Belinda Bencic (WTA 294) did not achieve the feat in the round of 16 of the Australian Open. Under a blazing sun, the St. Galloise lost 5-7 6-2 6-1 to Coco Gauff (WTA 3) in 2h26.
The 2021 Olympic champion, beaten in 2h26, was not able to do much after winning hard, in more than an hour of play, a very close first set.
Bencic played really well in the 1st set, I had trouble being on the offensive
Bencic “played really well in the 1st set, I had trouble being on the offensive”said Gauff after her victory, the first in 3 sets since her victorious final at the beginning of November at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia. “I played more aggressively in the 2nd and 3rd sets”continued the American, who will challenge Paula Badosa (12).
Coco Gauff, who had offered the decisive break of the 1st round to the yellow mother by committing 2 double faults in a row to conclude the 11th game, flew over the debates from the start of the 2 set. Her time in the locker room may have helped her regain her senses.
Belinda Bencic also left the court for a few minutes, after a one-sided second round. But she did not manage to break the rhythm of Coco Gauff, who accumulated 27 winning shots in the last 2 sets against only 2 for her opponent.
-Already competitive
Unable to get the slightest break point in these last 2 rounds, Belinda Bencic should quickly be able to forget this failure to remember the essential: she is already competitive, less than 9 months after the birth of her daughter Bella and while she has played only 20 matches since his return on October 30.
The 27-year-old St-Welsh, who notably took out world number 22 Jelena Ostapenko in Melbourne, will not need to use her protected ranking for long. This Australian round of 16, his 10th “only” in a Major, will allow him to find himself around 155th place in the world next Monday.
ats/bao
Canada
