the electric hum of Wuhan’s Optics Valley International Tennis Centre, Iga Swiatek savored her debut at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open, the No. 2 seed drawing strength from fans whose cheers cut through the humid air like a rallying cry. The six-time Grand Slam champion, chasing her 12th WTA 1000 title after a summer peak in Cincinnati, faced a test of endurance against No. 13 Belinda Bencic, whose post-maternity resurgence has sharpened her edge on hard courts. This 7-6(2), 6-4 victory, stretched to 2 hours and 8 minutes, marked Swiatek’s fifth win in six meetings with the Swiss player, blending tactical depth with the mental grit that defines her fall campaign.
The Pole fired eight aces and snapped four of six break points, her serve slicing wide to the deuce side before unleashing inside-out forehands that pinned Bencic deep. Since welcoming daughter Bella in spring 2024, Bencic has rebuilt with quiet fire, lifting the Abu Dhabi trophy in February and reaching Wimbledon’s semifinals, where Swiatek outlasted her in three sets. On Wuhan’s medium-fast hard courts, where balls skid low and demand quick decisions, Swiatek’s one–two patterns disrupted Bencic’s aggressive returns, though not without a fight that echoed the season’s unrelenting pace.
“I think it’s always nice to get support during the match,” Swiatek explained. “And in China, I feel it more than in other countries. So yeah, just happy to be here, and hopefully I’m going to be able to experience that as much as possible.”
Bencic claws back early deficit
Swiatek seized the first three games with crosscourt precision, her forehand winners landing heavy inside the lines as Bencic struggled to find rhythm on the rebound-ace surface. The Swiss responded with a surge, claiming five of the next six games through flat groundstrokes taken early, forcing Swiatek into hurried footwork and occasional lobs that floated just over the net. Serving for the set at 5-4, Bencic’s two loose forehands betrayed the pressure, gifting the break and thrusting the match into a tiebreak where the crowd’s energy swelled with every baseline exchange.
Bencic’s style—cracking returns on the rise and redirecting pace inside-in—mirrors the relentless aggression Swiatek has navigated all season, from defending Beijing points to eyeing year-end No. 1. The Pole absorbed the momentum shift, varying depths to pull her opponent forward, where hard-court footwork exposed subtle vulnerabilities. This early drama, amid a calendar heavy with majors and 1000s, tested Swiatek’s resolve, her 24-year-old frame holding firm against the psychological weight of expectations.
Tiebreak seals first-set edge
In the breaker, Swiatek stepped inside the baseline to neutralize Bencic’s flat power, ripping a forehand return winner off a first serve at 4-2 that sliced down-the-line and ignited the stands. The point, a fusion of anticipation and raw speed, propelled her to three straight winners, converting the first set point and easing the mental load from the set’s chaotic swings. This breakthrough, her fifth over Bencic now locked in, highlighted adaptations honed on hard courts: deeper serves to jam returns, followed by slice backhands that altered tempo and invited errors.
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Swiatek later unpacked the intensity in her on-court interview, her voice steady amid the applause. She stressed playing with conviction to avoid dictation, noting how every game dragged the duel past two hours across two sets. “For sure I wanted to play with confidence and make great decisions and not let her dictate,” she said. “It was super hard and every game was tough. That’s why it was two sets in over two hours. I’m happy that I was there in the deciding moments to be solid and play one more shot.”
Paolini rematch promises fire
Level at 3-all in the second, Swiatek pounced with a snappy forehand winner crosscourt, drawing a backhand error from Bencic and securing the break for a lead she nursed to the finish. This 125th WTA 1000 triumph, her 25th quarterfinal at the level, underscores her dominance among five title-winning quarterfinalists here, with No. 3 Coco Gauff poised to join as the sixth against wild card Zhang Shuai later Thursday. Paolini, the No. 7 seed, advanced via a 3-6, 6-1, 3-1 retirement over No. 10 Clara Tauson, her comeback grit a hallmark of a breakthrough year capped by that Cincinnati final loss to Swiatek.
The Italian’s flat strokes and endless retrieving will challenge Swiatek’s patterns on Friday, a surface that rewards baseline stamina over spin-heavy rallies. Swiatek holds a perfect 6-0 head-to-head, five in straight sets, but Paolini’s fighter ethos demands respect. “She’s a really tough opponent—we already played a final this year,” the Pole said. “I know she can play amazing tennis and she’s a fighter, she never gives up. I’ll be ready.” As Wuhan’s lights beckon another high-stakes night, Swiatek’s blend of power and poise positions her to extend the streak, the fans’ warmth fueling a run toward title contention amid the fall’s tactical chessboard.
